Maxine Barbara Bliss

Maxine Barbara Bliss (Grzybowski) passed away Thursday, October 17th, 2019 at St. John Hospital on Moross, in Detroit, with family by her side. She was 80 years old, but “old” is not how friends, family or acquaintances would describe her. She was full of life and always ready to have a pleasant conversation with anyone she met.

Maxine was born in Detroit on March 26th, 1939 and raised with her sister Loretta by their mother Stella Wanda Grzybowski (Balabuch), father Maximilian Joseph Grzybowski, and Stella’s mother Agnes Balabuch, on Detroit’s East Side.

Maxine graduated high school from St. Thomas Apostle, in Detroit, in 1956. She was a cheerleader, a very proficient writer, and a favorite of the Catholic Nuns who taught most of St. Thomas’s classes. Her nickname was ‘half pint’, which referred to a small milk container in the 1950’s and specifically referenced her diminutive height.

Maxine married Ralph Joseph Bliss on May 10th, 1958. They lived and worked in Detroit, until they moved “out in the country” to Warren, Michigan in 1962. That first year in their new home near 13 Mile Road there were actually cows beyond the back yard fence. By then their first child, Kevin Paul Bliss, born September, 1959, was just three years old. In April of 1967 their second son, Christopher Paul Bliss, was born.

In addition to raising her sons, Maxine worked many jobs from high school to retirement. In Detroit, she was an office assistant at a family owned furniture store. Later she worked as a retail manager, a costume jewelry merchandiser, and an Office Manager at a fiberglass raw material distributor.

When she finally retired, Maxine dedicated her life to caring for her elderly mother for over 30 years, and passionately enjoyed her love of gardening. Maxine’s yard is a wellspring of flowering plants, both annuals and perennials, in all colors and hues, including purple – her favorite color.

Please remember Maxine for her sense of humor, and her ability to enjoy pleasant conversations in the company of anyone & everyone.

Maxine was the beloved wife of the late Ralph Joseph Bliss, who passed in September, 1992, and the cherished mother of sons Kevin Bliss, and Christopher (Audra) Bliss. She’s also survived by her loving sister Loretta (Thomas Sr.) Hefner, who visited her annually in recent years.

Maxine supported the Humane Society of Macomb in Utica, MI - https://humanesocietyofmacomb.org/ and her family would be honored if you directed donations or gifts to their worthy cause.

Maxine was the beloved wife of the late Ralph; dearest mother of Kevin Paul Bliss and Christopher Paul (Audra) Bliss; and loving sister of Loretta (the late Thomas) Hefner.

A Memorial Visitation for Maxine will be held on Monday, November 25th from 5-9 pm at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 1/2 Mile Rd) in Warren. Her Memorial Mass will take place on Tuesday, November 26th at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Warren. The family welcomes guests for a Memorial Gathering at church from 9:00 am until time of the Mass at 9:30 am. Officiating the funeral liturgy will be Reverend Fr. Nick Zukowski. 

Please share memories of Maxine at her guest book below.