Lillian Edith DeHart

Cincinnatus, NY

Age 93, died peacefully on September 28, 2015 from complications following a stroke in January at Saline Evangelical Home in Saline MI, surrounded by her family, Born Lillian Edith on September 9, 1922 in Berwyn, Illinois, she was the daughter of Thomas and (Elizabeth) Louise (Appleton) Stitt. On September 23, 1946, she married Wilbur DeHart and he preceded her in death. She is survived by a brother, Thomas Stitt of Cincinnati, OH; five children; Barbara (Thomas) Eadie of Victoria, BC, Canada, Peter (Carole) DeHart of Ann Arbor, MI, Steven (Theresa) DeHart of Cincinnatus, NY, Mary Jo (Alan) Felsted of Orlando, FL, and Richard (Cynthia) DeHart of Ann Arbor, MI; 19 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter; and 3 nieces very dear to her, Margaret (Tom) Cummins, Betty Jo (John) Pendleton and Carolyn Gossel. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Mary (Phil) Ferguson and her nephew, David Ferguson.

Lil grew up living in a cemetery designed and managed by her father, just outside Wheelersburg, OH. As a child she took piano lessons, collected stamps, learned sewing from her mother and aunt (a milliner), was active in the local 4-H sewing club and soon was making all her clothes. She was valedictorian of her high school class and graduated from Oberlin College with a BA in Physical Education. After graduation she took a job with the YWCA and moved to Washington DC where she met her future husband at a square dance. As World War II ended she took a YWCA job in Hawaii but returned to the mainland after a year to marry Wilbur and moved with him to Boston for his graduate studies at MIT. In 1951 they moved to Michigan a few miles outside Ann Arbor where her homemaking career really took off. The frugalness of her parents had rubbed off, too; that first summer she canned tomatoes and peaches on a one-burner hot plate.

As her children grew, she was a tireless supporter of their activities, from Little League to leadership in Girl Scouts and helping with a 4-H sewing club, where she passed on her sewing skills. She tended a large vegetable garden for many years. Her kids were not always enthusiastic supporters of her gardening interest, but helped her anyway to pick, freeze and can the many bushels of vegetables and fruit. She was a pianist and strong advocate of music education. All her children played instruments into high school and beyond and she sometimes accompanied them at Solo & Ensemble. She attended all their concerts and always said nice things about the 5th grade band.

As her children left home, she devoted more time to First United Methodist Church where she was a member for over 60 years. She joined the choir, served as Lay Leader, and was deeply involved in local, district and conference activities of the United Methodist Women, including holding various offices. Her tireless activities earned her the distinction “a pillar of the church”. After Wilbur retired, they traveled extensively, with Russia, China, New Zealand, Norway, Israel among her passport stamps. England was also the destination for several trips as her lifelong interest in genealogy led her to visit the homes of her English ancestors. She did extensive research tracing the family tree and transcribed many of the old letters and journals saved by earlier generations. In 1987, as urban sprawl encroached, she and Wilbur moved to a country home north of Dexter. In 2009, they moved to New York to live with Steve and his wife and Lil officially retired. Freed from her homemaker tasks, she was able to concentrate on her hobbies; bird watching out the window, genealogy, sewing, quilting. After her stroke and unsuccessful rehab, she asked to return to Michigan to be closer to her Ann Arbor church friends.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm on Saturday, November 7, 2015 in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor, MI, with the Rev. J Douglas Paterson officiating. A reception will follow in the Social Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor, MI or the United Methodist Women of the United Methodist Church. Cremation has taken place and her ashes will be interred in the Memorial Garden at First United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor.