Born October 16, 1921 in Rogers City, Michigan to Emil and Clara (Pankowski) Plath. Formerly of Jackson and East Lansing, Michigan. Passed away in her sleep at Silver Maples Assisted Living in Chelsea, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at the age of 97. She was a 50-year survivor of bilateral breast cancer.
Graduated from Rogers City High School in 1938 and the Henry Ford School of Nursing in 1945. Served in the Army Nurse Corp until fall 1946. Making use of the GI Bill to earn a Bachelor of Public Health degree from Wayne State University, she was a visiting nurse for the Wayne County Public Health Department. She married high school classmate Bud I. Pines in 1950, entering into a mutual admiration partnership which thrived until his death in 1993. After her children were in school, she started an 18-year career teaching in the Practical Nursing program at Jackson Junior College. As a nursing instructor she held her students to a high standard so they would become safe, professional nurses who would always put their patients first.
She loved assisting her husband in his home-improvement projects; he made the sawdust and she used the broom. She would pack up the travel trailer, three kids, and meet him whenever he was working out of town during the summer. She could park that trailer as if she’d been to truck driving school.
After retirement and until Bud’s death, they spent winters in McAllen, Texas, where Alice was Bud’s roadie while he played keyboard in a dance band.
Seeking adventure, as a widow she walked the Great Wall of China, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, and rode an elephant in Thailand. She never stopped learning. She was a continuous participant in the original Nurses’ Health Study started in 1976. She was a supporter of women’s reproductive rights and a voracious reader. She was always willing to engage in a heated debate on any topic.
She loved her children and adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Predeceased by her parents, three sisters, one brother, husband Bud I. Pines, infant daughter Marie, son Greg Pines, and grandson Bryan Friedrich. Survived by daughters Deb (John) Friedrich of Jackson, Michigan, Jan (Dean) Woodbeck of Hancock, Michigan, and daughter-in-law Connie Clark Pines of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Grandchildren Scott (Jen) Friedrich, Angie (late Bryan) Friedrich, Laura Woodbeck, Jay Woodbeck, Griffin Pines, and Emily (Joe) McKeown; and great-grandchildren Dylan, Tessa, Collin, and Madelynn; many nieces and nephews.
The family thanks the staff at Silver Maples for the excellent care —especially those who patiently listened to Alice’s highly specific bed-making instructions week after week. Cremation has taken place and a private memorial service will take place this summer in Rogers City, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
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