Winifred Whitney Motherwell

Winfred grew up in Indian Village on Detroit’s east side and attended Liggett School from preschool through high school, graduating as the president of her class in 1953. She attended Northwestern University as a journalism major before transferring to the University of Michigan, earning an Ars Baccalaureate degree in English. It was at Michigan that she met her husband, Thomas Motherwell; they were married March 14, 1957.

Winifred taught English and English composition in Homer, Roseville, Armada, and Macomb Community College. In 1965, after moving to Haslett, she got her Masters in Victorian Literature at Michigan State and taught there, and at Lansing Community College. After she retired from teaching, Winifred had a long career proofreading court depositions from several court reporting firms in the Lansing area.

Stemming from the days she and a friend wheeled their baby strollers through Ann Arbor’s Pittsfield Village, knocking on doors and asking their neighbors to sign a petition that called for integrating the neighborhood, Winifred had a long history of activism, advocacy, and community service. She was a charter member of the Meridian Park Commission, where she was instrumental in establishing the Farmers Market and the July 4 fireworks, Friends of Historic Meridian, and Friends of the Haslett Library, served on Executive Committee for the Meridian Democrats and the Ingham County Democrats, served on the Peace and Justice Commission, was on the board for the Capitol Area District Library, was a Kerry delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004, and was appointed to the Michigan Optometry Board by Governor Jennifer Granholm. Winfred was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Winifred was given the inaugural Zolton Ferency Award for Activism, served countless times as precinct delegate for state and local party conventions, and enlisted her (often reluctant) children into going door to door with nominating petitions for local elections. Twice she ran for state representative, knowing that the district was not friendly to Democratic candidates, simply because no one else would.

An eighth generation Michigander and Detroiter, Winifred was a fierce champion for Detroit and the State of Michigan. She was never happier than within sight of a Great Lake, especially Lake Huron, her favorite, where she spent many summers going from port to port on her family’s boat, The Trio III. She never failed to note the beginning of Great Lakes shipping every spring and tracked lake traffic through the newspaper for decades.

Winifred instilled her sense of social justice and fair play in her three children. She had a competitive spirit that showed itself especially during Jeopardy, which was a blood sport in the Motherwell household, Trivial Pursuit, and any other game that required a broad knowledge of many subjects. She was a talented cook, famous for her spaghetti sauce, a skilled editor, and a neighborhood mainstay. She had a lifelong love of folk music and was a longtime member of East Lansing’s Ten Pound Fiddle.

Winifred was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband of 62 years, Thomas Motherwell, as well as her sister-in-law, Frances Motherwell Priebe (Gerald, deceased), her cousin, Elizabeth Riggs, and many other relatives and in-laws. She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth (John Hayner) of Seattle, WA, and Mary of Ann Arbor, her son John (Sherri) of Grand Forks, ND, and grandchildren Anneliese and Joseph of Grand Forks, ND, as well as cousins Gordon (Heidi) and David (Lynne) Grant, and her six Oades

cousins: Dennie, Jeanne, John, Bill, Patty, and Hank who brought so much joy to her life over the last 20 years, her nieces and nephew by marriage, Michael (Susan) Priebe, Robin (Bob) Reneau, Gerri Priebe, and Patti Priebe-Holland, cousins Margaret, Susan, and William Riggs; and many other family and friends.

The family would like to thank Michele Renkoski-Hollis, Cindy Zimmerman, Sue Dunn, and Jamie Worman for providing assistance and companionship over the last several years, as well as the Hospice Care Team and the Medical Team at American House Meridian for taking care of Winifred these past few months.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 8th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Gorsline Runciman East Lansing Funeral Home located at 1730 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823.

Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, November 9th at 11:00 am at St. John's Catholic Church and Student Center located at 327 M.A.C. Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823, with a 1-hour visitation at 10:00 am.

Contributions may be sent to the Friends of Historic Meridian or the Friends of the Haslett Library.