Mary Bern Roxburgh

Mary Bern Roxburgh (82), of Clinton Township, Michigan, passed away on Friday, November 11th after a sudden and brief battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her father, Elden (Mike), her mother, Louise, and her brother, James. She is survived by her four children, Nicole Hostettler, Mike Hostettler, Kelly Hefferon (Guy) and Tom Diehl (Monika), as well as her two granddaughters, Megan and Cate. Mary was politically active, making sure her absentee ballot counted by passing just after election day; and may have selected to pass on Veteran’s Day to honor her beloved Vietnam vets. She was an independent lady until the very end, exactly the way she wanted it. Until the past few weeks, she was enjoying Irish Coffee with friends, singing and acting with Heart of the Hills theatre company, and living her faith by volunteering with the St. Paul of Tarsus Food Pantry. She loved and was loved by all in her community. She graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in Social Science and a teaching Certificate in Elementary Education. After a few years of teaching (which was not for her), she was drawn to activism in local Southeastern Michigan political campaigns and eventually appointed to the staff of former Congressman David E. Bonior. Her colleagues from this time became lifelong friends and surrogate family. She met many interesting (and sometimes famous) people, learned the art of public speaking, and became involved in veterans’ organizations. She eventually became a Founding member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, which was incredibly important to her (and for which we are tremendously proud of her). In her mid-life, she made the brave decision to return to school and earn her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Wayne State University. This was an enjoyable time in her life. After which, she practiced psychiatric social work at various hospitals including Sinai Hospital and Aurora Health Care Corporation in Detroit. This work was not for the weak, but she loved being able to give back to those she felt needed it most in the City of Detroit. As the primary provider of her family, she also began part-time work as a clinical psychotherapist conducting individual and family therapy in the evening. This eventually grew into a private practice, from which she only recently retired at age 80. She worked hard all her life and is finally resting. Listening to her son Michael (Mike) play music and traveling with her daughter Nicole (Nickie) brought her joy. She was a terrible cook and hated the cold. Some of her favorite things in the world were Buddy Guy, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Streisand, Mardi Gras, Mummer Parades, Sweet Adeline’s, MSU Spartans, Frankie & Grace, Keno, Red Lobster, fart jokes, the smell of lavender, and anything red. She would want us all to get vaccinated, bring sanity back to civic duty, call your mother, have good memories of her, and be good to each other. Relatives and friends are invited to her visitation on Friday, November 25, 2022 from 3pm to 7pm, at Wujek-Calcaterra Funeral Home (36900 Schoenherr Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48312). A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2022. In State at 9:30am and Funeral Mass at 10am at St. Paul of Tarsus Catholic Church (41300 Romeo Plank Road, Clinton Township, Michigan 48038). In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul of Tarsus Food Pantry or Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org

Mary Bern Roxburgh

March 15, 1940 - November 11, 2022