Marie C. Gruss

Marie Gruss, 89, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010, at Woodland Hospice with her family by her side. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Loren Kalinowski presiding. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., on Wednesday from 2-5 and 7-9 p.m. with the Vigil beginning at 4:30 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Thursday one hour prior to Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Parish or Woodland Hospice. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Marie was born Sept. 13, 1921, in Isabella County, the daughter of the late Robert and Alice (Fitzgerald) MacDonald. Her marriage to Bernard Bud Gruss on June 15, 1941, in Alma, lasted 52 years, until his death in 1993. She attended Sacred Heart Academy and attended M.J. Murphy Beauty College, eventually becoming a licensed cosmetologist. She worked as a hairdresser in Beal City and Mt. Pleasant and also worked at Ferro Manufacturing for 36 years. Some of Maries favorite pastimes were reading, sewing, taking care of her lawn and flowers, and raising her family. In later years she spent time traveling from Mt. Pleasant to Massachusetts with her dear friend, Dino, sharing time with each others families. She will be remembered for her strong will and determination, her ability to stay busy and always helping her family when needed. Marie is survived by three daughters, Jan Gross, Rhonda (Carl) Spayd, and Chari (John) Benzinger, all of Mt. Pleasant; five grandchildren, Amy (Dave) Bourns of Mt. Pleasant, Lisa (Trent) Sendre of California, Erin (Frank) Schafer of Mt. Pleasant, Keri (Kelly) Carpenter of Kalamazoo and Justin Kerkau of Mt. Pleasant; six great-grandchildren, Alex and Taylor Bournes, Asher Sendre, Anthony and Jordan Schafer, and Cohen Carpenter; four sisters-in-law, Myrtle MacDonald, Jacqueline Gruss of Grand Rapids, Betty Gruss of Mt. Pleasant and Joan (Ron) Schumacher of Beal City; two brothers-in-law, Peter (Martha) Gruss and Richard Gruss, both of Beal City; and her special friend, Dino Mottarella of Massachusetts. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bud Gruss, brother, Robert MacDonald; son-in-law, Al Gross, two brothers-in-law, Clarence Gruss and Rollen Gruss; and sister-in-law, Bernice Gruss. Please check back Thursday to view Marie's funeral webcast.