Marjorie A. Rau

Marjorie Rau, 90, of Beal City, went peacefully to the Lord, surrounded by her family on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at Green Acres Assisted Living in Mt. Pleasant. A Funeral Mass for Marge will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 28, at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Beal City with Father Ricky Varner as celebrant. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery with a luncheon to follow at the Beal City Knights of Columbus Hall. The family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home on Monday from 4-8 p.m. with a Rosary beginning at 7:30 p.m. Visitation continues on at the church on Tuesday one hour prior to Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph the Worker Church or MidMichigan Hospice. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home or before Mass. A lifelong resident of Beal City, Marge was born Feb. 6, 1926, daughter of the late Herman and Cecelia (Tilmann) Grinzinger. After graduating from Beal City High School in 1944, she married, the love of her life, Bernard Rau on June 21, 1947, at St. Philomena Catholic Church in Beal City. She was a member of St. Joseph Parish and its altar society. Some of her favorite pastimes were cooking, sewing, crafts, gardening, and getting together with friends to play cards or try their luck at the casino. Marge was a loving and caring wife, mother, and grandmother with a gift for making everyone feel special and loved. Her world revolved around her family and friends and her grandchildren were her special joy. There were always plenty of cookies, tootsie rolls, and ice cream cones at Grandma Raus house. She will be fondly remembered for her laughter, joking, and silly sayings. Her strong faith, gentle spirit, and sense of humor were an inspiration to everyone she met. She will be greatly missed by everyone who loved her. Marge is survived by seven children, Gary (Linda) Rau of Lake Isabella, Jan (Barry) Kirkpatrick of Stevensville MT, Bob (Mary) Rau, Jack (Barbara) Rau, and Sue (Randy) Stratton, all of Lake Isabella, and Barbie (Kurt) Mirandette and Karen Patterson, both of Grand Rapids; 24 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and seven siblings, Dorothy Todeschini of Dearborn, Alvin (Marcia) Grinzinger of Dearborn Heights, Florence (Fred) Steffke of Beal City, Mary Mullins of Lake Isabella, Rose Seder of Frankenmuth, Irene (Pete) Straus of Springfield, MO, and Elizabeth (Steve) Power of Boston, MA; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bernard Rau; three sisters, Kate Miller, Bernice Grinzinger, and Carol Leinweber; and infant sister, Joan Grinzinger.