Grace L Back

Online Obituaries for the Troy, Royal Oak, Clawson & Clarkston, MI. area. GRACE L BACK Grace L Back of Clarkston, MI, formerly of Clawson passed away on September 29, 2017 at St. Joseph Hospital in Pontiac, MI. Grace was predeceased by her parents George and Ada and was the youngest of her 6 siblings; and was the last of her family. Also predeceased by her, was her significant other and love for more than 25 years, Gordon Peterson. Grace is survived by her children, Kathie (Ed) Fournier, Donna (Dennis) Carter, James II and Greg (Patti) Back. Also the children of her love Gordon: Kristy (Dave) Preston and Greg Peterson. Grace was loved by her 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren who adored her and was grandma Grace to Gordons grandchildren. She was a graduate of St. Annes high school in Detroit in 1947 and participated in concert choir and the Christmas Play. Grace loved to travel whether it was camping in Michigan or the across the country and cruising through Alaska and Hawaii. She was a lover of All animals. She even saved a baby squirrel that fell out of a tree and nursed it back to health with a baby doll bottle. Through the years she had several dogs, cats, an alligator, her singing canary and at the end, her four-legged beagle friend and daily companion, Rosie. After her children were raised she went to work at K-Mart in the Advertising department and retired from there after 18 years of service. Grace was still young when her grandchildren began coming into her life. She spent many hours at their activities: watching dance recitals, soccer games, baseball and football games. She didnt hesitate to put a baseball glove on and play catch with one of her 5 grandsons. She laughed and said she was gaining another gray hair as she watched another grandson try and jump ramps with a bike or skateboard. Grace loved babysitting for her grandchildren when they were little and reading them stories. She was also a safe haven when one of them wanted to run away from their parents because they were being unfair. She enjoyed having dinner & drinks with her granddaughters and hearing all about their experiences. One granddaughter says she loves Grandma because Grandma just gets me. While most grandchildren called her grandma one granddaughter could call her Gracie and Grace would just laugh. When her children or grandchildren werent around to entertain her, she would find an old movie on TV, hopefully a John Wayne movie which she had seen at least a dozen times. Grace was a voracious reader. And, recently she enjoyed reading books on her Kindle she didnt totally resist the new world of technology. Social media opened up another way for her to keep up with her whole family through Facebook and Instagram. (She called it, THE Facebook & THE Instagram) She kept her cell phone close to not miss a call or a TEXT. If she had a technology problem she wanted it fixed immediately so she wouldnt miss a moment with her family. Just recently she appreciated London and Paris through her granddaughters trip via FaceTime. While technology opened up her world socially, she still wanted to go to the bank to get money or write a check and put a stamp on an envelope to pay her bills. Then she and her beagle Rosie would walk to the mailbox to put her envelopes in the mail for the mailperson to pick up. If she were talking on the phone to someone and one of her Grandchildren called her, she would hang up so she could speak to them instead. Grace was still very active as she drove herself to the store, ran errands and to visit with her children or grandchildren. While she was driving she would play the CDs of her favorite singer, Neil Diamond. Earlier this summer Grace was so excited to go to the Neil Diamond 50 year concert at the Palace. She was ecstatic that she was sitting in the 5th row from the stage. Her daughter and granddaughter who joined her, enjoyed watching Grace sing along with all of the songs. This was her 5th time seeing her Neil Diamond. Grace also enjoyed spending much time with any of her EIGHT Great grandchildren. Her youngest great-granddaughter was recently at her house and Great Grandma had some puzzles for her to play with and a book she read to her. When the great-granddaughter returned to the house a few days later, she knew exactly where Great Grandma kept the puzzles and book. Graces family all felt her love because she cared so deeply about all aspects of their lives. She was also proud of her children and grandchildrens Spouses they too felt her love. Grace was a special person to each one of her family members in a different way. She was easy to laugh, an amazing listener & never turned down a pina colada. Although we will miss her desperately, our memories of her and the stories we will share with each other will help us continue to feel her love. Funeral Information A Celebration of Graces life will be held at 10 am Monday, October 2, 2017 at Gramer Funeral Home 705 North Main Street (Livernois between 14 and 15 mile roads.) Clawson, Michigan 48017 (248) 435-9010 Visitation 2 pm until 8 pm Sunday, October 1, 2017 at the Funeral Home. Grace will be buried at Mt. Avon Cemetery in Rochester, Michigan. Handicapped entrance is located on the north side of the building. Please call ahead if you would like our staff assistance. (248) 435-9010 Clawson 705 N Main St Clawson, MI 48017 Shelby Township 48271 Van Dyke Ave Shelby Township, MI 48317

Grace L Back

September 18, 1929 - September 28, 2017