Mary Gassmann

Mary Barbara Gassmann, age 97, passed away August 3, 2010. She was born March 20, 1913 in Fillmore, North Dakota, the 8th child of Michael and Barbara Bertsch. When she was 5, her family adopted her Irish brother, Morris. She grew up in North Dakota, attending high school in Fargo. She graduated with her teaching degree from Moorhead State Teachers College in Moorhead, Minnesota and taught primary grades in rural Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1940, she married Albert Gassmann of Valley City, North Dakota. They lived in Bloomington, Indiana while Albert finished his doctoral studies, at which time they moved to Detroit, Michigan. In 1950, they moved to Royal Oak, Michigan, where they raised their three children. Mary was active in her community and at the Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, serving as President of the Ladies Guild during the year of Father Coughlin's golden jubilee, and teaching as a substitute teacher at Shrine Grade School. She was renowned for her cooking, baking, and hosting wonderful parties. She moved to California in 1974 and became a prolific artist, specializing in several different media. In her long life, she was an inspiration to her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1968 and her son, John Michael, in 2001. She is survived by her daughters, Anne Rosenfeld and Rita Alves; grandchildren, Jason Alves, Christine Alves, and Lisa Rhodes; and two great-grandchildren. There will be memorial visitation on Wednesday, August 11th, 6-8 p.m. with a 7 p.m. Rosary at Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, 705 W. Eleven Mile Road 4 blocks E. of Woodward, Royal Oak, MI 48067. The Memorial Mass will be Thursday, August 12th, at 10 a.m. at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church, Royal Oak, followed by internment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield. Flowers may be sent to Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home in Royal Oak, MI, or in lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the National Shrine of the Little Flower http://www.shrinechurch.com/schedule.htm. Share your memories at www.sullivanfuneraldirectors.com.