Mary Rose Mcnish

Mary Rose (Longar) McNish, 86, of Bridgman, MI, passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at Royalton Manor in St. Joseph surrounded by her family. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 3903 Lake St. in Bridgman. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery. Visitation for family and friends is Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 7:00 p.m. at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Bridgman Public Library or the Readiness Center. Mary was born on July 6, 1922 in Manistique, MI to Joseph and Rose (Milavec) Longar. She later married James A. McNish in Detroit, MI in October 1946. She worked for many years as an insurance claims processor at AAA. She belonged to the Bridgman Women’s Club and was past president of the International Typographical Union Women’s Auxiliary. She was active in the Twin Cities Literacy Council, Bridgman Public Library, Bridgman Women’s Auxiliary and Bible studies. After retirement, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, quilting, cooking, gardening and water aerobics. Mary is survived by her two daughters, Anne (Dave) Vonk of Benton Harbor, MI, and Mary Jane (Jeffrey) Waldman of Orinda, CA, and her son, James “Joseph” (Susan) McNish of Memphis, TN. She is also survived by a sister, Caroline Spina of Sebastian, FL and three grandchildren, Drew (Virginia Griffin) Waldman of Portland, OR, Jonathan Vonk of Peoria, IL and Andrea Vonk of Benton Harbor, MI. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a brother, Joseph Longar and a sister, Dorothy Taylor.