GASPER
Mary Kay Gasper, 74, passed away in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. The daughter of Lewis Theodore and Mary Maxine (Detmers) Gasper, she was born on May 15th, 1950, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
She attended school at the Marble Country School, a one-room schoolhouse, and then Belding High School, graduating with the class of 1968. She went on to earn her associate’s degree from Davenport College. Growing up on her parents’ farm, south of Belding, Mary Kay learned the value of hard work. Her very first job was washing thousands of eggs, that she and her mother would then deliver to the grocery stores in Belding and Lowell. In her adult years, Mary Kay went on to work for Meijer, Ann Marie Drapery, Valley City Sign and Ryerson. She was an active member of the St. Mary’s Altar Society, as well as the professional sorority Alpha Iota. She made wonderful, life-long friends during those years. Mary Kay will be remembered for her generosity.
Whether it was baking bread for a new mother, packing lunches for school children with her sorority sisters, taking a neighbor or a family member to an appointment, or making a pot of chili for a busy family, she was always doing for others. Mary Kay’s Catholic faith was extremely important to her. As an active parishioner of St. Mary’s, Miriam, she enjoyed Sunday Mass, as well as Wednesday Rosary group and the St. Mary’s Altar Society. Anyone who asked her to pray for them could trust that she was storming Heaven with those prayers, for she was a fierce prayer warrior, and she trusted in the love and mercy that comes from Jesus. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family and dear friends. She loved to watch and cheer on her great nieces and nephews at their sporting events or as they showed their animals at the county fair.
She always remembered birthdays and anniversaries and would tuck a scratch off ticket in every card sent. She loved 4th of July gatherings at the lake with her friends and enjoyed cocktail hour with her condo neighbors. Her laugh and her hugs will be missed the most. Left to cherish her memory are her brothers, Kenneth (Jane) Gasper of Belding and Gordon (Linda) Gasper of Middleville; her nieces and nephews, Nikki (Wade) Bernreuter, Aaron (Andrea) Gasper, Derek (Jennifer) Gasper, Maddie (Jason) McCormack, Mandy Mae Gasper, Jamie (Dennis) Peterson and Mike (Erin) Pott; her great-nieces and great-nephews, Ella, Samantha, Gustav and Isaac Bernreuter, Quinn and Grant Gasper, Emily and Alex Gasper, Gabriel and Michaela McCormack, Triston, Miriam, Louisa, Isabella, Virginia and Kenneth Peterson; her Aunt Joanne (Ray) Gasper-Case; several cousins and many dear friends. Mary Kay was preceded in death by her parents Lewis and Maxine Gasper.
The Mass of Christian Burial for Mary Kay was celebrated on Friday, Jan. 3 at St. Mary Catholic Church; Miriam, Rev. James Wyse presiding. Graveside committal rites at St. Mary Cemetery followed Mass. Visitation was held on Thursday evening at Johnson-Feuerstein Funeral Home, with the Rosary prayed at 7:30 p.m. Memorial contributions may be given to the St. Mary Altar Society. Memories and messages of condolence may be shared at www.jffh.com.
