Marie Ilene DeFord

Marie Ilene DeFord of Eaton Rapids, MI and formerly of Lansing, MI passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 21, 2022, at the age of 88. Marie was born on September 21, 1933, in Lansing Michigan the daughter of William and Jessie (Evans) Gross. She was raised in Lansing where she graduated from Lansing Sexton High School class of 1951. Marie was the owner of Building Care Services out of Lansing where she did commercial cleaning for many large companies. She also worked briefly in real estate. Marie was a long-time member of Unity Church where she was involved in the Teddy Bear Project and a founding member of the Lighthouse Coalition with her late friend Theresa Hobbins. She loved gardening, painting ceramics, animals of all kinds and was an avid garage sale aficionado. Marie was known as “everyone’s mom” and was extremely generous, always looking for the perfect gift for a family member or friend.
Marie is preceded in death by her parents and seven siblings.
She is survived by her sons, Dane (Grace) DeFord, Jon (Shelly) DeFord; grandchildren, Derek (Melissa) DeFord, Monica (Adam) Shirey, Branden (Nicole) Cooper, Sonia Ybarra, Courtney (Blake) Weirauch, Christina Lopez, Steve Lopez, Jessica Lopez, Cortney Slusser, Kayla Slusser; 21 great grandchildren, three great great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 26, 2022, at Skinner Funeral Homes, Eaton Rapids Chapel with visitation starting at 10:00 a.m. A luncheon immediately followed the service at Tompkins Township Hall in Rives Junction, MI. For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to the Ingham County Humane Society in memory of Marie. To share memories or leave condolences please visit www.SkinnerFuneralHomes.com.