November 5, 1999

Obituaries

MURIEL BRACK, of Eustis, Fla., died Wednesday, Nov. 3, at Waterman Hospital.
      A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at Hibbard Funeral and Cremation Service of Traverse City. A full obituary will appear in Saturday's edition of the Record-Eagle.
     
      VIOLET M. MINOR, 99, of Bloomfield Hills and formerly of Benzie County, died Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999, at the Fraser Villa Mercy Living Center in Fraser.
      Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Bennett-Barz Funeral Home in Beulah. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home.
     
      Gladys E. Coe
      Died November 2, 1999
      BUCKLEY - Gladys E. (Gersky) Coe, 79, of Buckley, died Tuesday at her home.
      Born July 24, 1920, in Detroit, she was the daughter of Paul and Frances Gersky and she married Harold B. Coe. Gladys was a homemaker.
      She is survived by her husband, Harold; son, Alan B. Coe; daughters, Michelle D. Blake, Ruth Ann Kauffman and Cynthia (Craig) Koehn; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two brothers; and three sisters.
      She was preceded in death by her parents.
      Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. today at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc. in Sterling Heights with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m. She will be lying instate at 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Peter Church in Mt. Clemens. A funeral Mass will follow at 9:30 a.m. at the church. Entombment will be in Cadillac Memorial Gardens East in Clinton Township.
      Memorial contributions may be directed to Munson Health Care Hospice.
     
      Margaret B. Smith
      Died November 2, 1999
      CHARLEVOIX - Margaret B. Smith, 86, of Boyne City, who with her husband owned and operated Gregg Publications of Boyne City for many years, a publisher of newspapers, shoppers and resort publications throughout northwestern Michigan, died here Tuesday at Boulder Park Terrace.
      She was born Margaret Bridget Gallagher on Aug. 28, 1913, in St. James, Beaver Island, one of five children of Elizabeth and Andrew Gallagher. Following graduation from the island's high school, she attended Michigan's Nazareth and Aquinas colleges, earning a degree from Aquinas in Grand Rapids. She then returned to northern Michigan to work for the state's Old Age Assistance Department, forerunner of today's Family Independence Agency, in Boyne City. It was there she met her future husband, A. Gregg Smith, a native of Boyne, and they were married on March 27, 1941, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Charlevoix.
      During the war years they resided in the Long Beach and San Francisco areas of California, where her husband was stationed as a naval ship's officer. While stationed in Long Beach, Margaret was employed in the Navy's command center, charged with tracking and planning fleet movements throughout the South Pacific war zone. She carried a top secret intelligence clearance, and worked as a special assistant to the center's commander. After the war, the Smiths returned to Boyne in 1946 to make their home and raise a family of three sons.
      In the late 1950's Margaret returned to college to earn a teaching degree and certificate from Central Michigan University. In 1960 she and her husband purchased the "Boyne Citizen," a community newspaper. With a talented and loyal staff they built a multi-publication firm and web printing facility, Gregg Publications, headquartered in Boyne and publisher of state and national award winning community newspapers, resort and shopping guides in five northwest Michigan counties. She served as business manager, co-publisher and in advertising sales for the company that culminated with her retirement in 1977 and sale of the firm.
      A longtime secretary and board member of the Boyne City Housing Commission, Margaret was instrumental in the planning and construction of Conkle Development and Litzenburger Place, a public housing project for the elderly that has served the community since 1970.
      She has been a resident of Boulder Park, a Charlevoix county facility for the aged, as well as rehabilitative center, since June of 1992. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, A. Gregg, in September of 1996.
      Family survivors include three sons, Michael A. Smith of Ft. Thomas, Ky., Dr. Timothy V. (Lynn) Smith M.D. of Holland, Mich. and Gregory P. (Dee) Smith of Interlochen; and four grandchildren, Markelle of Portland, Ore., Joelle of Saratoga Springs, NY and Keegan and Braden of Holland, Mich. She is also survived by two brothers, John A. Gallagher of Charlevoix and Grand Haven, and retired Capt. Daniel E. (Shirley) Gallagher of Coca Beach, Fla.; a sister, Elizabeth Wilmot of Westminster, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews.
      She was also preceded in death by a sister, Mary McDonald of Charlevoix; a sister-in-law, Lillian Gallagher of St. James, Beaver Island and Charlevoix; two brothers-in-law, J.C. "Mac" McDonald of Charlevoix; and retired Commander Warren "Chub" Wilmot of Westminster, Calif.
      In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial Mass to celebrate her life will be held at 11 am. Saturday at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Boyne City, where the Smiths were longtime parish members. Father Frank Partridge, parish rector, will serve as celebrant. A luncheon will follow at the church.
      The family asks that memorials be directed to Fathers Deters/Kerner Scholarship Fund at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Boyne City, Litzenburger Place in care of the City of Boyne or Boyne City Historical Society.
      Arrangements were handled by the Winchester Funeral Home of Charlevoix.