Mary Meade Fuger

Mary Meade (Phelan) Fuger, age 86 beloved mother passed peacefully on December 14, 2019 at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital.  She is survived by her children Marie (Mimi) Fuger of Grand Rapids, Theodore Hall (Laura) Fuger III of Elmhurst, IL, James Phelan (Kay) Fuger of Pennington, NJ, John Askin (Kathleen) Fuger of Grand Rapids and her sisters Mrs. Peter J. (Florence “Bobbie”) Connolly and Mrs. F. Alger (Anne) Boyer.  She is also survived by seven grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, James Joseph Phelan Jr. and Ellen Skae Phelan, and her sister, Mrs. David (Ellen “Terry”) Hamilton.

Born on January 13, 1933 in New York City, she was raised in Grosse Pointe Farms and Metamora, MI.  She attended Grosse Pointe Country Day School and graduated from Georgetown Visitation in Washington, D.C.  She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in History from Smith College, graduating in 1954 and marrying Theodore Hall Fuger Jr. in the fall of that year. She also earned her Masters of Social Work from Michigan State University in 1973.

Mary Meade was dedicated to serving the Grand Rapids community. Her professional career included serving as a Probation Officer for the Kent County Juvenile Court, Director of the Grand Rapid’s Women’s Resource Center and the Florence Crittenden Home in Jackson, and later becoming a real estate agent with Village Belles in East Grand Rapids.

A long time member of St. Stephens parish, her community service included Board Member of the Grand Rapids Rotary Club (East), Michigan Trails Girl Scouts, and YWCA Grand Rapids.  She was also a member of Sigma Gamma Association and the Junior Leagues of Detroit and Grand Rapids.

As a summer resident of Glen Arbor, Mary Meade loved the Great Lakes, the Sleeping Bear Dunes area in particular.  Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to either Heather Hills Residents Council, 1055 Forest Hills Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 or the Leelanau Conservancy online at https://www.leelanauconservancy.org/donate/ or  105 1st St, Leland MI, 49654.

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday March 21, 2020 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 750 Gladstone Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506.

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