Mary F Minnie

Mary Freida Minnie, 97, of Port Huron, passed away quietly in her home on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Mary Freida Borowski was born October 5, 1922 at her family farm on Strawberry Lane. It was there that her four brothers and three sisters spent their youth doing chores, climbing fruit trees, and forging for berries and hickory nuts on the 80+ acres. But Mary most loved being along the Black River.

Mary married Adiel “Skip” Minnie on February 6, 1943 and shortly after took a train across country, following her husband to San Diego, CA to be a Navy wife. While there, she did her part as a “Rosie the Riveter,” working at Roar industries manufacturing airplane parts. After the war, Mary longed to go back to Port Huron to her family and the river. Her father gave them a plot of land from the farm, where Mary and Skip built their home and began raising children of their own. The river was not only important to Mary, but all of her siblings as they then became neighbors, supporting each other and all of the children.

While Mary’s first responsibility was being a homemaker, she worked side by side with her husband at their business, Twin Acres Bar on West Water St., from 1952 -1961. Mary and Skip enjoyed spending their time boating on the river and traveling the Great Lakes. There wasn’t a summer weekend that you didn’t find their cabin cruiser “The Merry Skipper” anchored at the beach sandbars with a galley full of food, a full cooler, and a boat load of family and friends.

After her husband’s retirement from USPS, they began traveling the roads with their motor home, camping much of northern Michigan and Florida. It was during that time they grew to love going to polka dances and following their favorite bands. They later bought a home in Florida, where they wintered until Skip’s death in 2005. As her eyesight became increasingly worse, she would ask daily “what’s the river doing?” Her time with us ended peacefully, five houses from where it began. Mary is survived by her children, Gary and Cindy Minnie, Janice and Chris Holsbeke, Randy and Barbara Minnie, Fred Minnie, and Gayle and Doug Richards; Her grandchildren, Julie and Mark Harju, Beth Ann and Chris Benedict, Jimmy Karl, Lisa Karl (Conrad Haremza), Brandy and Thomas Keech, Nicholas Minnie (Dina Hill), Jason and Shawna Ballor, Brette and Steve Stager, Steven Richards and Nolan Richards (Claudia Caranci); and 19 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, her seven siblings and their spouses, and nine brother in-laws and sister in-laws.

An open-air graveside memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 in Mount Hope Cemetery. Due to COVID-19, please respect social distancing guidelines.

Memorials may be made in Mary’s name to the Council of Aging or Grace Hospice. Both agencies were instrumental to her comfort and wellbeing in the latter years.

Arrangements are by Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home. To send condolences, visit karrersimpson.com.