Valerie K Maher

Valerie Kay Maher, 46, of Fort Gratiot, died peacefully on Friday, March 15, 2024 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Valerie was a living example of courage and strength to everyone around her. She welcomed with open arms everyone and she was full of hope, and she shared that with everyone she met. Val was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, she was deeply loved.

She was born October 6, 1977 in Deckerville, Michigan to Alice Gredick and Tom Durand. Val grew up on the family crop farm in Peck. She met the love of her life as a young child, but didn’t know it until she was in college and helped him coach a junior high basketball team. She married Mark Maher on August 4, 2001 in Port Huron, and they welcomed their four children Luke, Ryan, Kent and Kari into their family and their own little piece of Heaven on Earth.

Valerie was a member of Colonial Woods Missionary Church. She was a graduate of St Clair Community College and Central Michigan University with a degree in corporate finance. She worked for 18 years in commercial lending at Bank of America and then began her full-time favorite job of being a stay-at-home mom always available for her family and friends. Val led fundraising efforts and helped plan the Rotary Parade and the Blue Water Volleygrass. She loved being involved in community events, and enjoyed coaching her kids in cross country, basketball and soccer.

She is survived by her husband, Mark; her daughter, Kari; sons, Luke, Ryan and Kent; parents, Alice Gredick and Tom Durand; sisters, Char (Grace) Durand, Vicki (Joe) Batz and Crystal (Chuck) Milliken; brothers, Nolan Durand and Landen (Alyssa) Parr; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Kenneth and Kathleen Maher; and brother-in-law, Kevin (Florence) Maher.

Visitation will be held from 2-8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Karrer-Simpson Funeral Home, 1720 Elk St., Port Huron.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, 2024 in Colonial Woods Missionary Church with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Reverend Phil Whetstone and the Reverend Ann Harrington will officiate.

Inurnment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Port Huron.

Val’s family prefers memorial contributions be made to Blue Water Hope, 90.7 Hope FM, or Hunter Hospitality House.

To send condolences, visit karrersimpson.com