Mary D. Winter

Mary D. Winter, age 87 of Plymouth passed away on September 29, 2024.

She was born on June 17, 1937 in Sioux City, Iowa to her parents, the late Leona (née Parshal) and John Joseph Shea.

Mary is the beloved and devoted mother of Katherine (Jim) Boger and John (Jennifer) Winter and proud grandmother of Mary Winter, MacKenzie Winter, Jack Winter, Shamus Winter, Garrett Simchak, Grant Simchak, Maxwell Simchak, Mirand Simchak and five great-grandchildren.

Mary has resided in the Plymouth community since 1963. She has been an active long-time member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Plymouth and actively involved in the life of her church both participating in services and in serving others. 

Mary attended the University of Michigan and her family says, “she was the proudest graduate you will ever meet”. She earned three Master’s Degrees – one from the University of Michigan and two from Eastern Michigan University.

Later, she began her Teaching career – mostly in the Plymouth and Canton Schools. 

It was during those early years of teaching that Mary proved to be not only an extraordinary Teacher, but an extraordinary woman. It is a little-known fact that it was Mary Winter who made a decision to be bold and begin the discussion centering around the need for maternity leave for Teachers. She was a leader, an inspiration and a true trailblazer. She put a lot of work into something she knew was not going to be easily achieved. But it was through her hard work and perseverance she was able to be successful and made the world a better place. By the 1980s, Teachers were allowed to take a maternity leave and felt secure and stress-free in the knowledge they could return to their teaching positions in Michigan schools after giving birth to or adopting a child or children.

During Mary’s retirement years, she was able to spend more time doing some of the things she loved to do. Gardening and reading were two of her passions in life. Perhaps for Mary, her love of gardening was not too unlike her love for teaching. While in a garden, it is the act of nurturing and caring for seedlings and plants and watching them grow and mature that gave her a tremendous source of pride and fulfillment. As a Teacher, Mary would meet her new students in September and immediately began to teach and nurture them and watch them grow and mature in their thirst for knowledge. As a Teacher or a gardener, both gave her that same tremendous source of pride and fulfillment.

To say Mary was an avid reader was clearly an understatement. She was known to order 10 books at a time and read them all very quickly. She was a Teacher and a learner, a thinker and a doer. People like Mary are leaders in our community and that was certainly demonstrated in her early years of teaching.

Mary’s greatest treasure in life was her family. Her children and their spouses and grandchildren were her greatest blessings in life. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren. She had a unique relationship with each of them and took great interest in their daily lives as well as their school life and activities. 

Mary will be so lovingly remembered for putting her family before everything else. She is deeply cherished and will be greatly missed by her family and all whose life was touched by her.

Friends may visit the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, 280 South Main Street, Plymouth on Saturday, October 5, 2024 beginning at 2:00 P.M. until the time of the Funeral Service beginning at 6:00 P.M.

Those who wish to honor the memory of Mary D. Winter are invited to consider a contribution online or by mail to Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Fl. 17, Chicago, Illinois 60601.

Contribution envelopes will be available at the Funeral Home.