"Hi Marcia, I heard the anniversary announcement on WRCJ-FM down here in S.C. and found your mom's obit while Googling you to say hi. I am sorry for your loss. Hope all is well with you. Please say hi to Maura if you see her. Jan Hunt-Kost hunt-kostj@wctel.net"
In loving memory of
Florence M. McBrien
May 19, 1930 - June 25, 2018
Florence M. McBrien, a wife, mother, and educator, died on June 25, 2018 in her Grosse Pointe Shores home.
Mrs. McBrien was born in Detroit on May 19, 1930, to Tufick and Jamal Moroun. She graduated from St. Marys Academy in Monroe, a school operated by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She credited her lifelong love of learning as well as her strong Catholic faith to the influence of the IHM Sisters, a teaching order that also founded Marygrove College in Detroit, where Mrs. McBrien earned a degree in English literature and a teaching certificate from the colleges elementary education program. During her first year of teaching at the Guyton School in Detroit, she met her husband-to-be, Richard C. McBrien, a fellow teacher. They were married for 53 years and raised five children. Mr. McBrien died in January 2011.
Mrs. McBrien was a student of literature and history and was a talented writer who fostered the love of reading in her family, said her daughter Marcia McBrien. The home my parents made for us was full of poetry, music, art, hundreds of books, and dogs. If you came to our house, you could expect to hear my parents old stereo playing, anything from grand opera to Andrew Lloyd Webber. At any given moment, there was always at least one child, and usually two, practicing a musical instrument, and the rest of us reading or cluttering the house with our various hobbies, which must have been a pain in the neck for our parents, but they didnt complain. Mom and Dad encouraged our interests even when it meant more work for them and a messy house.
Mrs. McBrien believed that her greatest calling was to be a mother. I cant think of a more important job than to nurture and prepare a child for life, she often said. But she also sought to share her love of learning and reading beyond her own family. For many years, Mrs. McBrien was a volunteer instructor in the Junior Great Books program, an outgrowth of the Great Books program founded by two University of Chicago educators, Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler. Using the programs shared inquiry method, Mrs. McBrien guided hundreds of middle school students in interpreting and discussing classics of the Western canon as well as contemporary works.
A longtime member of the Detroit Book Club, Mrs. McBrien was also active in the Grand Marais chapter of The Questers. In her final years, through a gift to the University of Notre Dames Hesburgh Libraries, Mrs. McBrien sought to preserve rare texts for study and research, said Diane Parr Walker, Edward H. Arnold University Librarian. "The Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame were honored by Florence's decision to honor the memory of her husband and son by establishing the Florence and Richard McBrien and Richard C. McBrien, Jr. Special Collections Librarian endowed position. Their legacy forever helps us strengthen the mission of the Hesburgh Libraries through the purchase of rare materials and programming to enhance their visibility and research use, Ms. Parr Walker said.
Mr. and Mrs. McBrien were also strong supporters of the Mayo Clinic, where they were recognized as principal benefactors for their contributions to the Clinics Chaplaincy Services, Music at the Bedside program, and the Poverello Foundation, a fund for low-income patients medical treatment.
Mrs. McBrien loved her friends, including college classmates from Marygrove, and greatly enjoyed being a member of the Witty Wives, an informal group of wives and widows of members of the Witenagemote, a Detroit-area mens society. She also loved Colonial Road, where she raised her family and lived to the end of her life, having been named Queen of Colonial Road, by her neighbors. Mrs. McBrien was a board member of the Young Womens Home Association and a trustee of the Michigan Opera Theatre.
In addition to her daughter Marcia, an attorney, Mrs. McBrien is survived by daughters Melissa McBrien, M.D. (Raymond Landes, M.D.), Victoria McBrien, Dianne McBrien, M.D. (Robert Bacon). and granddaughters Victoria Landes, Caroline Landes, and Catherine McBrien. Mrs. McBrien was predeceased by a son, Richard Jr., an attorney, in 2003.
Friends may call on Friday, June 29 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Verheyden Funeral Home, 16300 Mack Avenue, Grosse Pointe Park; there will be a Rosary at 6 p.m. The funeral will take place on Saturday, June 30 at 10 a.m. at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church, 157 Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms.
The family suggests memorial donations to one of the following:
Discalced Carmelites Fund, 3575 Moravian Drive, Clinton Township, MI 48035
Loyola High School Detroit, 15325 Pinehurst, Detroit, MI 48238
Mayo Clinic, attn. Kim Spear, Siebens 9, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (please designate Chaplaincy Services - Florence McBrien in memo line)
St. Paul School Development Fund, 157 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236
University of Notre Dame, 110 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (please designate McBrien Special Collections Librarian in memo line)
Light a candle and share a memory at www.verheyden.org.
Tributes
"Florence was a delightful friend. The quality of life in our community was certainly enhanced by her commitment to so many worthwhile organizations. Michigan Opera Theatre was honored to be among them."
"Dear McBrien family. I am so sorry for the loss of your dear loved one. What brings me comfort in times like these is the scripture found at Revelation 21:3, 4 where God promises soon to do away with all sickness and death forever. Again, please accept my heartfelt condolences and may Jehovah, the God of all comfort, be with your family during this most difficult time in your lives."
"Mrs. McBrien was always a lovely, gracious, warm lady..
Im sure she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
My deepest sympathy to her family.
Dorothy"
"Dear Vicki and family, I am sorry to hear of your mothers passing. The picture you have chosen is great. It very much reminds me of how I think of your Mom which is strong, welcoming, a personal sense of style, stoic and very much a sense of duty. So its befitting that she would be considered the Queen of Colonial Rd. I will always remember the kindness, generosity, genuine interest your Mom and Dad took in and about me when visiting and sleeping over at your family home. I do remember the kitchen and family room full of newspapers and books and my thought was welcome to Harvard. Ha! I do remember your Mom apologizing for what she thought was a mess. At first it was very intimidating as I realized this family is very learned however, she made me feel that I was part of the family and in a safe zone. For me it exhibited both your parents love and interest in people as opposed to things. For the record I never saw a mess. I remember it being a very cool place to live and who would want to leave. I have always had a creative eye so I picked up on your Moms great decorative taste. I remember writing her a couple of years ago reminiscing about my visits and the Wedgewood blue colour palette and the front garden. The house and street always reminded me of living in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. In fact years later I bought Japanese spurge for my garden in homage to what I originally saw in her front garden. I hope its comforting too know that her legacy lives on with different people in different ways. She was definitely one of a kind. Although I am unable to attend her funeral please know that my prayers and thoughts are with her and you. With much affection, Michael Lancefield, Toronto, Canada "
"She was not only classy and nice but she also was tough. She stood up for what was right (and what her father intended) even when it was very hard. She also brought an entire courtroom to tears and then laughter, and when she was done testifying, there was little doubt about the outcome."
"Very sorry for your loss of your Mother."
"I am so sorry to hear of your loss. May God comfort you at this difficult time. "
"God's love, comfort and peace to your family, from the Nursing Staff at the Center for Disabilities and Development."
"I had the pleasure to work for Mrs. McBrien many years ago. I will always remember how she treated me with kindness and respect. May she rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to her family. "
"Flo was a classmate of my late wife, Virginia Forrester Revitte, at Marygrove Collrge. She always had a wonderful smile and a kind word for everyone. May she Rest In Peace."
"When I saw you at mass Tuesday, Marcy, you looked like an angel. Now your angel is where she so wanted to be - with your father + brother. My heart is your heart. I shall see you at the mass, where the Altar Society banner will be out in recognition of her being a lifetime member. Love, Helena"
"Beautiful woman; incredible human being!"
"In remembrance of a truly beautiful lady who understood the importance of family. She will be missed, but cherished always."