Obituaries

Kathleen M. Schorin

Kathleen McDonald Schorin passed away peacefully on May 26, 2025 at the University of Michigan Hospital. Growing up in Livonia, Michigan, she attended Bentley High School and then Michigan State University, where she was an editorial writer for the State News and earned a BA in Advertising.

After college, Kathleen worked as an editor, group editor, and ultimately corporate trainer for Entertainment Publications in Troy, Michigan. She met her husband Gerry in 1985 and they spent time traveling in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean, and to their shared passion, Ireland. Following the birth of her daughter, she and her family moved to Burlington, Vermont, where her son was born, and later Saratoga Springs, New York – towns where she was heavily involved in her children’s schools and where she perfected her consummate skills as a knitter, crocheter, craftswoman, and cook.

In 2006, the Schorin family moved back to Michigan, settling in the Ann Arbor area, where Kathleen became heavily involved in supporting her children’s athletic teams, working part-time for Epic Races, and adding to her previous volunteerism with the American Cancer Society and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oakland County to now include The Interfaith Hospitality Network at Alpha House and Ronald McDonald House (RMH). Kathleen’s volunteer role at RMH eventually turned into a part-time position as Family Services Manager, where she managed the RMH facility located in Mott Children’s Hospital until shortly before her death.

Antonius "Tom" Vandervoort

of Chelsea, Michigan, passed away peacefully on May 11, 2025. He was 92 years young, born on April 13, 1933, in Sassenheim, Netherlands.

Known to all as Tom, he lived life to the fullest, living by the motto "work hard, play hard." Tom's passion for hockey was a lifelong affair, and he continued to play himself well into his 70s. He was the life of the party, a natural entertainer who loved to dance and had an uncanny ability to make people laugh. Tom's warm and engaging personality meant he was cherished by many, and there wasn't a person who didn't enjoy his company.

Dean William DeVoe, Sr.

of Stockbridge, Michigan, formerly of Chelsea, age 81, passed away Sunday, May 18, 2025, from heart failure. He was at home with the support of his family and hospice services. He was born August 30, 1943, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Arthur William and Viola Winifred (Burnett) DeVoe.

Dean grew up on a farm in Dexter, MI which he helped run with his siblings. After graduation he enlisted in the Air Force and was a Vietnam veteran. He served as an Aircraft Pneudraulic Technician and was stationed at Bentwaters Base, in England, and traveled to other countries to repair planes. Once discharged, Dean was a Machinist at Dana Corporation for 30 years. During the evenings and weekends, he enjoyed farming, gardening, fishing, fixing cars and being outside. He loved to work and made it a point to keep his 6 kids busy taking care of animals, maintaining an enormous garden, repairing and, or building anything necessary. After retirement, he traveled to Alaska, and multiple other states to prospect for gold with the Lost Dutchman Association. Over the last couple of years, it was hard for him to walk because of a broken back sustained in 1978. He kept his mind active by attending family events, reading books about history, wars, and homeopathic remedies, (we were well informed about fluoride, before RFK Jr. mentioned it), and even took up playing harmonica.

Jean Schmidt

Our mom calmly passed away on Tuesday, May 13, with an independent personality that continued until her final day.

She was born January 8, 1929, to Lynn William and Viola Marie (Nellis) Eisenbeiser in Jackson, Michigan, and was raised in the country near North Lake. She attended a one room country school - ‘Pumpkin College’ and graduated from Chelsea High School with the class of 1946. She was a 1950 grad of Michigan State Normal College with a degree in special education and taught hearing-impaired children at the Upjohn School in Kalamazoo. After raising her children, she returned to teaching fourth grade in the Chelsea Public Schools, retiring in 1985.