(On Christmas Eve 2009, the Community Living Foundation lost its founder:
Mary Jean Brick. This obituary appeared in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.)

“I’m spending Christmas with Jesus this year”

Mary Jean Brick, Community Living Center Founder

I see the countless Christmas trees,
Around the world below,
With the tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars,
Reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular,
Please wipe away that tear.
For I am spending Christmas
With Jesus Christ this year.
I hear the many Christmas songs,
The people hold so dear.
But the sounds of music can’t compare
with the Christmas choir up here.
For I have no words to tell you,
The joy their voices bring.
For it is beyond description
To hear an angel sing.
I can’t tell you of the splendor,
Or the peace here in this place.
Can you imagine Christmas
With our Savior, face to face?
I’ll ask Him to light your spirit,
As I tell Him of your love,
So then pray for one another
as you lift your eyes above.
Please let your hearts be joyful,
And let your spirit sing.
For I am spending Christmas in Heaven,
And I’m walking with the King!

Beloved mother, teacher, aunt, friend and community organizer, passed away
Christmas Eve. She led by example without personal motive or gain or worry
over recognition; but rather because it was the right thing to do.

Each day of her life was begun at church with prayer and devotion to God in
anticipation of the work she would do that day. She would reflect on who
might need her help or an encouraging word or a kind act of selfless love to
lift one up.

She was known as “Madam President”, because she became this for every
organization that she volunteered her time and energy. Her motherly kindness
and enthusiastic spirit were infectious qualities that endeared all she
worked with to strive to be that much better and to perform or accomplish
that much more than initially felt possible.

She would not take “no” as a final answer and there was no such word as
“can’t” in her vocabulary.

She was a regular Substitute Teacher for over 25 years with the local
schools. Anyone who had her as their Substitute was given a lesson, a
challenging question, a quiz or a moment of “wow” learning. She was often
requested by students when the regular teacher was absent. She had a special
teaching relationship with the Continuing Education Teen Parent Students of
Northern Michigan.

She understood the truth and would not stand for those that sought to
manipulate it.

For her, life was meant to be fun-filled and every day was to be celebrated
because it was the “now”, the present, and expected to be the best day ever.
She loved to joke and laugh with a song in her heart and a twinkle in her
eye. Her practical jokes were legendary and you felt special if one was
visited upon you. Her greatest treasures were Faith, Family and her many
Friends. The only friend she didn’t have was the one she hadn’t met yet. She
made all of her friends feel they were special and to many they felt she was
an Angel and their best friend. She wanted you to know that she loved you
all with the special way you made her laugh and celebrate life’s many joys.
She was the number one fan of whatever activity her children or “Grands” or
nieces or nephews were doing. To them, she hung the moon and set the sun and
never were they criticized.

She loved sports and the competitive drive it provided to seek to be better,
more successful, more healthy and to burn off anxious or negative energy.

She loved to play tennis and did so as often as she could. She quit playing
because of her illness only eight weeks ago (She had a killer lob). She felt
you shouldn’t quit playing because you were old, you became old because you
quit playing.

She was a great cook and her kitchen was known as “MaryJean’s Place”. Family
meals at home with stories and everyone pitchin’ in were special moments for
her. There was always room for one more at the table. The door was always
open. The lights were always on. The welcome mat was always out.

She had the healthy ability to forgive and/or forget. No envy, nor glory,
nor selfishness were allowed to take hold of her thoughts. Rather, it was
better to seek to be positive, to expect the best and believed that God’s
Will be done. She knew that by loving others, she too was loved back and
that’s all that mattered.

Her special causes in life were many, but of particular passion inspired by
her Special Needs sister and oldest son, John, was her work to improve the
lives of the physically and developmentally disabled. She worked tirelessly
to establish a living environment of self-dependence, self-reliance, and
self-worth for adults in our community who have special needs; those adults
not given the respect and support that their hard life challenges would
otherwise inspire. She recognized that everyone wants to live more fully if
given the right help, compassion and understanding of their fundamental
needs. The Community Living Center, which she created, is a model home for
adult developmentally disabled. It is now an environment being duplicated
all over the country.

For this work, she was recognized several years ago as the Grand Traverse
Area Chamber of Commerce “Citizen of the Year”. She was one of the few
non-business people ever to be recognized for this great honor.

This amazing person, MaryJean, is surely going to be missed by all who knew
her and by all who never knew her, but for whom she prayed for every day.
May she rest in peace, her life and works well done. For sure, God’s
perpetual light will forever shine upon her and her light will shine upon
all of us who knew and loved her. We know she is now in heaven with the love
of her life, her partner in time, her soul mate, “Bumpa” Bob. We now know
how much he has missed her. They are together again, forever and ever. Amen.

Mary is survived by her children, Bob (Nancy) Brick, Tim Brick, Mariclare
(Scott) Knowles, Terry (B.B.) Brick and Rebecca (Mont) Reed; and sisters,
Madonna (Berg) Elworthy and Kathleen Walters; nine grandchildren, Kristal,
B.J., Betsy, Danny, Timothy, Peter, Halee, Bricker, Nora and Brad; and many
other loving family members and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; son, John; infant
daughter, Maryann; sisters, Hermine and Genieve; and brother, John.
Visitation for family and friends will be held at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff
Funeral Home on Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Tuesday, Dec.
29, 2009, from 2 to 5 p.m. A candlelight visitation, rosary and a sharing of
stories and memories will take place at St. Francis Catholic Church Tuesday
evening, Dec. 29, 2009, at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009, there will also be a time for visitation from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church. The funeral Mass will take
place at St. Francis Catholic Church on Wednesday, beginning at 1 p.m. with
a Celebration Reception at the NMC Great Lakes Campus Hagerty Center
beginning at 3 p.m.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers or food, donations of time
and/or money be directed to the Grand Traverse Area Community Living
Foundation, 935 Barlow St., Traverse City, Michigan 49686