Jean C. Lichtenberg (MacDonald), age 94, born in Kincardine, Ontario, passed away on Saturday, January 27, 2024, in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was at the dance pavilion in Kincardine, along the shores of Lake Huron, that she met her beloved husband, Bill, who passed away in 2015.
At the time of their engagement, Bill was in the U.S. Army and Jean was in Toronto. He called and asked her if they could get married on Christmas Day during his leave. On December 25,1951, they were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, with a reception held at the Knotty Pine Inn.
Jean was the cherished mother of Julie Lichtenberg Stern (Joel), Betsy (Mark) Lebeis and John(Anne); extraordinary grandmother of Christopher (Carolyn) Lebeis, Taylor (Jessica) Lebeis, Mackenzie Lebeis Robinson (Mel), Sascha and Marissa Stern, J.P. (Madison Nyikes), Eric and Clara Lichtenberg; and great-grandchildren, Camille, Audrey, Calvin and Alex Lebeis.
Jean graduated from Kincardine High School and Toronto Teacher’s College. She taught primary grades in Toronto before moving to the Detroit area after she and Bill married. They settled in Royal Oak, Michigan, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Jean was devoted to her family, and was especially proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Over the years as their children were growing up, Jean and Bill spent summers at Cottage 14,the McGinnis Cottage, as well as at Jean’s Aunt Lexie MacDonald’s home in Kincardine. After her daughter, Betsy Lebeis and son-in-law, Mark, bought Cottage 171-2, she and Bill would spend much of their summers there, loving the times it brought family together. This included not only her children and grand-children, but Bill’s brother, Mate, who also married a Kincardine girl, Ann (Morrison), and owned Cottage 171, their children, Sally and Thorpe, andgrandchildren.
Everyone could count on a delicious meal prepared by Jean at the cottage, as she was an outstanding cook. Her children still follow many of her recipes faithfully to this day. Jean enjoyed reading, sewing, crafts projects, bridge and taking Rhodes Scholar trips throughout the U.S. with Bill. She gave a lifetime of service to the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, as well as to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, where she was a volunteer for over 30 years, including serving as president of the volunteer program.
Most of all, Jean will be remembered for her kind heart, her friendliness and willingness to help everyone she met, and a smile that could light up a room.
A memorial service will be held on April 13 at the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak, in Royal Oak, Michigan. Interment will take place in Kincardine sometime this summer. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Royal Oak (fpcro.org)
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