Sue Ann (Gaines) Gehrke

She was born May 11, 1937, the oldest child of James Gaines and Anna (Reavis) Gaines, in Toledo, OH. Sue grew up in Toledo where her father started the Arxon Company and operated several truck stops. She was a member of Collingwood Presbyterian Church and in 1955 graduated from DeVilbiss High School. In 1959, Sue graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in education.

Also in 1959, Sue married Charles (Chuck) Gehrke of Detroit, a fellow graduate of the University of Michigan. Sue taught grade school in Livonia for several years before settling in Ann Arbor to raise her family, first in the Easy Street neighborhood, where she made many lifelong friends. Sue was a dedicated mother to her three sons and supported their many activities, especially youth sports. She was active in Ann Arbor PTO and was a committed member of Calvary Presbyterian Church, where she served as its Director of Christian Education. She later became involved in running her family’s business and commuted weekly to Toledo to do so.

Sue’s greatest passion was her Labrador Retrievers. In the late 1970s she decided she would become a dog trainer. She and her Labs became accomplished in both the obedience ring and at hunt tests, achieving AKC and CKC Obedience Trial Championships, AKC and CKC Master Hunter titles, and many high in trials. Twice she qualified to participate in the annual AKC Master National. She and her dogs traveled far and wide in the US and Canada to dog shows and hunt tests in her van, which had a vanity license plate which read, “Lab Cab.” She started the Webster Dog Training School and trained many people how to be a good dog owner. She was a member of the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club, Huron River Labrador Retriever Club, Great Lakes Hunting Retriever Club, and the Michigan Flyways Retriever Club.

Sue’s favorite place was the Gaines family property on the Straits of Mackinaw in Cheboygan County. She first went there as a baby while her father built the family cottage, when the drive from Toledo took up to three days. She would return to this cottage throughout her life for family vacations, to train her dogs, and to connect with the natural world, something her father taught her to appreciate. In the early 1990s, she moved to Dexter, where she could enjoy a rural lifestyle and be closer to wildlife. She loved sitting by a window with a fresh cup of strong black coffee to watch her bird feeders and the wild turkeys, deer and other wildlife that would pass by.

Sue was often a determined and candid personality, unafraid to share her true feelings bluntly. She played women’s basketball in church leagues when the rules did not allow women players to cross the half court line and girls were generally discouraged from playing sports (“What crap!”). Sue’s love of basketball continued as an adult and she later became the head coach of her son Mark’s youth basketball team. She also loved to watch women’s college basketball games on television.

The family would like to thank caregivers Ranae Tomshany, Carey Shepard and Sue Lampe for their extraordinary kindness and dedication to Sue’s care.

Sue is survived by her three sons, James (Coleen Kelly) Gehrke of Washington, DC, Karl Gehrke of Dexter, and Mark (Carolyn) Gehrke of Ypsilanti; two grandchildren, Anna Joslyn Gehrke and Claire Joslyn Gehrke; her niece and nephew, Ann Johnson and Steve Mannon, and their families; her sister and brother-in-law Carole and John McConnell; and her beloved Labrador Retriever, MacHawk’s Amazing Maizie (Maizie).

On Saturday, January 14, there will be a visitation (9:00 AM to 10:00 AM), funeral service with the Rev. Ed Koster presiding (10:00 AM to 11:00 AM), and a luncheon (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM), all to be held at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Sue will be buried next to her parents and sisters at Ottawa Hills Memorial Park in Toledo, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Sue’s name to the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club (1575 E. North Territorial Road, Whitmore Lake, MI 48986) or the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/ or P.O. Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037-0839).