Mary Kahn

Mary Briscoe Kahn passed away peacefully on July 30th, in the company of her family. She is survived by her husband, Douglas Kahn, her son and daughter-in-law, Jeffrey and Jessica Kahn, her grandson, Matthew Kahn, and her brother and sister-in-law, William N. and Trenna Briscoe. Mary was a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Duke University, and the Columbus School for Girls. She was retired from law practice with the Detroit firm of Dykema, Gossett, and had previously practiced with the Washington, D.C. firm of Arent, Fox.

Mary was an extraordinary woman with multiple talents. She was a brilliant lawyer, a gourmet cook, and had a lovely voice and sang in a chorus for some years. Mary had a wide range of interests. She loved to entertain her friends, family and her husband’s students. She was a voracious reader as is evidenced by the large collection of books she accumulated. She enjoyed the theater and musical performances. She was an avid and quite strong bridge player. She created exquisite needlepoint. She travelled extensively both in the United States and abroad. She had a lively wit and was delightful company.

Mary was a warm and compassionate woman, she would be first to offer help when it was needed, and her assistance was invaluable. She volunteered for numerous charitable ventures. One of her contributions was to help deliver parcels for Food Gatherers. She truly cared about the plight of others and shared their suffering. She was concerned about the treatment of animals.

Mary leaves a legacy of wonderful memories for her family and her many friends who were blessed to have had her presence for the time that she was with them. She will be greatly missed, but the inspiration, comfort, advice, and companionship that she provided will continue to be enjoyed long after her passing.

There will be a memorial service on Sunday, September 15, at the lawyers’ Club in the Law School at 1:00 PM. In Lieu of flowers, contributions on behalf of Mary can be made to Huron Woods, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, or the Humane Society of Huron Valley.