Mae Mary Buck

Mae Mary Buck (nee Rybicki), age 93, passed away peacefully at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital thirteen days after complications from her fourth stroke. She was born on May 10, 1931 in Metz, MI and went to her eternal home on Tuesday afternoon, the 5th of November 2024.

Raised on a small farm, Mae was the second youngest of eight children. She displayed a passion and talent for sewing at a very early age. It started with creating clothes for her doll using drapery material, then evolved into making dresses for herself and her younger sister by using flour sacks for material. Her gift for sewing empowered Mae to become a self-taught seamstress.

A few years after graduating from high school, Mae began her family by marrying Edwin (Sonny) Buck in 1950. They were blessed with three beautiful children: Connie, Terry and Craig whom she loved very much.

Years later, in an effort to better support her family as a single mom, Mae landed a job with Bendix Corporation. During her employment there, she continued her education at Macomb Community College. After 15 years of assembling electronic circuit boards at Bendix, she pursued a successful career in real estate, then left the workforce to raise her granddaughter, Suzanne.

If Mae wasn’t working or sewing, she enjoyed bowling with Connie and coworkers on a Century 21 league. In addition, she was Craig’s and Suzanne’s loudest cheerleader at his hockey games and at her figure skating competitions. Later on, Mae delighted in many hours of boating with Terry & Jeff under Arizona’s blue skies and sunshine. Her unconditional love also stretched to Craig Jr and Izabella.

Over the years, Mae’s flair for fashion and natural ability to transform ideas into paper patterns, enabled her to make clothing for a multitude of family, friends and clients. Some of her designs included wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, baptismal gowns and first communion dresses. She also made alterations to clothing for a special needs client. Just from measurements that were provided, Mae created gowns and made crowns for Connie and Terry, to be worn on a cruise they booked. She partnered with Craig in custom creating oversized duffle bags that could house his remote controlled helicopters. She sewed a blazer and trousers for Archie and a stunning outfit for Connie to wear at Faygo Beverage’s 70th Anniversary Gala. Both Suzanne’s and Izabella’s christening dresses were designed by Mae, as well as their costumes for Halloween and ice skating recitals, and gowns for the various pageants they had competed in.

While living in AZ, Mae created, sewed and sold teddy bears with Terry for their business called Bearly Southwest. She also donated her sewing skills to St. Leonards Catholic Church by sewing a multitude of outfits for the Infant of Prague statue on display in the church. As a volunteer member of the Linus Club, Mae sewed quilts that were collected by the police and fire department for distribution to children in crisis. She would use cash donations to purchase new or gently used blankets and attach the logo: “Wings-wrapped in wings of prayer”. The blankets were then distributed to the homeless in Prescott, AZ through a care home.

Mae owned and loved both dogs and cats all her life, teaching them good behavior and special tricks. In AZ, she had a successful dog sitting business and marketed herself as the “Dog Loving Granny”. Her fur grand babies also were blessed with her sewing talents. She provided them with custom made blankets or food bowl mats made by Grandma.

Her artistic creativity went beyond sewing. It shined brightly in Mae’s home with an entire wall of butterflies, various pieces of reupholstered furniture and a lamp decorated with repurposed jewelry.

Into her mid-eighties Mae was taking trips to the casino, and playing bingo or cards with her sisters whenever they could get together. Those were some of her most treasured times with them.

Mae is survived and missed by her three children: Connie (son-in-law: Archie) of Warren, Terry of Mesa, AZ and Craig of Eastpointe. She is forever cherished and remembered by her granddaughter Suzanne, grandson Craig Jr and great-granddaughter Izabella. Mae is survived by her sisters Lorraine Micketti and Delores Budnik. She is predeceased by her parents: Alexander and Constance; sisters: Eleanor, Dorothy, Louise and Virginia; and brother: Alexander (fondly called Ray).

The unwavering faith in God that Mae had during her journey on earth earned her the nickname “Prayer Warrior”.

A mass celebrating Mae’s life will be conducted at 10:00 am, Saturday, May 17, 2025 at St. Malachy Catholic Church, 14115 E 14 Mile Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48312. The family will receive visitors at the church from 9:30 am until the time of service. A luncheon will be held afterwards. Details to be provided. Please RSVP to the family.

‍In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a contribution be made to any of the following charities in Mae’s name: Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospice or Corewell Health East Animal Assisted Therapy