Anne C. Laboe

Anne Froning Laboe
October 29, 1942-December 17, 2024
Anne Laboe, 82, a resident of Monroe, Michigan for 55 years but most recently living in Apple Valley, Minnesota, passed away from a long illness on December 17th surrounded by family.
She was born Anne Cecilia Froning in Wilmington, Delaware on October 29th, 1942, to Dr. Joseph Fendall Froning and Doris W. Froning, both of South Bend, Indiana. She graduated as co-valedictorian from Kennett High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania and went on to major in French at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Her university studies included a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, and she also received an MA in French from Wayne State University. While at St. Mary's College she met her future husband, Mark S. Laboe, who was a student at the University of Notre Dame across the street. They married after Anne served a year as a pastoral assistant at San Jose Parish in San Angelo, TX, and settled in Mark's hometown of Monroe, Michigan.
Professionally, Anne was a teacher and a linguist. She taught high school French at both Catholic Central High School in Monroe and Bedford High School in Temperance, Michigan, receiving multiple outstanding educator awards. After retiring she translated several books about the appearances of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, Bosnia from French to English.
Anne was a founding member of a book club in Monroe that is now 58 years old. She ran her first marathon in her early 40s. She was an avid reader and did research and presentations on various scholarly topics with her Friends In Council group. Following her mother's lead, she made homemade jam and pies, braided rugs and created quilts for her children upon their marriages and for her grandchildren. Her witty Christmas letters and storytelling provided doses of laughter. But mostly she served-in the Monroe community as a board member of various organizations, and especially at St. Mary's Parish in Monroe, of which she was Christian Women President for 6 years. Her intellect empowered her and her faith led the way.
Her children and grandchildren remember her handmade Christmas stockings, her applesauce, the craft boxes in the basement, her amazing cookies, the dress-up boxes in the attic, doing puzzles and playing games, and her strong love for all of them. She practiced forgiveness, humility, kindness and generosity and was fun-loving and loyal to her friends.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, her mother and father-in law Jerome and Agatha Laboe, her brothers Dr. Michael Froning and Peter Froning, her brothers-in-law Ron Ballard and Jerome, Dr. John, and Michael Laboe, her sisters-in-law Tassie and Joan Laboe and niece Colette Laboe.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Mark; her children Elizabeth Laboe Edgar, Mark Laboe (Paula), Matthew Laboe (Ann), Andrew Laboe, Margaret Laboe Cosgrove (Andrew), and Amy Laboe; grandchildren Isabel, Colette and Josephine Edgar, Agatha, Helen, Nathan, Jeremy, Matthew, John, Luke and Mark Laboe, and Benjamin Cosgrove; sister Dr. Mary Froning; brother Andrew Froning; brother-in-law Dr. Thomas Laboe; sisters-in law Marie Wyllie, Marilyn and Joanne Laboe, Susan and Lyn Froning; and 30+ nieces and nephews.
Friends and family way visit from 3:00 – 7:00 pm with a Prayer Service at 7:00 pm on Thursday, December 26th at Rupp Funeral Home, 2345 S Custer Rd, Monroe, MI 48161. She will lie in state at 10:00 am, followed by a Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 am on Friday, December 27th at St. Mary Catholic Parish, 127 N. Monroe St. Monroe, MI 48162. Luncheon to follow in St. Mary Parish Life Center after interment at St. Joseph Cemetery, Monroe.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the St. Mary of Monroe Parish Christian Women or to Cure PSP (www.psp.org).