Ethel Marie Hassig

Ethel Marie Hassig (nee: Pratt), age 90, died on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at Arden Courts in Sterling Heights after a courageous battle of Alzheimer's Dementia. She was born on July 31, 1932, in Sikeston, Missouri to the late Charles and the late Hazel (nee: Tippy) Pratt. She was the first of four children.
Ethel was the grandchild of hard-working, God-fearing people that earned their living by farming & selling their farm products to the neighbors in and around their small town in SE Missouri. She was surrounded by a large extended family of grandpa, grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She spent carefree days playing with her cousins in the fields and riding horses on the farm.
She liked to help her Grandma Tippy feed the chickens and collect the eggs and rode with her in the wagon when she went to town to sell the farm products they raised.
She adored her father Charlie, and mentioned often when she would reminisce about her childhood. Charlie worked at the shoe factory and flour mill in nearby Sikeston MO, to provide for his family where he would walk back and forth to work. In 1941 in the midst of WW II, Charlie and Hazel decided to move the family to Detroit, Michigan after hearing about jobs working towards the War effort in the factories in Detroit. Ethel's parents packed up the family, rented an 18-room house located at Baldwin and Kercheval with her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Goldburn. They created a home where other relatives from Missouri stayed with them seeking a better life in the big city. The house they were renting became available to purchase and her parents scraped together all they had to put a down payment for the home that would be the starting place for the family you see today.
A short time later Ethel's father became ill and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. At that time Ethel was about 11 years old. There was no health insurance available, so with limited funds Charlie received treatment with the help of public assistance. Ethel's mother went to the company her father was working for and asked if they would hire her, taking her husband's place, and they agreed.
With her father ill and her mother working a full-time job, Ethel took over the responsibilities of a mother; looking over her two younger sisters, making meals, helping with the household chores, and generally doing whatever her mother needed her to do.
When the hospital notified Hazel that there was no cure for Charlie's illness, and they could do nothing more for him, she was told to come to the hospital and take him home. Hazel feared she would lose her job if she missed work to go get him, so she gave 12-year-old Ethel streetcar fare, instructions, and directions to go to Eloise Hospital to get her father and bring him home. From that day forward she was a trouper. Growing up way before it was time, shouldering responsibilities that she was much too young to have put upon her.
Ethel's father passed away in August of 1941. Hazel made funeral arrangements to return to Sikeston, MO. Ethel boarded the train with her mother, sisters and the casket of her father and returned home for the burial.
To provide for the family, Ethel's mother decided to turn her large home into a Boarding House. She rented room, provided, meals, did the laundry, kept the house spic and span. Ethel and her sisters were right there helping, taking care of getting the meals, helping clean, doing washing and ironing all while going to school. Ethel enjoyed going to the movies, visiting Belle Isle, however there wasn't much to participate in the pleasures other kids her age enjoyed.
She met the love of her life at the age of 15, Donald T. Hassig, at a Soda Shop with her mother. Ethel was eyeing the young man behind the counter, when her mom pointed out she should be paying attention to the one in front of the counter. The rest of their story was history as it was love at first sight. Don brought Ethel the love and security she had not known since the death of her father. The couple wed the next year and were blessed with five children throughout their marriage. The two lived the greatest love story up until Don's passing in 2003 after 55 years of marriage.
Ethel and Don settled down in Roseville to raise their growing family. Ethel was a devout Catholic and was very dedicated to her parish of St. Barnabas. She raised her children through the church and was very active volunteering in their school days at St. Barnabas grade school. In 2005 Ethel moved to Macomb Township where she still frequented St. Barnabas. Ethel became a member of St. Isidore in 2010.
When she was not tending to her children, she was dedicating her time as the Office Manager and Bookkeeper of her husband's business, Hassig & Sons Plumbing. She was a very active and proud Secretary of the South Macomb Plumbing Association for numerous years. Ethel was also President of the Michigan Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association Women's Auxiliary.
Ethel enjoyed reading and had a wide array of books. Her favorite thing to do was spend summers at the family cabin in Houghton Lake with her husband. The two of them welcomed their family into the cabin for some of the best memories made.
Ethel loved to travel with her husband. The two went to various spots, but their all-time favorite was Aruba. After her husband passed, she would travel up north with her sisters and family to the cabins in Houghton Lake and Lewiston. She even ventured with family down to Florida for a few weeks in the winters.
Ethel was the matriarch of her family. She leaves behind a large family filled with love and stories. Although she will be deeply missed, she is no longer suffering.
Ethel was the loving wife of the late Donald T. Hassig for 55 years. Dear mother of Pat (Phil) Kraft, Butch (Donna) Hassig, Debbie (the late Joe) Amormino, Don (Sue) Hassig, and Brian (Debbie) Hassig. Beloved grandmother of Kim (Tim) Kroll, April (Jarrod) Lewandowski, Ryan (Renee) Amormino, Carrie (Donnie) Robertson, Adam (Kendall) Hassig, Monica (Nick) Dykman, Brooke Hassig, Justin Hassig, and Aiden Hassig. Cherished great-grandmother of Devyn McNaughton, Elizabeth Kroll, Sarah McNaughton, Rachel Kroll, Ethan Amormino, Kelsey Lewandowski, Sarah Amormino, Isabella Robertson, Colin Robertson, Leighton Hassig, Isla Hassig, Maya Amormino, and Harlow Hassig. She is further survived by her sisters Charlene Tickerhoff, Annetta Stewart, and Judy (Dave) Krause as well as many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, April 25 from 3pm to 8pm at Chas. Verheyden, Inc. - Duross Chapel, 28499 Schoenherr Road, Warren 48088. She will lie instate on Wednesday, April 26 from 9:30 am until the time of her Funeral Mass at 10 am at St. Isidore Church, 18201 23 Mile Road, Macomb 48042. Interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery where Ethel will be laid to rest beside her husband.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Ethel's name to the Alzheimer's Association