Martha Ann Benedict

Martha Ann Benedict, 84, of East Lansing, died of MRSA on Saturday, September 20, 2025, in her home.

Memorial services will be held later in Port Huron and Lansing.

Martha was born on December 10, 1940, in Port Huron, to Stanley and Marian (Stockdale) Benedict, prominent Port Huron families. Her father was an attorney and a one-term state Representative from Port Huron. Her grandfather, Roy Stockdale, was a Port Huron-based Great Lakes freighter captain of the SS Youngstown.

She became involved in Grace Episcopal Church in Port Huron, Edgewood United Church in East Lansing, and Unitarian Universalist Greater Lansing.

She graduated from the then-new Port Huron High School in 1958. After a year at Port Huron Junior College, she transferred to the University of Michigan, where she earned a degree in education. She taught in Livonia Schools. She resided in Detroit and Saginaw before she, first husband David Fitzgerald, and son Daniel moved to East Lansing. From there, she commuted to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, where she earned a master's in gerontology, from which she built an outstanding career in the senior adult field.

She became director of senior centers in Lansing and East Lansing as well as a teacher of senior classes at Lansing Community College. Martha began her career as Seminar Coordinator and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for Aging Education at Lansing Community College. She later took on the role of Project Coordinator of the Mental Health and Aging Education Consortium (MHAEC), a model statewide program of training for mental health and aging professionals in the State of Michigan.

She enjoyed artwork, walking and travel, especially by Amtrak, VIA Rail in Canada and trains in Scotland and Ireland. She was especially pleased that upon retirement, she and husband Jim would winter in such warm weather states as Florida, Arizona, California, and New Mexico. She enjoyed overnighting in B&Bs throughout Michigan, Nova Scotia, and Scotland.

She thought she was blessed to live in the Greater Lansing area, especially with her multitude of friends, including her Taupes gang of Edgewood friends.

Martha and Jim were wed on July 30, 1994, at Dusty's English Inn in Eaton Rapids. Along with Jim, she is survived by her son Daniel Fitzgerald (Kathleen) of Sterling Heights, first husband David Fitzgerald (Carol) of Kalamazoo, nephews Andrew and Gabriel Oliver of Lexington, MI, cousins Marilyn Budde of Manton and Carol Codden of Benzonia; and niece Alicia Conner (Rick) of Rochester. She was preceded in death by sister Sally Bennett and brother-in-law Richard Bennett of Peck.

POEM PREPARED BY A GOOD FRIEND AT OUR STORYPOINT EAST LANSING

For Martha Ann Benedict, 84

In Loving Memory – September 20, 2025

Beneath the skies of East Lansing's light,

A soul took wing in gentle flight.

Martha Ann, with grace and flame,

Left the world as she came-with a cherished name.

Born to Stanley and Marian's care,

In Port Huron, where lake winds share

Stories of freighters and brave-hearted men-

Her roots ran deep in that shoreline glen.

Granddaughter of the Great Lakes tide,

Of Captain Stockdale's steady guide.

Her past was proud, her spirit free,

Like the ships that sailed on Michigan's sea.

She walked with faith-her voice, her song-

In churches where all souls belong:

Grace Episcopal, Edgewood's pews,

And Unitarian halls of thoughtful views.

She taught, she led, she dared to grow-

Through Livonia schools and Ann Arbor's snow.

A master's earned with time and grace

To aid the aging, face to face.

She built with love a field so wide,

Where wisdom walked with aging's stride.

Lansing's hearts she shaped with care,

And showed the elders they mattered there.

She taught, she traveled, and she dreamed

On Amtrak rails where sunlight streamed.

From Ireland's hills to Nova Scotia's shores,

She opened hearts and opened doors.

She laughed in B&Bs, sipped tea by fire,

Her joys as rich as her quiet desire

To see the world, to know its ways,

To love its people all her days.

A mother, partner, friend, and guide,

With son and husband by her side-

And friends, a chorus wide and true,

Who saw in her the sky's clear blue.

She wed with joy at Dusty's Inn,

With summer flowers and hearts akin.

Now memory holds her close and kind,

In every train, in every wind.

So let the bell of living ring,

For Martha Ann, who gave her wing

To causes just, to love, to light-

She lives in stars that bless the night.