Mary Ann Twigg

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to parents Raynard and Regina Miller (Thelen), Mary Ann grew up second oldest in a family of five children. She was the feisty red head of the bunch and enjoyed many fun years with her siblings and visits to her Thelen cousins out in the country.
After graduation from St. Charles Boromeo high school in 1949, Mary Ann earned her Nursing Diploma in 1952 from Mercy School of Nursing of Detroit at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital. She enjoyed her career as an OB/GYN nurse, continuing to work part-time as she raised her children.
Mary Ann met the love of her life, Paul, on a blind date. Four University of Detroit Engineering students needed dates for a dance, so one of their classmates enlisted the help of his nursing school girlfriend to find the four perfect nursing classmates to accompany his buddies to the dance. They did such a good job that not only did the matchmaking couple end up getting married, but all 4 of the couples on that blind date ended up getting married also! And all their marriages were strong, lasting their whole lifetimes!
Paul and Mary Ann were married in Detroit on July 3, 1954. Together, they shared 70 wonderful years of marriage, raising six children: Kenneth (Carolyn), Charles (Joann), Susan (Keith), Christopher (Jeanine), James (Linda), and Paul (Dorina).
Mary Ann and Paul shared a strong Catholic faith which served as the foundation of their family. Sunday Mass and family rosaries during Advent and on long road trips were routine. Throughout their lives they made praying together each morning a priority.
Friends were a very cherished part of their lives. They nurtured lifelong friendships with all the couples they met in their Young Marrieds Group as newlyweds at St. Bede, and built strong, lasting friendships with their retired friends when they later moved to Canadian Lakes. During their years in Lathrup Village, Mary Ann often hosted bridge games and dinner parties. The Twigg kids enjoyed all their parents' friends and families as well, and it was special for them to witness all the simple fun and laughter typical at their get-togethers. Mary Ann loved a good game of charades. They set very healthy examples of what good friendships can look like. Later in life their friendships revolved around a love of square and round dancing. They credited bridge and dancing for keeping them sharp and healthy into their 90s.
Mary Ann loved music and performing. As a teenager she would harmonize with her buddy Jimmy Barrett as they walked home from high school. She sang in high school musicals and then later in many St. Bede Players Gilbert and Sullivan productions, and Lathrup Village Players musicals.
At home Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas dinners were feasts. For Easter she and Paul would boil and dye 8-10 dozen beautiful eggs, stay up to hide them all over the house, camouflaged for the older kids and easy to find for the younger ones. Each child looked forward to finding their very own candy-filled Easter basket and beloved Easter bunny lined up on the fireplace hearth (that disappeared unnoticed weeks later, only to reappear the following year.)
She made every holiday very special shopping for the perfect Christmas and birthday presents all through the year and hiding them until the appropriate reveal. As the family grew, she did the same for her in-laws and grandchildren. On Christmas mornings the tree overflowed with gifts underneath, and stockings on the fireplace brimmed with small gifts and treats.
Mary Ann and Paul created many happy family vacation memories camping and going up north to Frankfort where they would visit with Paul's parents and many siblings' families, or to the lake in New Baltimore for outings with Mary Ann's parents and families. They made sure their children had opportunities to know and enjoy their many, many cousins. Christmas eves with their Heymes and Miller cousins were especially treasured.
Paul and Mary Ann loved camping across the country and traveling the world together, with Alaska and Switzerland among their favorite destinations.
After retirement, Paul built Mary Ann her dream lake home in Canadian Lakes, MI where countless cherished family memories were made with their 13 grandchildren. They stayed active as volunteers, working with Habitat for Humanity and God's Helping Hands food and clothing ministry in Mecosta County.
Their final years were spent in Fox Run Retirement Community in Novi, MI where several of their friends had moved.
Mary Ann is survived by her children and their spouses; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her sister Charlotte and her sisters-in-law Mary Ann and Norma. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Paul just 9 months ago, her parents, Ray and Regina, her siblings Lloyd, Ray and Larry and Charlotte's husband Jim.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 23, at Lynch and Sons Funeral Home, 1368 N. Crooks Rd., Clawson, Michigan 48017 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with a Rosary at 5:00 pm. Visitation will continue on Monday, November 24, 2025, at Church of the Holy Family 24505 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI 48375 at 9:30 am, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 am. Mary Ann will be laid to rest at All Saints Cemetery in Waterford immediately following the Mass. The Mass will be livestreamed, click here
Memorial donations in Mary Ann's memory can be sent to the Blessed Solanus Casey Center or at this link:
https://www.solanuscasey.org/help-us-serve/donate/