Jean Holton

Jean V. Holton, age 86, passed away March 3, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. She was born January 28, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan, daughter of the late Erasimo and Josephine Russo.

Jean was the strongest, kindest, most positive person you will ever meet.  She didn’t have it easy all the time but you would never know it because she didn’t complain.  Jean always made difficult situations seem ok and look easy.  She was always more worried about others than herself.

Jean’s was blessed with her first child Dean in 1959.  Her second child Kelly was born in 1962.  Shortly after Kelly was born Jean divorced from her first husband.  Jean loved being a mom and was hard-working and dedicated to providing for her kids.  She stayed with different relatives, moving from place to place until she saved enough money to purchase her first home in Garden City.  The three of them lived in this small home until she met the love of her life Fred Holton.  They were married a short time later in 1972.

Fred & Jean had a son Jason in 1975.  She was proud of all of her children and the successes that they had in their young lives.  Jason played baseball at Sienna Heights College and Fred & Jean loved to travel to watch his games.  She was so proud when Jason was inducted into the Sienna Heights Sports Hall of Fame.

As much as she loved being a Mom, she equally loved being a Grandmother.  She was blessed with 6 beautiful grandchildren.  Her first was a beautiful granddaughter Chelsea, then four handsome grandsons; Adam, Richie, Joshua and Justin and then another beautiful granddaughter Ava Grace. She was extremely proud of all of her grandchildren and wanted nothing but the best for them.  She wanted them to be happy, to enjoy life and to always follow their dreams.  She loved to watch all the activities from dance recitals and theatrical plays to the various sports they were involved in. Each of her Grandkids meant the world to her and when they told her they loved her, Jean would always respond with “I love you more, more than all the stars in the sky and all the grains of sand on the beaches”.

In 2003 Jean and her husband Fred moved to South Lyon and lived there until Fred’s passing in November 2005.  Jean continued to live alone at their home and she went back to work at Concordia College.  She worked until she retired at the young age of 80.  While she worked there Jean touched many lives and all the college students loved her.  One student spent hours and days with her to listen and learn about her life to use as his final exam essay.  Jean was also named the Concordia College Employee of the Year having been nominated by her peers and students from the College.

After Jean retired in 2017, she moved to Northville where she would live until her disease would not allow her to any longer.  In February of 2022 Jean moved in with her daughter & Son-in-Law.  Her independence and desire not to be a burden to anyone made this a difficult decision for her but she enjoyed the controlled chaos of a house full of family and pets.  Jean was a bright light at the end of each day.  She was always smiling, laughing and had a positive word for whomever she spoke to.  She would speak often of “the lights of her life”, her children and her grandchildren and of how proud of all of them she was.  She remained as independent as her disease would allow her and she was laughing just minutes before she took her final breathe.

Jean was a wife, mother a grandmother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, great aunt, friend and so much more to so many in her life.
We love you more, more than all the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the beaches.  You are in Gods loving arms, free of pain and back with many of your loved ones that you had lost.  This is not goodbye; it is until we meet again.  You are loved so much and you will be missed more than you’ll ever know.

Jean is survived by her children: Dean (Cindy) Miller, Kelly (Rick) Pinkowski, and Jason (Michelle) Holton; her grandchildren: Chelsea (John) Love, Adam Pinkowski, Richie Pinkowski, Josh Pinkowski, Justin Holton, and Ava Grace Holton. Jean is also survived by her brother, Sam (Beth) Russo and her sister-in-law, Linda Russo. She was preceded in death by her parents Erasimo and Josephine Russo, her husband, Fred Holton, and her brother Tony Russo. Jean will be laid to rest with her husband in South Lyon Cemetery.

Memorial visitation for Jean will take place from 10:00am-2:00pm with a 12:00pm service Saturday, July 22 at Weise Funeral Home, 7210 Park, Allen Park (313-382-1150).

In Jean's memory, please make memorial contributions to the American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150 Chicago, IL 60601 (donate online at https://action.lung.org/site/Donation2 ).