Long-time couple and active LGBT community members Jan Pierce and Marcia Patrick were killed in a car accident over New Year's weekend, according to a recent report in the Detroit Free Press.
"They were a really, really wonderful couple, and both of them were very committed to advancing work in our community for justice. They weren't the most high-profile couple, but they certainly were activists," Jeffrey Montgomery, executive director of the Triangle Foundation, said of the pair. "Our community may never know how much we are going to miss these women. It's just such a tragic loss and a sad day for everybody."
Deanna Tocco, program director for Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center, said that Pierce and Patrick had been participants in Affirmations' Ladies Golf Scramble "for the last few years."
"Our thoughts go out to their families and we know that they'll be missed in the community," she said.
According to the Free Press report, Pierce is survived by siblings Mark Pierce and Eric (Alya) Pierce, nephews and nieces Bryan, James, Michelle, Taylor, and Haleigh, and "the best dog in the world, Wheats."
Patrick is survived by parents Hugh & Jo Patrick, brother David (Olga) Patrick, and nieces Michaela, Caitlin, and Ariel Patrick.
Services were held in Plymouth on Jan. 5. According to the Free Press report, memorials in honor of Pierce and Patrick may be made to the Gift of Life, 2203 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 and the Triangle Foundation, 19641 W. Seven Mile Detroit, MI 48219 or www.tri.org.
Obituary: Jan Pierce and Marcia Patrick
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