Kathleen Grace (Coster) Gruschow
Obituary
Kathleen Grace (Coster) Gruschow
Visitation
Thursday September 7, 2023
3:30 - 6:30 PM
Funeral Service
6:30pm
Fred Wood Funeral Home
36100 5 Mile Road (East of Levan)
Kathleen Grace (Coster) Gruschow passed away on Friday, September 1, 2023 at the age of 93. Kay was born on December 26, 1929 in Owosso, Michigan, the daughter of Robert W.B. and Grace (Roberts) Coster. She graduated Redford High School in January 1948 and went on to receive her BA in English and certificate in teaching from Albion College in 1951. At Albion, she met Donald E. Gruschow, her beloved husband of 57 years who preceded her in death. Surviving her are her two children, Janet G. Francisco (John) and Robert W. Gruschow, four grandchildren, Joseph W. Francisco (Kathryn), Stephen T. Francisco, Kathleen J. Gruschow, Christopher W. Gruschow, and a great-grandchild, Thomas A. Francisco.
Kay spent the first few years of her life in Grand Rapids and moved to northwest Detroit with her parents where she attended Detroit Public Schools. Kay married Donald in February 1952, while he was on leave from the U.S. Army. A lifelong supporter of education, Kay was a first-grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School in Detroit while Don was overseas in Germany for the European reconstruction effort during the Korean War. They moved to Livonia, MI in the early 1950s where they raised their children. Kay was an active volunteer in the Livonia schools and community, serving as a Brownie and Cub Scout leader, a volunteer with the Livonia Public Library, the Friends of Greenmead and the American Field Service (AFS) local chapter. Kay was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority at Albion and continued membership in the local alumnae chapter, and was active in the PEO sisterhood, a philanthropic organization that promotes educational opportunities for women. She was also member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Livonia. She spent many happy summers with family at their vacation home in East Tawas, MI, where Don and Kay enjoyed boating in Lake Huron and around the Great Lakes. Kay and Don spent the winter months at their home on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Grande, FL. Kay was a lifelong dog lover and avid gardener.
Contributions may be made in lieu of flowers to:
Angela Hospice
https://angelahospice.org/index.php/donate/
PEO International (women’s education foundation)
https://donations.peointernational.org/
Livonia Greenmead Historical Park (Friends of Greenmead)
https://livonia.gov/1930/Donations
AFS Intercultural Study Abroad Programs
https://livonia.gov/1930/Donations
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kathleen Grace (Coster) Gruschow, please visit our floral store.
