Valerie Jean Maier

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Valerie Jean Maier of White Lake Township, Michigan, and Naples, Florida.  Jean enjoyed 83 years of life and passed peacefully at home with her loving family by her side on August 1, 2024.

Her family remembers their wife, mother, grandmother, sister and aunt as a beautiful person with endless love, kindness, intelligence, and wit who was always thinking of others.  Jean lived an amazing and full life filled with family, friends, a career and travel around the world.

After raising her children, she worked and retired as a college English instructor with a passion for reading, literature, helping students and playing bridge.  Jean loved being involved with her church and community, teaching catechism at St. Patrick’s Church and working at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, serving as Township Trustee and being involved in the founding of the Open Door Outreach Center of Union Lake.

Jean was active in founding the family business, Aqua-Weed Control of Oakland County, Inc., in 1975.  She and her husband built the business and sold it in 1996.

Jean was instrumental in getting the Michigan legislature to pass the Lake Board Act that now allows thousands of Michigan lakefront residents to tax themselves to maintain their lakefront property.

Jean was an excellent bowler and transitioned her bowling skills to bocce at her Florida home, where she also enjoyed concerts, bingo, dining out, boating, the Elks, the Moose, warm sunshine, her home and all the activities and her friends at Silver Lakes Golf and RV Resort where she enjoyed many activities.

Jean enjoyed her travels and was amazed in her later years that she had walked on the Great Wall of China, visited the pyramids of Egypt, and traveled most of Europe, England and Ireland.  Her many cruises included the Caribbean,  Alaska twice, the Mediterranean and the Panama Canal.

Jean traveled all 49 continental U.S. States, many several times, much of Canada and Mexico in their motorhome and flew to Hawaii as well.

Jean is survived by her husband, Ernest, three children, Karen Pinagel, Michael (Pam) and David, as well as six amazing grandchildren, Ashley Beyer (Cameron), Melanie (Kevin), Garrett, Brock, Douglas, and John, and sister Diane Jensen (David). Her sister, Pat House, passed the prior summer.

Jean is also survived by  nieces Amanda Flaut and Elysia Colouro of Ohio and a nephew Robert Orlando of Florida, and their families whom she enjoyed visiting almost yearly on her travels in the motorhome.