Janice (Rice) DUCHARME STEPHENSON

DUCHARME, STEPHENSON, HAYNES, GUNSULAUS, CHILD

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/11/2007 at 10:11:58

Janice Rice DuCharme Stephenson, Tryon, N.C.: Avid pianist was active in Grosse Pointe community

Janice Rice DuCharme Stephenson, a 43-year resident of Grosse Pointe, was an avid piano player, active member of the community and dedicated to her family. "When I was growing up she encouraged me to take piano lessons," said Lisa DuCharme, her granddaughter. "Her love of music had a profound influence on my life."

Mrs. Stephenson died March 26, 2007, of heart failure at her home in Tryon, N.C. She was 93. Mrs. Stephenson was born July 5, 1913, in Eagle Grove, Iowa. She was a graduate of the Choate School for Girls in Wallingford, Conn., and Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Mass. She earned her bachelor's degree from University of Michigan, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Phi sorority. In 1936, she married Charles A. Ducharme II, and moved to Grosse Pointe, where she was a member of the Junior League of Detroit, the Garden Club of Michigan, Country Club of Detroit and Grosse Pointe Memorial Church. She was a member of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where she played an integral role in the inception of its annual Arts and Flowers displays. After her husband's death, Mrs. Stephenson married John A. Stephenson Jr. in 1983. "Some of my favorite memories as a child were our trips to Friendly's Restaurant, where she would dare me to finish a three-scoop ice cream sundae," said her grandson, Charlie DuCharme, who affectionately referred to his grandmother as "Ging." "I'd always finish it and have an upset stomach, but it never stopped me from wanting it again."

Other survivors include a son, Charles A. DuCharme III (Mary Kay); two daughters, Julie Haynes and Jani Gunsulaus; two stepchildren; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; nine step-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Isabel Child; and four nephews. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. today at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, with the Rev. Peter Henry officiating. A private burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit. Memorials can be sent to Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, Director of Pastoral Ministries, 16 Lakeshore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236; Tau Beta Association, Treasurer, 962 Berkshire Place Road, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48236; or Garden Club of Michigan, Treasurer, 45 Dyar Lane, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236.

Detroit News, The (MI), COPYRIGHT
May 11, 2007