Marjorie F. Russo

Marjorie Frances “Squish” Russo, 64 years old, was born on February 27th, 1956 and died on April 14, 2020. Marjorie, who was commonly called Margie, was preceded in death by her father Benjamin Benton and mother Frances Benton. Margie is survived by two siblings, Barbara Sweeney (Ed Sweeney) and Catherine Beattie (Daniel Beattie). Margie was blessed with four wonderful children, Vincent Russo, Theresa (Russo) Gierzynski (Colin Gierzynski), Joseph Russo, and Matthew Russo. Another great joy in Margie’s life were her two grandchildren, Charles and Henry Gierzynski, who knew her as “Nana”. As a prolific and gifted writer, Margie wrote several poems including “Mystic at the Kitchen Sink”, which was published in St. Anthony Messenger. Margie’s other poems were often written to commemorate special events in the life of her family. Margie worked as a licensed social work clinician for nearly 20 years and dedicated 11 years of service to Community Care Services in Lincoln Park. As a clinical therapist in CCS’s Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program, Margie delivered intensive, community-based therapy to those with persistent mental illnesses. Her compassionate care helped many clients to overcome debilitating mental health challenges and to lead healthy and productive lives. Those who knew Margie knew that she was fond of the music of the 1960’s. Margie was proud that at 10 years old she went with her Dad to see “The Beatles” at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. Margie’s fervent devotion to her Catholic faith helped her to cope with the health challenges she experienced later in life. Margie now rests peacefully and is free from any pain and suffering. “Squish” will be carried in the hearts of all who knew her, now and forever. Thank you for your love and support during this time. Given the present situation, in lieu of flowers, we would respectfully suggest contributing to one of the following organizations that best aligns with your own value system. To ensure the donations you graciously provide are going to reputable charities, you may consult the CharityWatch website that provides a non-biased assessment of the charity in question. Food4Frontline Our mother was cared for at St. Mary’s hospital in one of the states worst hit by COVID-19. Our mother unfortunately succumbed to the virus as well. The dedicated work staff at the hospital put their own health and lives on the line to care for her during this time. National Alliance to End Homelessness Our mother worked as a social worker and spent much of her time helping the less fortunate. Every year she would partake in performing a census of the homeless population in Detroit to aid in allocating resources and necessities. Our Lady of the Scapular Roman Catholic Church Our mother remained a woman of strong faith throughout her life, and it was through faith that she gained solace and peace during her many struggles with her health. She was particularly touched by the work of the nuns at the above church. Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center An avid writer, our mother was very concerned about her mental acuity during her life. In the latter years, she suffered a number of strokes that negatively affected some of her mental faculties. American Humane As our mother suffered from allergies, she was never able to own an animal of her own. In spite of this, she was a lover of animals and was particularly fond of Joey’s dog, Jetta.