Margaret Louise Romain was born June 4, 1922 in Detroit and passed on September 6th, 2016.Her mother, Hélène (Juneau) was a French Canadian native of Tilbury, Ontario and her father was Joseph Zwack, who emigrated from Bavaria as a young boy with his family to Detroit. She had an older sister Evelyn. Her parents, both widowed, had children from each of their prior marriages. Growing up in Detroit, she was raised Catholic and graduated High School from Visitation, later known as St. Martin de Porres.Her first job was in a photography studio where she posed for sample photographs and painted the then prevalent sepia toned images.She loved horse-back riding and was on a riding outing with friends in Northville when they found out Pearl Harbor had been bombed. She often vacationed at the Jack and Jill ranch in Rothbury, Michigan. Outdoor activities such as horse-back riding, archery, shooting, canoeing and swimming occupied daytime activities while square dancing and a themed finale dinner/dance concluded the vacation. This is where she met and later married Georges Romain, a Belgian native who came to The States after the WWII and ultimately landed a job in Detroit with Burroughs Corporation. They married on February 14th, 1953.Margaret and Georges moved to Royal Oak to start a family and had four children, John, Peter, Claire and Nancy. Margaret delighted in creating themed birthday cakes for her children – the Merry-Go-Round cake, The Pirate Cake, as well as cakes covered in flowers. Her creativity also exceled during her favorite holiday, Halloween. Hand-made costumes and elaborate make-up were the norm, and not just for the kids. She once dressed up like a witch, turned out all of the lights in the house and chased the kids around in the dark.The Romain family moved from Royal Oak to Troy and then to England for three years. Returning to The States, they settled in Lathrup Village. Margaret’s next door neighbor was her same aged nephew, Bill Loftis (His mother was Margaret’s half-sister), with his wife Marie and their children Trudy, Martha, Jim and Peter.Margaret separated from her husband and moved to Royal Oak and started working for AAA Michigan as a claim’s representative. Her son John moved to Arizona, married Lysa and had son, Alex. Later, her daughter Claire and husband Mike moved to Royal Oak near her. They had two sons Brian and Paul. She spent many years enjoying her grandsons as they grew up. Her son Peter, opened a Brew Pub in Lincoln Park, and she enjoyed visiting him there for a brew and burger. Later she moved to Canton to be near her youngest daughter Nancy and lived there for the remainder of her life.Margaret was an accomplished cook who honed her skills by watching Julia Child and the Food Network. She could make Chocolate Soufflé, Baked Alaska, Quiche, Apple Fritters, Chocolate Steamed Pudding, and Curry. Her signature dish was homemade Cinnamon Rolls. She was also very health conscious and used yogurt and tofu in her cooking well before they became household ingredients. She grew many of her own herbs to add to salads. Margaret also loved gardening and followed Jerry Baker. She cared for multiple indoor plants and loved to cultivate Avocado’s from their pits. She had a true aesthetic for arranging plantings. Her most recent home had Climates Vines, Rhododendron and Azaleas, along with multiple herbs, vegetables and varied flowers.She was an avid reader of both the newspaper and books. She liked Stephen King and spooky stories in general. She loved to watch sci-fi (even B movies) and anything Dracula. She loved movies as long as the story line was well written. She played scrabble and worked on cross word puzzles as long as she could. She also continued to draw and paint throughout her life.She walked every day and kept in shape her entire life. She was always very fashion conscious and was very particular about her appearance. Shoes and bag had to match. Everything needed to be ironed and coordinated. This didn’t stop her from eating chocolate frosted donuts for breakfast or enjoying her favorite food, chocolate ice cream.Over all the activities of her life, she most enjoyed just being a mom and grandmother. She loved her children and grandchildren more than anything.Margaret was a devout Catholic her entire life and is survived by her four children John, Peter, Claire (Tait) and Nancy, her three grandchildren Alex, Brian and Paul and nephews Bill Loftis and Dave Atchison.
Condolences
I never met Margaret Romain, but I know her children Pete, Claire and Nancy, and Margaret must have been a very special lady to raise such fine people. I have been proud to be Pete's good friend since high school, and I know the hard work he has put into Fort Street Brewery. I also know how devoted Nancy has been to caring for their mother over the years, and to helping Pete keep the brewpub's books. The Ritenour family's thoughts are with the Romain family at this sad time. Michael Ritenour
A very special friend to me and I have missed her since she left Royal Oak some years ago. She was a beautiful lady and a true friend. She will always be remembered in my
thoughts and prayers. Joan Fernane
Dear Claire,
A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, for they are still alive in our hearts and minds, through us, they live on. Please accept my condolences, she will not be forgotten. I saw her picture, and I can see in her eyes nothing but love, such a beautiful lady!
All my love to you and your family
Sandra O Sandra Ortega
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