A H Peters Funeral Services

Born Sept. 2, 1934, in Detroit to John and Laura (nee Pederson) Carter.  Ann married Thomas J. McDonald Feb. 24, 1956, at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Detroit. They enjoyed 34 years of marriage until Thomas’ death in 1990.Ann received her nursing education from Grace Hospital and worked more than 40 years as a nurse at St. John Hospital, Bon Secours Hospital and Brevard County Hospital in Melbourne, Fla. She was an avid bridge player and enjoyed knitting. She was a well educated and astute woman who rarely lost at Scrabble. She traveled the world visiting numerous countries including China, Japan, Mongolia, Australia and New Zealand. She traveled around Cape Horn and rode the Trans-Siberian train across Russia. Ann snorkeled in the Seychelles, went on safaris in Africa and marched all over Greece and Italy. She enjoyed the cultural benefits of all of the places she visited.She cherished the times spent at the family cottage in Mio on the Au Sable River. Her happy, exuberant and witty personality will be missed by those who knew her. Of all of her interests, she most loved spending time with her children and grandchildren and watching them grow and attain individual accomplishments.Ann was proud of her son, Douglas (Deborah) and daughters, Sharon McMillan (Steven), and Lynn Gmeiner (Ronald) and adored her grandchildren, Alexander, Peter, Katherine, Thomas and Jennifer. Ann will be missed by her cousin, Shirley Ashley and faithful dog, Chance.A memorial gathering will be 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at A.H. Peters Funeral Home, 20705 Mack, Grosse Pointe Woods. A champagne toast will be 6 p.m.Donations may be made to Public Broadcasting Service, 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202 or Michigan Humane Society, Attn: Honorariums and memorials, 30300 Telegraph, Suite 220, Bingham Farms, MI 48025.Share a memory at ahpeters.com. ...

I was a reporter at the Detroit News and I was on strike. It was 1995. He had already retired as the paper's computer systems editor, helping run our Coyote and Hendrix writing and editing desktop terminals and train people to use them back in the pre-Internet era.  As we picketed on Third Street and Lafayette outside The News, Pilette pulled up in his Buick, popped the trunk and produced hot dogs and sandwiches wrapped in foil. He offered me one and I passed. He asked what he could bring that I would eat, and I said low-fat hot dogs. He obliged. After that, he came almost daily with low-fat dogs and sandwiches. Because he was an editor, he had not been in the Newspaper Guild. But his heart was with the union.   He was a kind guy with a good sense of humor. And in a business that is not always kind,  his kindness was never forgotten. Pilette of St. Clair Shores died Tuesday at age 91.  His obit in the A.H. Peters Funeral Home reads: A native Detroiter, served in the Navy in WWII. He graduated from Cass Technical High School and Wayne State University. He was a reporter at the Durand Express, Marquette Mining Journal and Gary (Ind.) Post Tribune. As an editor at the Detroit Times, Don was only one of six staffers brought to The Detroit News when the newspaper bought it in 1960. He served in several capacities at The News, including national and systems editor, until he retired in 1992. Don also was an adjunct instructor at Wayne State for 37 years, teaching news editing and reporting. The college honored him in 2011 by naming the journalism lab in his name. He also taught at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Don was a licensed pilot who enjoyed flying to airports across the state.  Lou Mleczko, the former head of the Detroit Newspaper Guild, posts on Facebook: I am saddened to learn of the death of longtime Detroit News colleague Don Pilette.  Although he was exempt from the Guild contract for a period of time, Don supported the union and made a point of...

Kesner, A. H. Peters’ former managing director and current special projects coordinator, has retired.“David has become part of the A. H. Peters family and we will miss him,” said funeral home owner David Peters. “He has always taken care of people in our community with thoughtful dignity and sensitivity and he has helped keep this company as grounded in our values as we were when we began the business more than 100 years ago. We wish David and Patty all the best in this next chapter of their lives.”Kesner was raised in Armada. His father owned the Kesner Burial Vault Co., where the younger Kesner had his first contact with the funeral business. In 1976, he graduated Wayne State University’s School of Mortuary Science and began his tenure at A.H. Peters Funeral Home that November.During his tenure, A. H. Peters celebrated its 100th anniversary and was honored 15 consecutive years by the National Funeral Directors Association with its Pursuit of Excellence Award.“My career at A. H. Peters has been incredibly fulfilling and has deepened my love for Grosse Pointe,” Kesner said. “I’ve been part of this community and this business for more than 40 years and while I’m officially retiring, I hope all of the families who know me understand that I will always be available for them.”Kesner is a past president of the Harper Woods-Grosse Pointe Woods Lions Club and a member of the St. John Hospital Guild Board of Directors. He is a member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where he has held key administrative positions with the annual Spring Festival. He also is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and Michigan Funeral Directors Association where he has served since 1990 as chairman or member of the Audit Committee.Kesner and his wife, Patty, are residents of Grosse Pointe Woods and the parents of two children, Katie and Michael.In retirement, Kesner looks forward to spending more time with his family, on the golf course and in...