Mary Agnes (Dowd) DiPonio
(January 13,1948 to March 6, 2024)
Mary Agnes (Dowd) DiPonio passed away peacefully on Wednesday afternoon surrounded by her husband and three children after a valiant nine-month fight with cancer at the age of 76. She committed her life entirely to her family and friends.
Mary is survived by her loving husband of over 50 years, David DiPonio, Sr. She has three children, David, Jr. (Leah), Mario (Beth), and Catherine. She is Grandma to her beloved granddaughters Gabriella, Liliana, Juliana, Gia, Lydia, Leia, and Alexandra, and to a grandson, Leonardo. During the first twenty years of their marriage, Mary and Dave and their children lived in seven states as well as overseas in Taiwan.
She was born and grew up in Detroit, Michigan and was one of the seven children of the late Ed and Angela Dowd and was preceded in death by her four beloved brothers, Patrick, Edward Jr, Paul, and John. She is survived by her sisters, Anne (Ron) Kott and Angela (Paul) Kott, and by her sister-in-law, Beth Ann (Edward Jr.) Dowd. She attended St. Mary of Redford elementary and high schools in Detroit where she met her husband.
Mary's far-reaching love of life and everyone she encountered began in the Northwest Detroit community she grew up in. Being part of a large "sports minded" family, she was driven to participate in almost every extracurricular sporting activity and social event available to students during those years at St. Mary's. Away from school, she served as a waitress and hostess at several neighborhood restaurants which would later contribute to her interest in cooking which led to friendships, with the local butchers, bakers, and produce managers in all the many communities she lived. Following high school, she worked for ten years at Employers Insurance of Wausau as a claims adjuster before her marriage to the boy she attended the senior prom with. Her vocation as a devoted wife and mother required that she work diligently to create a comfortable and stable household for her family of five in every one of the places they moved to and lived in during those early years, first and foremost her top priority was making sure she selected the right school for her children. During every one of those long-term assignments away from home, Mary would go to extraordinary measures to entertain and ensure a pleasant and enjoyable time for the endless parade of house guests from back home that came to visit her family.
Through Mary's sincerity and loving personality, she extended tremendous energy towards developing individual personal relationships with every member in the Dowd and DiPonio Families, along with her multitude of friends; she never left anyone unattended and made a special effort to give the most of herself to everyone. For most of three decades, as an employee, she supported the George F. Monaghan Council Knights of Columbus in their efforts to create many great social and hospitality themed events held at their lounge, dining room, and banquet facilities.
Despite living and traveling throughout the country and overseas, Mary loved "Up North" Michigan and was the one who was most responsible for the acquisition of the family property in Kewadin, north of Elk Rapids. Mary would regularly remind her husband that she was a "Michigan Girl".
Visitation at the O'Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home 41555 Grand River Novi Thursday 2-8pm with a Monaghan KofC Rosary at 7:00pm. In state at St. Mary of Redford 14750 St. Mary Friday 9:30am until the funeral Liturgy at 10:00am.
Donations in Mary's memory can be made to St Jude Children's Hospital www.stjude.org or St Mary of Redford www.saintmaryofredford.church
In the hearts of those who knew her, Mary's legacy of love, kindness, and devotion will continue to shine brightly. May she rest in peace, surrounded by the eternal love of her family and friends.