Williamsburg, MI - Mary Denise Rohn ("Denny"), after battling cancer, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026 surrounded by her family at home in Williamsburg, MI. Denny was born and raised in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. She went on to Albion College where she met her future husband, Fred, when they both took bowling and volleyball class. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Denny taught elementary school in Bloomfield Hills while Fred went to medical school in Detroit. They got married June 24, 1978 and eventually moved to Dearborn for Fred's residency. During those four years, Hayley and Luke were born before the family moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a year in 1984. Ultimately, they landed in East Grand Rapids, Michigan where Hayley could attend the oral deaf program at Shawnee Park. Later Hannah was born, and East Grand Rapids continued to be a wonderful home for their family for many years. Denny and Fred spent more and more time up north, eventually settling into retirement on the East Grand Traverse Bay, her most favorite place on earth.

With an eye for design and an entrepreneurial spirit, she worked in the fashion department at Saks, was a freelance features writer for the Grand Rapids Press, later designed colorful fleecewear featured at many art shows, and was a successful interior decorator. She always had a creative project going, whether it was painting, knitting, or redecorating. In her early years in Grand Rapids she was a strong voice for her daughter Hayley and other children with hearing loss at Shawnee Park. Later on, Denny was a fierce advocate for her northern Michigan community, helping to lead a citizens movement that fought to preserve the region's natural beauty and character, and protect it from unwanted corporate development. In more recent years, she volunteered with the Warm Hearts Foundation and lent her green thumb to the Elk Rapids Garden Club.

Her love for her family, friends, and the East Grand Traverse Bay was at the center of her life. She found joy in simple traditions: evening cocktail cruises on her boat, Friday nights at Townline Ciderworks, golfing with her family, pickleball with her girlfriends, tending to her garden, annual trips to Florida where in recent years she made good friends at the Green Turtle Cove, hosting annual "Big Kids Camp" weekends, and cheering her grandsons on from the sidelines. Above all, she cherished her role as Mom to her kids, Nana to her grandsons, and loving wife to Fred. She leaves behind an unfillable void, but also leaves wonderful memories to cherish forever.

Denny is survived by her husband, Fred, three children: Hayley Rohn (Nilay Davé), Luke Rohn (Amy Rohn), Hannah Rohn; four grandsons: Jackson and Andrew Rohn, Cameron and Connor Davé, and her 16 year old rescue dog, Emma. She was predeceased by her parents, John and Emma Winter.

Special thanks goes out to many family and friends that offered so much support and love in Denny's final chapter. In honoring her wishes, no formal public services will be held. We invite you to celebrate her memory in your own ways, and she will be with us all in spirit. In lieu of flowers, we hope you'll consider donating to a cause close to your heart.