Obituary of Michael James Rosencrantz
Age 74, of Flushing, passed away Sunday, February 12, 2023, at home with his family by his side. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:00 am, Friday, February 17, 2023, at the Mt. Zion Catholic Pastoral Center, 8228 N. McKinley Rd., Flushing, MI 48433. Rev. Fr. James Bessert to officiate, with burial to follow at Great Lakes National Cemetery. Michael’s family will be present to receive friends on Thursday, February 16, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm and again from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and on Friday from 10:00 am until the time of service at 11:00 am. Family, friends, and parish will gather at 7:00 pm, Thursday, for a prayer vigil service. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Genesee County Catholic Charities. Expression of sympathy may be placed on Michael’s tribute wall at martinfuneralhome.com.
Michael was born in Flint on April 27, 1948, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bennie and Nona (Rapp) Rosencrantz. Educated locally, Michael attended Flint Central High School and graduated with the Class of 1967. After graduation, Michael went on to obtain his associate degree from Mott Community College and then transferred to U of M, where he pursued his bachelor’s degree. Michael proudly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served during the Vietnam War from July 12, 1967, until he was honorably discharged on July 9, 1971. While he was serving our country, Michael was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal, RVN Cross of Gallantry, Good Conduct Medal, and was acknowledged as a Rifle Marksman and as a Pistol Expert. Upon his return to the states, Michael would pursue his career at General Motors, where he worked as a Welder Robot Technician Repairman for 33 years, until his retirement in 2005. Michael was an amazing baseball player and went on to play in the minor leagues in California, where he was invited to try out for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Michael decided to move back to Michigan in 1973 and was introduced to a beautiful young lady named Ann Szukhent, on a blind date. The two fell in love and were married on May 28, 1977, at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Flint. He always wanted to have daughters and was blessed with three of them, whom he just adored. He taught all of them to work on cars and tend to the yard. Michael was very active in his church and taught all of the drivers there how to drive the church bus. He also taught his children and all of their friends how to drive. Michael enjoyed traveling to Tawas and fishing. He would go Fly Fishing every Tuesday with Jim. Michael was a huge U of M football fan, and his greatest memory was when Jennifer took him to two separate games. Michael loved old classic cars, but his absolute favorite dream cars were the ‘57 Chevy and ‘61 Corvette. There wasn’t much he was not good at, from building household items, putting together puzzles, or even his passion, taking Bob Ross painting classes, and creating his own works of art. Michael’s family was very important to him as he was very close with them and just adored them all, but mostly, his seven grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.
Michael’s family would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Basim Towfiq for his wonderful care over the last 25 years.
Left to cherish Michael's memory are his beloved wife of 45 years, Ann; daughters: Jennifer Madigan, Susanna and McKinley Rosencrantz, Sarah and husband, Francisco Garcia; brothers: Timothy Cogswell, Russel and wife, Jean Rosencrantz; sisters: Paula and husband, Richard Seymour, Michelle and husband, Thomas Crawford; grandchildren:
Michael was preceded in death by his birth mother, Nona Rapp; mother, Pauline Kingston; father, Bennie Rosencrantz; father-in-law, Steve Szukhent, Jr.