She was active in the VFW aux-
iliary, where she served as past
president and held several offices
on local, district and state levels.
She also assisted with the annual
V-J Day Homecomings, Veterans
Day dinners and Memorial Day
services hosted by the VFW.

She represented Erie Township
on the Red Cross Board, the Unit-
ed Way Board and the Michigan
State Police Command Officers’
Community Task Force for several
years. She received the Michigan
Minuteman Award in 1987 and
was a pet election worker for the
township.

Her memberships included the
Monroe County Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Committee, Water
Tower Park Senior Citizens in
Luna Pier, Monroe Senior Citi-
zens, Bicentennial Committee for
the VFW Auxiliary and Erie
Township, the Monroe County
and State Historical Societies and
the National Republican Commit- |
tee. She also was a charter mem- |
ber and the first president of the |
Rotary Ann Club of Erie.

She donated more than seven
gallons of blood to the Monroe

‘ounty Chapter, American Red
Cross.

Surviving are one son, James A.
of Erie; one daughter, Mrs, John
(Janet Ann) Kronk of New Jersey;
one brother, Neville A. Baird Jr. of
North Carolina; three sisters, Mrs.
Albert (Elizabeth) Mills of Tem-

erance, Mrs..Paul (Frieda) Row-

lands of Britton and Mrs. Charles
(Regina) Foster of Monroe, 6
grandchildren and two great-
grandchildren, including a great-
grandson who was born Sac

In addition to her husband, she
was preceded in death by two sis-
ters and three brothers.

Memorials may be made to the
Altar Society New Student Aid
Fund, the VFW Cancer and
Research Fund and the VFW
National Home in Eaton Rapids

 

Jerr? Des 1e1997
Thelma B. Cousino

ERIE — Services have been set
for Thelma B. Cousino, 80, of
Erie, a longtime supporter of vet-
and community activities
and a charter member of the
Ladies Auxiliary to Erie Post
3925, Veterans of
Foréign Wars,
who died Satur-
day afternoon in
an automobile
accident,

Friends _ may
call from 3 to 9

.m. Tuesday and

fednesday at the Fs
Bennett Be -

Home, Tie THELMA B,
chapel, where the COUSINO
auxiliary will

hold a service at 6 p.m. Tuesday. A
rosary will be recited at 7 p.m.
Wednesday. Services will be at
10 a.m. Thursday in the funeral
home and 10:30 at St. Joseph
Catholic Church of which she was
a member for more than 60 years.
The Rev. Joseph Plawecki, pastor,
will officiate, and burial will be
in St. Joseph Cemetery.

Born Aug. 18, 1917, in Bon |
‘Aqua, Tenn., she was the daugh-
ter of Neville and Pearl (Donegan)
Baird. She was married to Isaiah
(Ike) James Cousino on May 29,
1937, at St. Joseph Church by the
Rev. H. Milo Morrin. Mr. Cousi-
no died Aug. 5, 1965.

A graduate of DeVilbiss High
School, Toledo, where she was a
member of the National Honor
Society, she moved to Erie in
1931. |

She was an active member of
St. Joseph's and its Altar Society
for years and served as secretary
of the 2100 Club, a fund-raising
club for the church, for more than
16 years. She was named “Parish-
ioner of the Month” in December,
1982, and “Member of the Year”
in 1990 by the Altar Society. She
represented the parish on the
Ladies “Auxiliary to Monroe
Catholic Central High School for
seven years. She was also a vol-
unteer at numerous rummage sales
and Labor Day festivals for the
church,