In memorial: Among those we lost in 2020

Since March, at least 303 residents of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties have reportedly died from complications connected to COVID-19. May we all remember each one, allowing their memories and their lives to warm and inspire our lives in the weeks, months and years to come.

Here are some of the more prominent members of the Greater Lansing community who died in 2020.

Jack Davis, 81, served the Greater Lansing community as an attorney and philanthropist. Davis served as president of the Rotary Club of Lansing, chairman of the Regional Blue Ribbon Panel on Retention of General Motors and a longtime member of the Lansing School District’s Board of Education, twice as president. He chaired the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. A 1964 graduate of Harvard Law School, Davis was also a founding attorney at Loomis Law Firm, where he practiced business and real estate law. He was also known as a tireless advocate for the arts and education in Mid-Michigan and also had served in the U.S. Army. He died in May.

Sgt. William “Bill” Darnell, 52, served for 15 years as a DeWitt Township Police Department. Prior to being hired to a fulltime position, he worked at the Capital Region International Airport, Maple Rapids and the City of DeWitt as a police officer. His career in law enforcement came to an end in 2008 when he was shot in the face during a domestic violence situation in DeWitt Township. Darnell survived and was awarded as a Top Cop by President Barack Obama in 2009. In November, Darnell died as a result of complications connected to COVID-19.

Mark Brown, 51, was a social justice activist in the Greater Lansing community. He passed away in November from a long-term lung illness. He worked with community leaders on police reforms, advocacy for undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ equality initiatives and served on a diversity committee for the city of Lansing. He was also heavily involved in uncovering the story of John Taylor, a Union Army veteran who was lynched by an angry mob in 1866. His advocacy helped Delhi Township to rename a park in the soldier’s honor, John Taylor Memorial Park. Before Brown’s efforts, that space had been referred to as “Dead Man’s Hill.”

Gladys E. Beckwith, 91, was a pioneer in education and women’s equality. She was born in Flint and attended Flint Junior College, now known at Mott Community College. She later earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University and taught in the K-12 system as well as at the university level. Beckwith taught at MSU from 1965 until her retirement in 1999. In 1973, she helped create the Michigan Women’s Studies Association. In addition to 18 years of service on the Lansing Board of Education, she also served as the volunteer executive director of the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame from 1987 until she retired in 2008. In December, Beckwith died as a result of complications connected to COVID-19.

Michael John Ferency, 72, was a 20-year-veteran of the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office and a law professor at Michigan State University and Cooley Law School. At the prosecutor’s office, Ferency handled major felony cases, including the prosecution of Tim and Lisa Holland in the murder of their 7-year-old adopted son, Ricky. He also prosecuted Dr. Gregory Messenger, a Lansing area dermatologist, for manslaughter in the mid-90s. Ferency died on Christmas Day in St. Johns. He was the son of liberal East Lansing firebrand Zoltan Ferency.

George Griffiths, 91, who died in December, is a former East Lansing mayor and councilman, as well as a former Ingham County drain commissioner. He taught at Walter French Junior High School in Lansing and taught woodshop, math, science and social studies until he lost his hearing and took an early retirement. Then Griffiths started his own home improvement business and was elected to the East Lansing City Council in 1971, rising to mayor in 1975. In 1972, under Griffiths’ leadership, East Lansing became the first city in the country to pass a non-discrimination ordinance that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Griffiths also led the way to reduce fines for marijuana possession to just $5.