Christine Ann Black Herzog

Christine Ann Black Herzog of Grand Rapids, Michigan, age 70, passed away in the early morning hours of January 2, 2023, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease and several other afflictions. She is survived by her husband Thomas Richard Herzog, her daughter Catherine Marie Herzog, her son-in-law Guan-Jie (Kevin) Wang, her sister Judith Black Emmett, her brother James Greydon Black, three nieces (MaryBeth Westin, Katie Havertape, and Jessica Black), two nephews (Jamie and Jeff Black), one niece-in-law (Terry Heath), and two nephews-in-law (Jeff and Scott Dupuie). Chris earned her Masters Degree in Library Science from Western Michigan University and worked for several years as a librarian at Davenport University. After the death of her father, Greydon Black, Chris spent the next few years looking after her mother Gladys and her beloved grandmother Rose. She married Thomas in 1984 and gave birth to Catherine in 1986. She retired from her position at Davenport when Catherine entered the first grade and from that time forward became a devoted mother and homemaker. In later years Chris did volunteer work at her daughter’s school, the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the Kids Food Basket of Grand Rapids, and the North End Community Ministry Food Pantry. Chris loved Egypt and at an early age aspired to be an Egyptologist. She acquired many Egyptian collectibles and artifacts. She loved collecting patches from her own travels and her daughter’s. She spent many an hour sewing them onto her favorite jean jackets. When she wore those jackets in public, she often received favorable comments from friends and onlookers. Chris also enjoyed baking gingerbread boys and frosting them during the holiday season. Chris was a life-long dedicated reader. At least once a week she had to go to the library to soak up the atmosphere and search for new books. But the great passion of her free time was all things English. An avid reader of British mystery novels (especially cozies), Chris also delighted in watching British comedy, drama, and mysteries. Regarding the latter, she collected and watched Inspectors Morse, Lewis, Barnaby, Lynley, Foyle, Perez, Vera Stanhope, and she had a particular fondness for Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary. Chris was a loving wife and mother and a true friend to those who earned her trust. She will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved her. There will be a Memorial Visitation with rosary held from 4:00-7:00 pm Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at the Arsulowicz Brothers Remembrance Mortuary, 3525 Remembrance Rd, Walker, Michigan. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am Wednesday, January 11, 2023, with an hour of visitation prior to the mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 2230 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Friends and family will gather at the church after the funeral service to have a luncheon and share stories and memories. In honor of Chris, contributions may be made to The Kids Food Basket of Grand Rapids (https://kidsfoodbasket.org/) or the North End Community Ministry Food Pantry (http://necmgr.org/; type “Food Pantry” in the Reference ID field when you click the Donate button).

Tributes

Christine Ann Black Herzog

August 21, 1952 - January 2, 2023