Bert Labadie

Bert Edward Labadie, age 83, of Huntington Woods, died peacefully on January 6, 2014 at his home, just three days after the passing of his wife Margaret. Bert was a native Detroiter, born on the east side to Norman and Angela Labadie on February 3, 1930, the eldest of a family of four boys. His scholastic background began at St. Matthew's Elementary School and continued at Detroit Catholic Central High School, where he graduated in 1947. He received his B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Wayne State University in 1952. After graduating, Bert enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent two years with a rank of Third Class Petty Officer as a hospital corpsman stationed at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, Illinois. While in the Navy, Bert met Margaret Jane Mulhern. They were married at the Church of the Nativity in Detroit on May 22, 1954. The couple moved to Inkster in 1955; they raised eight children there and, starting in 1964, in Huntington Woods. He is survived by his children, James Helen, Peter Suzanne, Joseph Abigail, Margaret John Rebensdorf, Gerald, Charles Angelica, Eileen and Meghan Joseph Parent; by his brothers, Ralph Patricia Labadie, the late William Labadie and John Evelyn Labadie; his sister-in-law, Annie Labadie; and by his 19 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Bert started his career as a staff pharmacist in 1954 at Harper Hospital in Detroit. He worked there for 33 years, mostly as the Assistant Chief Pharmacist. After leaving Harper, Bert embarked upon a second career as a community pharmacist, working behind the counter at Perry Drugs until his retirement in the late 1990s. Bert was a gifted athlete and fierce competitor, regardless of the sport. Among Bert's favorite activities were baseball, softball, bowling, ice hockey, ping pong and football. He was also a superior card player, excelling at bridge, euchre, pinochle, hearts, cribbage and even poker. Bert managed the Harper Hospital softball team to the Greater Detroit Class C Championship in 1956; he also held the highest-average title for many years in the Our Lady of Fatima Bowling League. He was a lifelong Detroit Tiger fan and achieved his goal of attending a Tiger World Series game in 2012. Bert also spent many years as a little league baseball coach for his five boys. In his later years, Bert was an active gardener with his wife Margaret, and they hosted numerous garden walk events at their home in Huntington Woods. They were an inseparable team, whether it was hosting annual holiday events for their extended family, visiting their grandchildren across the country, sprucing up landscaping/interior decorating for their children's new homes, or taking trips together to visit Europe, Australia and western Canada. The visitation for Bert and Margaret Labadie will be Thursday 2-8 p.m. with a 7 p.m. scripture service at the Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, 705 W 11 Mile Road 4 blks. E of Woodward, Royal Oak. Bert will lie in state with his wife Margaret Friday 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass at 10 a.m. at Our Mother of Perpetual Help-Our Lady of Fatima Church, Oak Park. Their burial will take place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield. Memorials to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation are appreciated. Share your memories at www.sullivanfuneraldirectors.com.