Obituaries

Gene always had a twinkle in his eyes, a spring in his step and would light up a room whenever he walked in. With great love, his family shares that Eugene Elmer went home to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Gene passed peacefully at home, looking out at the lake he loved, with his precious wife and their beloved dog beside him. He had long hoped for exactly this kind of ending, and it came to pass just as he had wished.

Gene was born on June 11, 1939, in Frankfort, Michigan, the son of Floyd and Helen (Bloswick) Elmer. His father Floyd was born on North Manitou Island, Michigan, and his mother Helen was born in Maple City, Michigan. Gene graduated from Lakeview High School in 1957. During his summers he worked as a devoted dock porter for the Hotel Iroquois and the Lakeview Hotel on Mackinac Island. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business from Ferris Institute, where he was a member of the local fraternity Sigma Alpha Delta, which later went national as Pi Kappa Alpha; the Pike’s.

Gene’s passion for life carried him in many directions. He worked as a foreman for the Ford Motor Company before building a career in real estate, and he held his broker’s license for the rest of his life.

Gene was one of the founding members of Star Line, and he carried the same quiet, steady vision into that work that he carried into everything he touched. Gene was never a man to call attention to what he had a hand in, but his mark on that company, and on the harbor it served, endures.

In 1978, Gene and three friends, Sam McIntire, Tom Pfeiffelmann, and Ken Emery, purchased the Argosy Boat Line from Jack Barnhill. They renamed it the Star Line, a not to the storied White Star Line, and named each of their ferries after the first European explorers of Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, and Green Bay: The Marquette, after the French Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette; the LaSalle, after the French explorer and fur trader; the Nicolet, after Jean Nicolet, who lived among the Algonquin and later the Odawa people; and the Jolliet, after the Quebec-educated son of France. Gene and his partners also purchased the Driftwood Motel and Restaurant, and during his years with Star Line he purchased a railroad property as well.

Gene went on to serve the City of St. Ignace as City Assessor, Treasurer, and Marina Director. Among his proudest projects were the new City Marina, the Chief Wawatam Lighthouse, and the city boat launch. His devotion to his community reached beyond the city lines, and he worked quietly behind the scenes to secure funding for projects including the Museum of Ojibwa Culture and homes built through Habitat for Humanity. He also owned and operated shirt and gift shops in St. Ignace, Mackinac City and Charlevoix. Gene was a member and Governor of the Moose Lodge 999, and belonged to the Yacht Club, the Great Lakes Ferry Boat Association, and professional associations for brokers and assessors.

Gene was born and raised Catholic and was a longtime member of St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church. He looked for the hand of God in his day, and he was a thankful and grateful man. Some of his most cherished hours were spent in his wife’s classroom, helping her students with math, because Gene loved to help others.

Gene was a quiet man, strong, resilient, and enduring. He was always there, a steady and good presence moving through the world. So many men mistake volume for courage, walking through life announcing themselves with unnecessary noise, but Gene was never that man. His bravery came without a raised voice. He was thoughtful and compassionate, and he let his actions speak for him.

Gene and Patrice, the apple of his eye, were together for forty years. Their shared love of the water defined their life together, whether on their boat, on their sandy beach, on the deck with a good book, or watching the freighters and the Chicago to Mackinac sailboats go by. That was what made Gene happiest. Their love of life showed itself in tennis, biking, golf, backgammon, and every kind of board game and card game, and in walking their dog through the cemeteries they both loved. Gene was an avid reader and enjoyed euchre and Texas hold’emwith his friends.

Gene is survived by his wife, Patrice; his brother, Bob (Sandy) Elmer; his brother-in-law, Thomas Mackin; and his sister-in-law, Diane Waits. He was a special uncle to his nieces, Catherine, Laura (Jason), and Lindsay (Mitch), and a beloved great-uncle to nieces Emily and Paisley and to his great-nephew, Ryan “Gene’s Little Buddy”. He leaves behind numerous cousins and friends who were like brothers and sisters to him.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Helen Elmer; his in-laws, Patrick and Therese Mackin; his brother-in-law, Paul Mackin; and his nephews, Spec. Andrew Waits and Alexander Mackin.

A Requiem Service will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Family Life Funeral Homes, 999 S. State St. St. Ignace, MI 49781. The Rosary will be said at 9:30 a.m., visitation will follow from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., and the Requiem Service will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the burial to immediately follow at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers are Alex France, John Henighan, Tommy Pavia and Dave Wood. Following the burial, family and friends will gather at the Mackinac Grille.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that memorial contributions be made in Gene’s memory to the St. Ignace Project Hope Food Pantry, 250 Ferry Ln. St Ignace, MI 49781,St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105, or to Mayo Clinic Cancer Research, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905.

Gene has gone ahead of us, though he has not gone far. The hum of his heart carries on in the hearts that loved him, and Patrice above all, who holds his love forward with a strength that is quietly her own. You can hear him still in the slap of water against a hull, in the harbors he helped raise out of mud and stone, and in the small kindnesses he did for people who never learned his name. A life lived well leaves a sound behind it. Godspeed.

Condolences may be given to the family at www.familylifefh.com.