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Dolores Ann Springer, age 88, of Three Rivers, died at home on Monday, March 22, 2021. She was born in Three Rivers on April 13, 1932, the son of Glen and Mary (Mayer) Detwiler. Dolores graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1950, and in 1954 married William “Bill” Springer, also of Three Rivers.
The three pillars of Dolores’ life were her Catholic faith, her family and her love of literature.
From 1968 on, she was active in numerous ministries at Immaculate Conception Church. She served as director of religious education, as a member of the Daughters of Mary and helped organize the church’s prayer line. She was also involved at the parish and state level with numerous organizational efforts that sought to protect the lives of unborn children.
Dolores worked for the Three Rivers Public Library in its location at the Carnegie building on North Main St. and its subsequent location on West Michigan Ave. But her crowning achievement was the six years she spent as librarian at Immaculate Conception School. As a volunteer, she built the library from the ground up, acquiring books and creating lively displays that instilled in hundreds of students a deep appreciation for reading. Personally, she had a special love for English novelists such as Jane Austen and Anthony Trollope, and visited England twice to tour the locales featured in their literary works.
Yet it was as a wife, mother, grandmother and true matriarch that Dolores found her greatest joy. She remained deeply interested in her family’s accomplishments, trials and adventures and her home was always open as a place of celebration, relaxation and refuge.
Dolores was preceded in death by her husband Bill in 2013: by her parents and sister Mary (Detwiler) Pinkerton; and by her granddaughter, Alyona Springer.
Dolores is survived by her sister Marsha (George) Lewis of Three Rivers; her daughter, Debra Therese (Jack) Niemi of Three Rivers; son, Jeffery William (Diane) Springer of Three Rivers; and son, Thomas Millard (Nancy) Springer of Three Rivers. She also leaves nine grandchildren: Amanda Therese (Nicodemus) Ford of Sacramento, Calif.; Tonni (Joseph) VanDoorne of St. Clair Shores, Mich.; Elizabeth Kay (Mark) Cole of Baldwin, Mich.; Nicholas Dean (Sydney) Springer of Spring Lake, Mich.; Alina Marie Springer of Three Rivers; Darya “Dasha” Alexandra Springer of Salt Lake City, Utah; Daniela Theresa Springer of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Abigail Marie Springer of Chicago, Ill.; Emily Therese Springer of Three Rivers; great-grandchildren Sofia Minola Cole, Madalyn Cole and Ella Cole of Baldwin, Mich.; Quinn Ford of Sacramento, Calif.; and Morgan VanDoorne of St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 26, 2021 with Rosary Service beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Hohner Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 645 S. Douglas Ave., with Fr. R. Mathias as celebrant. Interment will be in Moorepark Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be directed to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan. Envelopes are available and also may be sent to Hohner Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
