22 historical figures you probably didn't know were buried in Michigan

Dick York

Famous for his role as Darrin Stephens in the television series “Bewitched,” Dick York also appeared in “Father Knows Best,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “The Flintstones.” York lived in Rockford following his retirement. After his death in 1992, York was buried in Kent County at the Plainfield Cemetery in Rockford.

Photo via McDermott Company / Wikimedia Commons

Levi Stubbs

Known for his role as the lead singer of the Four Tops, Levi Stubbs contributed to Detroit’s Motown legacy with songs such as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” and “Bernadette.” Following his death in 2008, Stubbs was buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.

Photo via Billboard / Wikimedia Commons

George Gipp

Nicknamed “The Gipper,” George Gipp was a talented football player for Notre Dame University. He still holds a number of records at Notre Dame, including for average yards per rush for a season. In 1920, Gipp died at just 25 years old following a pneumonia infection. He is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Calumet in the Upper Peninsula.

  Photo via Jwalte04 / Wikimedia Commons

Aileen Wournos

Born in Rochester, Aileen Wournos is remembered as one of the most notorious female serial killers of the twentieth century. After a childhood of neglect and abuse, Wournos traveled between Florida and Michigan committing petty crimes and assault. In 1991, she confessed to the murders of six men between 1989 and 1990. After her execution in Florida in 2002, her ashes were scattered under a tree in an undisclosed location in Michigan.

Photo via Photo via Florida Department of Corrections / Wikimedia Commons

Jackie Wilson

Nicknamed “Mr. Excitement” for his enthusiasm during performances, Jackie Wilson was a talented soul, pop, and rhythm and blues singer. After his death in 1984, Wilson was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne.

Photo via Brunswick Records / Wikimedia Commons

David Ruffin

Known as one of the lead singers of The Temptations, David Ruffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. As frontman for The Temptations, Ruffin’s voice can be heard on numerous hits, including “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and “It’s Growing.” Following his death in 1991, Ruffin was buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.

Photo via Motown Records / Wikimedia Commons

Sojourner Truth

Born into slavery in Swartekill, New York in 1797, Truth escaped to freedom in the late 1820s. After meeting Frederick Douglass and William Lloyld Garrison in New York City, Truth became an outspoken abolitionist. After the Civil War, she continued to speak on issues including prison reform, women’s rights, and aid for former slaves. Following her death in 1883, she was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek.

Photo via National Portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons

W.K. Kellogg

Will Keith Kellogg is best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company. Kellogg was also a  Seventh Day Adventist, a vegetarian, and an Arabian horse breeder. Following his death in 1951 at age 91, Kellogg was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek.

Photo via Cal Poly Pomona University Special Collections & University Archives / Wikimedia Commons

Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith

Famous as the guitarist for the Detroit rock band MC5, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith later married fellow musician Patti Smith and settled in St. Clair Shores. In 2003, he was named in Rolling Stone’s list of the top 100 guitarists of all time. After his death in 1994, Smith was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

Rosa Parks

Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks moved to Detroit in the late 1950s, following her role in the historic Montgomery bus boycott. She worked as a secretary and receptionist in the congressional office of U.S. Rep. John Conyers. Later, Parks was a board member of Planned Parenthood. Following her death in 2005, she was buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.

Photo via National Archives and Records Administration Records of the U.S. Information Agency Record Group / Wikimedia Commons

Jay Sebring

Jay Sebring was a celebrity hairstylist who was killed by the Manson family in 1969 alongside movie star Sharon Tate. Sebring was raised in Southfield and attended Detroit Catholic Central. Prior to his death, Sebring styled celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jim Morrison. He was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

Dodge Brothers

John and Horace Dodge founded the Dodge Brothers Company in 1900. The company began as a supplier for Ford Motor Company, and later the brothers began producing automobiles under their own name. John (R) and Horace (L) both died in 1920 after contracting influenza and pneumonia in New York during the flu pandemic of 1918. They were buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn cemetery.

Photo of Horace Dodge via Jbarta / Wikimedia Commons
Photo of John Dodge via Jbarta / Wikimedia Commons

Proof

DeShaun Dupree Holton, known professionally as Proof, was a founding member of rap group D12 with Eminem. Proof released a number of hits, including “Kurt Kobain,” “Trapped,” and “Oil Can Harry.” He also appeared in the 2002 film “8 Mile” as Lil’Tic. Proof, who was killed in 2006 at age 32, is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

Bo Schembechler

Bo Schembechler is remembered for his tenure as the University of Michigan’s head football coach from 1969-1989. He was later the president of the Detroit Tigers from 1990-1992. Following his death in 2006, Schembechler was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

Rose Gacioch

Portrayed by Rosie O’Donnell in “A League of Their Own,” Rose Gacioch played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954. She became a press operator in Illinois and retired to Sterling Heights in 1978. After her death in 2004, she was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.

Photo via screengrab / YouTube

Harry Blackstone Jr. and Sr.

Harry Blackstone Sr. (L) and his son (R) are remembered for their talent as magicians and illusionists. Henry Blackstone Sr., who was a World War II USO performer, regularly dressed in tails for his shows and was accompanied by a pit orchestra. His son, Harry Blackstone Jr., did live magic shows and also created special effects for artists including Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Jane’s Addiction. Both father and son are buried at Lakeside Cemetery in Colon.

Photo of Harry Blackstone Sr. via Billboard / Wikimedia Commons
Photo of Harry Blackstone Jr. via David Belenzon / Wikimedia Commons

Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul is remembered for hits such as “Chain of Fools,” “Respect,” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” as well as her civil rights activism and advocacy for the rights of Indigenous and First Nation communities. Franklin began her career singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Over the course of her career, she was awarded 18 Grammy Awards as well as a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Following her death in 2018, Franklin was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.

  Photo via Jstone / Shutterstock

Betty Ford

Former First Lady Betty Ford was a fervent advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion rights, substance abuse recovery, and breast cancer awareness. Along with her husband and former President Gerald Ford, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Following her death in 2011, Ford was buried at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.

Photo via 18 of 20