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Recent obituary: Joe Griffin Eisley, Richard Place

Joe Griffin Eisley of Chelsea,  age 92, died Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, at Silver Maples of Chelsea Retirement Neighborhood.

He was born on April 7, 1928, in Auglaize County, Ohio, the son of Harold Samuel and Velma Ruth (Griffin) Eisley.

After graduating from Spencerville (Ohio) High School in 1946, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Daegu, South Korea. In 1948, he entered Parks College, St. Louis University, going on to receive his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the California Institute of Technology.

In 1956, he married Marilyn Fleck in Pasadena, California, and they moved to Ann Arbor where he began a 42-year career as a Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. In addition to his teaching duties, he spent 14 years as an Associate Dean in the College of Engineering. During this time, he was involved in revising the engineering curriculum and in developing programs to encourage women and minorities to study engineering.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. His ashes will be interred in the memorial gardens of the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor.

For the full obituary, please click here.


Richard Place of Chelsea, formerly of Ann Arbor and Bloomfield Hills, age 86, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021 at his home in Chelsea with his family at his side.

He was born June 29, 1934 in Howard City, MI, the son of Floyd M. and Phoebe E. (Harmer) Place.

Richard grew up in Flint and graduated from Northern High School in 1952. After high school, he studied at Flint Junior College before transferring to MIT where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. Following graduation, he served as an officer in the US Navy. During this time, he also received a Masters in Engineering Administration degree from George Washington University and married the love of his life Meryl D. Johnson in 1959.

After government service, Richard worked as an Engineering and Product Planning Executive at Ford Motor Company for over 30 years. He also served as Senior Managing Director of the Mazda Motor Corporation in Hiroshima, Japan for four years in the mid-1980s.

Due to Covid, memorial services will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the United Methodist Retirement Communities Foundation.

For the full obituary, please click here.

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