2016 Citizen of the Year - Judy Maass

At the August 16th meeting, the Rotary Club of Houghton Lake recognized the 2016 Citizen of the Year. Citizen of the Year committee chairman Tom Moreau presented the award to Judy Maass after the following introduction:

 

As we all know, we have many very special people in our community that do good deeds but do not want any recognition for those deeds.  One of your fellow Rotarians mentioned one of those special people to me recently and I would like to share her story with you.  About 12 years ago, a friend of this special person passed away and was buried in the Denton Township Cemetery.  The living relatives did not live here but they planted flowers and hung a flower basket at the grave site.  This special person lived near by and is a very good gardener.  She decided to water the flowers as otherwise they would have all died.  As she began to look around the cemetery, she realized that there were many live flowers that no one was watering so she watered those too.  She would pick off the dead blossoms and place Miracle Grow on them a couple of times during the summer.  She also picked up flower pots that may have been blown over and any other debris as eventually; she was maintaining the entire cemetery.  Needless to say, the Denton Township Sexton was and is very happy at all the attention and loving care this special person gives the cemetery.

 

A couple of years back, this special person had to have Rotator Cuff surgery and became very worried that she would not be able to water that summer.  Fortunately, her husband (who is a retired State Trooper) has an ORV and they figured out a way they could mount a water tank to the back.  They bought the water tank, mounted it to the back and her husband drove her to the cemetery daily to water the flowers with her good arm.  This special person also figured out how much Miracle Gro to mix with the water and filled the water tank allowing her to continue to fertilize the flowers as well.

 

Last year, one of the Denton Township Trustees asked this very special person if she would help weed the flower beds at Trestle Park.  She got her neighbor and spent the day making the Park look even better.

 

This special person never stays idle.  When she is not looking after the Denton Township Cemetery and Trestle Park, she is crocheting lap robes and slippers to be given to homes for Veterans.  Because this very special person is a retired RN, she also knows there is a tremendous need for knitted hats and receiving blankets for new born babies, which she makes and donates to area hospitals.  She also makes round rugs out of strips of bed sheets in any colors and they can have multiple uses for the needy.