Obituary: Marsha Lynne (Johnson) Chartrand
Marsha Lynne (Johnson) Chartrand (August 24, 1954 – August 4, 2026)
Marsha Lynne (Johnson) Chartrand, age 71, passed away on August 4, 2026, surrounded by her family. Marsha was born August 24, 1954, in Dearborn, MI to Margaret (Nicholson) and E. Thomas Johnson. Marsha grew up in Farmington, MI until 1962, when the family moved to New Jersey, and then to Indiana in 1966. They returned to the Ann Arbor area in 1968, where Marsha graduated from Chelsea High School in 1972. Afterwards, she worked part-time at Union Savings Bank of Manchester, between semesters at Hope and Hillsdale Colleges. Upon graduation, she married David, and worked full-time at the bank, ultimately as secretary to the vice-president.
In 1980, she resigned to become a full-time mother to her four children, Alyssa, Arianne, Ian, and Stuart. During these years, she volunteered at school, the library, and at church. In 1993, Marsha began working at the Manchester Enterprise for Emory Garlick, who became a close friend of the family. Always a writer, Marsha found out she was really enjoying her journalism career – from feature writing, to hard news, and even sports. She remained at the Enterprise when it was purchased by Heritage Newspapers in 1999, and continued learning new ways of self-expression, becoming the Editor, a position from which she “retired” in 2006, and spent ten more years working for Dr. Julie Marvin at Manchester Eye Care. In 2013, an upstart group in the community invited Marsha to join them in developing the Manchester Mirror, and she once again had the joy of writing in her life.
Above all, Marsha’s family was always most important to her, and she took great joy in being a mother, and later, “Mimi” to her beloved grandchildren, Chase, Peyton, and Charlie. Her love of mothering led to over 31 years as a dedicated Le Leche League Leader. She had a gift for writing and always aspired to write a book when not working on journalism projects, but also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, card-making, and reading was always her favorite pastime. She estimated that she had read over a thousand books since age five. Marsha was renowned as a singer, and often sang for church and events in the Manchester area. She was always involved in church, as a member of St. John’s UCC in Chelsea for over 30 years, and a member of Clinton United Church of Christ since 2006, and was active in UCC of Michigan Covenant Association for many years. She had fought an autoimmune disease for many years, and her strength showed throughout that fight.
Marsha is survived by her husband of 50 years, David Chartrand; her children, Alyssa (Noah) Cope, Arianne (Ben Sullivan) Chartrand, Ian Chartrand, and Stuart (Jenelle Franklin) Chartrand; her grandchildren, Chase Chartrand, Peyton Chartrand, and Charlie Sullivan; and her brothers, Craig (Rose) Johnson and Keith (Kyle) Johnson. She was preceded in death by her parents and her daughter-in-law, Shelby Chartrand. Marsha wanted to be remembered for kindness, tolerance, peace, and love, which she gave to her her family and the Manchester community.
A public gathering will be held at Eineder Funeral Home Manchester Chapel, 207 E. Duncan St., Manchester, MI from 4 -6pm on August 23, 2026. A Celebration of Marsha’s life will be held on her birthday, August 24, 2026, at 11am at Clinton United Church of Christ, 300 Tecumseh Rd., Clinton, MI. Visitation will begin at 10am, and luncheon will follow the service at the church.
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