- Date Of Birth: March 26, 1936
- Date Of Death: April 21, 2016
- State: Michigan
Mary Aitken was a cherished mother, wife, and sister; a woman of faith, courage, talent, and spirit. She was born in Detroit in 1936, to legendary Detroit Times Editor James Trainor and his wife Marion, a columnist for the Grosse Point News. She was the second of a large Irish Catholic family of eight boys and four girls. She attended St. Theresa Elementary School, graduated from Immaculata High School, and went on to earn a degree in nutrition from Wayne State University. Mary remained a devoted resident of the city for her entire life. In the early days, she worked as a model, and after marrying her husband Bob, and having three children, Mary Ann, Joe, and Maureen, she worked at the Pontchartrain Wine Cellars, studied at Le Cordon Bleu, and earned her chef certification from the American Culinary Federation Institute in 1998. She started her own catering business, supplying food to a café in the Fisher Building, catering parties at houses all over the metro Detroit area, and employing her children and her beloved sister Eileen with a sense of adventure and creativity. Her gourmet cooking was legendary, earning accolades from corporate leaders to priests. Mary cooked for the Ford family in the Hamptons, maintained a friendship with legendary chef Craig Claiborne, wrote a cookbook, and catered food for Gesu church for 13 years. She accomplished all of this with a strong faith, regular attendance to church, and daily prayers. All the while, Mary never lost her spiritual connection to delight, to recognizing God’s joy in our lives, regardless of what troubles may come. More than any of her accomplishments, the family remembers Mary as a loving wife and mother. Bob and Mary were an inseparable pair for over 60 years. They ensured that their children attended good schools, ate the best meals, and celebrated every Christmas together. The family knows she finds comfort with her departed daughter Mary Ann, her parents, her departed siblings Joe, Jimmy, Danny, David, Terry, Josephine, and her best friend Caroline. God mercifully granted the ending she wanted, in her home of 50 years, with her family near, and peace in her faith. *********************************************************************************************************** Mary Aitken (née Trainor), 80, was the beloved wife of Bob, loving mother to Mary Ann (d. 2012), Joe (Lori) and Maureen (Jeff Gulick), Dearest daughter of the late James and Marion Trainor. Dear sister of Tim Trainor, The Honorable Kathleen Macdonald, Dennis Trainor (Cathy), Eileen Trainor Brand, and Tom Trainor (Lynn), as well as many nieces and nephews. She was a lifelong resident of Detroit. In State Tuesday, 10 a.m.
