A NEW, YET FAMILIAR FACE AT EDMUND T. AHEE JEWELERS
Featured in the Grosse Pointe News

For Bettejean Ahee, faith, family and friends have certainly been common threads throughout her life.

It was, in fact, at a church celebration that Bettejean met her husband, the late Edmund T. Ahee. An only child she traveled with her family to Carey, Ohio, in 1945 to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption at Our Lady of Consolation. Edmund also attended the celebration with some friends.

It was a coincidence that they were in Ohio at this event, since they both separately traveled to the church from Detroit.

Bettejean was in high school. Edmund was working at an auto manufacturing company in Detroit.

When Bettejean and Edmund returned to Detroit, they began dating. For her graduation she received and engagement ring from Edmund. Six months later they were married.

"We spent 51 glorious years together," says Bettejean Ahee with tears in her eyes. Edmund passed away in 1999. It is obvious that Edmund's passing has left a major void in her life and that of her children.

"Edmund was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, philanthropist and businessman. He left the world a better place than the world he was born into," says Bettejean.

And while Bettejean and her children have been coping with this major loss in their lives, one very visible change has taken place. There is a new, yet familiar face at Edmund T. Ahee Jewelers store.

After Edmund passed away in 1999, Bettejean had a major challenge in front of her - trying to create a new life for herself. For so many years, she had been a stay at-home mom raising six sons and one daughter. After her children were grown, Bettejean was involved in charitable work and helping with her 19 grandchildren.

While not previously involved in the day-to-day operations of the store, Bettejean would help Edmund with the store's display areas and offer ideas for promoting products. When she and Edmund purchased the store's current Grosse Pointe Woods location in 1968, she helped design the interior.

Today, however, Bettejean keeps a daily schedule at the store. "After Edmund's death, the children were extremely busy at the store. So with their encouragement, I decided to come in and help out."

"It has been a godsend working at the store. Edmund would always say that he felt very blessed to enjoy his work and also be surrounded by family. I understand that now," she adds.

Edmund himself worked everyday at the store until his death in 1999.

Bettejean explains that one of her husbands goals was to empower his children. He would say, "If I teach them what I know and they add what they already know, then they'll be smarter than me."

And Edmund empowered his children. Today they all work at the store doing various things. Pamela, Bettejean and Edmunds only daughter, is an award winning jewelry designer whose designs are sold exclusively at the store. One son travels throughout Europe as a gem buyer. Ahee's remaining five sons all work at the store in various capacities.

Working as a family at the store has been a tradition, just like some other family traditions that were incorporated while the Ahee children were growing up.

"Every month all of the children and grandchildren gather at our home to celebrate the birthdays of the month. It's quite a large gathering," she says.

After living in Detroit for a number a years, the Ahee's moved to Grosse Pointe where " we moved to our first house in Grosse Pointe, with three children and our second home with seven children."

Upon moving to Grosse Pointe, the Ahee's became involved in the Star of the Sea parish. "The parish was just starting and they hadn't even built the church. Eventually they built a church and a school. Our oldest son, Lowell, was part of the first class in the grade school." All the Ahee children eventually attended school there.

Being involved in their church and giving back to the community have always been important for Edmund and Bettejean Ahee. They will remain important values for Bettejean and her family.

One particular community organization that the Ahee family is involved in is the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. Every year the Ahee's sponsor the annual fundraiser. This year it is scheduled for Friday, July 13, at Hillcrest Banquet House. Everyone is invited.

"It has been a privilege to be associated with the Soup Kitchen," says Ahee. "Edmund and I grew up by the Soup Kitchen and many of our friends and neighbors, at some point in their lives, stood in line at the Soup Kitchen," she says.

"We started the Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration some 20 years ago. At that time about 1,000 people attended. That number has increased every year. More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event from all over metro Detroit."

The Capuchin Soup Kitchen is a non-profit organization that feeds thousands of people daily and also offers counseling, education, shelter, and clothing for Detroit's needy.

Last year the event raised $250,000 for the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. To date, the fundraiser has raised more than $3.5 million for the Capuchins.

The Soup Kitchen in Detroit began in 1929 and was the first of its kind in the country. Father Solanus Casey started the Soup Kitchen by giving out sandwiches to the needy during the Depression. Today the Soup Kitchen continues to serve those in need.

In addition to the Soup Kitchen, Father Solanus Casey is well known throughout the world for his miracles.

Many Detroiters who met Solanus while he was alive, or visited his gravesite in Detroit after his death in 1957, have prayed and experienced unexplained medical miracles.

"Every week we have people who come into our store who talk about Father Solanus. They talk about how he helped heal them," says Bettejean. "It's wonderful to hear these stories."

Even the Ahee family has experienced these medical miracles.

"My son John was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor five years ago," says Ahee. "He immediately had surgery to remove the tumor and had radiation treatments. He has been cancer-free for five years and we credit that to prayer, faith in God, and asking Father Solanus to serve as a window to God," she adds.

"I look at my life and I know that I have been truly blessed with my family and friends."

"Edmund died just three days after the 1999 Capuchin Soup Kitchen celebration. It was such an important fundraiser to him. We intend to carry on the tradition," Ahee adds.