Annette "Annie" Fry

Annie Fry was full of life and positive energy. She had a natural way with animals and a joyful heart for helping others and seeing the goodness in everyone. Her warm spirit and caring ways will be dearly missed by those she leaves behind.

It is completely fitting that Annie arrived in the 1960s which was known as the era of optimism. At the beginning of this promising decade in our nation’s history, Carl, Sr. and Eleanor (Welling) Fry welcomed home their newborn daughter, Annette Marie, on April 8, 1960, in Battle Creek, Michigan. She was the fourth of five children in the Fry family, and her birth brought her parents much hope and happiness. When her younger sister was born, Annie was only 14 months old, and her sister Carol was put in charge of her. Carol was the only one in the family who could understand her gibberish! As a result, they developed a special closeness.

Annie and her family made many special memories on the family farm, where her mother was raised. The gravel pit on the property became a gathering place for many years to celebrate and spend time with one another. As a young child, Annie was a tomboy who helped her brother, Al (Carl, Jr.) pushing his motorcycle or handing tools to him as he worked on one his many projects. In school, she was often mistaken for her sister, Susie, as they looked like twins. Annie was fiercely independent from a young age. She broke both wrists in a cheerleading accident when she fell from a stunt. When she arrived home, she helped her sister Susie, stir the chocolate chip cookie batter with tears in her eyes. Her sister thought she might be sad over a recent break-up and they told her if she needed anything during the night to just knock on the wall. Annie couldn’t knock, so she suffered the whole night long! Before long, her arms healed, and she was embracing life once again. Whatever she put her mind to doing, she gave it her all. She graduated from Galesburg-Augusta High School in 1978.

During her high school years, she started working at Consumer’s Energy through a co-op program, which led to a long and interesting career with the company. During her early years, she worked in the marketing department. Later she moved to the accounting department. When the accounting department moved to Lansing, she took a job as a meter reader back when many meters were still inside family homes. She told several stories about the basements she entered and never left home without pepper spray and dog treats for the dogs! She actually was bitten more than once! In the final years of her career, she worked as a storeroom keeper in both the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek locations. Annie was known by her co-workers as a generous soul who often brought treats for the linemen. Her hard work and savings allowed her to purchase the home her grandfather built on the family farm. She was happy to keep this special place in the family.

When it came to special pastimes, Annie knew her way around the kitchen! A fabulous cook and baker, she enjoyed making ginger snap cookies from her grandmother’s recipe to share with everyone over the holidays. Every family gathering included a batch of her deviled eggs. If the eggs did not peel well, she threw them out and bought another dozen. Annie loved to provide the annual turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas and savored her time making side dishes to have plenty to go around during the large family gatherings. For special occasions, she treated her mom and dad to surf and turf! Annie loved to prepare food and worked hard to perfect everyone’s favorite recipes.

A quietly generous person, Annie lived her life giving selflessly to others in their time of need. She enjoyed helping her neighbors and even made grocery runs and dinners at times. Her home was the natural place for Carl and Denise to stay while they were in town. Her door was always open for her family; in fact, she insisted on it. Her nieces and nephews remember her easy-going personality: from rummaging through her 70s and 80s concert T-shirts and taking their favorite ones, to the Halloween dress up parties she hosted, to her willingness to watch their dogs whenever they were going to be away. Annie was a reliable and loving person to everyone who knew and loved her.

In addition to her skills in the kitchen, she loved to ride her Sportster or ride on the back of another bike. She was a charter member of the Battle Creek Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter, formed in 1991, which had a weekly ride for many years. She was also a member of the Ladies of Harley group for several years. Annie looked forward to attending the HOG rallies throughout Michigan and made trips to the Harley-Davidson homecoming in Milwaukee. A highlight for Annie was when they had the 90th anniversary, I-94 was blocked off for over 200,000 riders. Her collection of Harley Davidson t-shirts and other memorabilia is legendary!

Annie loved cheering on her brother, Al, at the racetrack with his sprint cars. Even if she couldn’t fix or repair the car, she knew for a fact that she could show up with cookies! Annie was a lifelong concert goer who loved the experience of live music, especially at Wings Stadium. Some of her favorite shows included Tedeschi Trucks Band, Buddy Guy at the State Theatre, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks at Pine Knob, and the Rolling Stones at Ford Field. She also enjoyed the music of Bob Seger and Stevie Ray Vaugn. Many memories were made with Garry, who ran a limousine service, which led to many fun concert outings with family and friends!

Traveling and taking trips became a hobby of hers as well. She made it to Las Vegas to see all the attractions and took her mom to Savannah, Georgia, for the Paula Deen experience. In 2014, she took a trip to Tucson with her sister Kathy, her mom, and her sister-in-law Denise, and won big at the casino. She sat quietly while everyone talked about the fun they had before stunning them when she disclosed how much she had won! Keno was a favorite game of hers, and she made several lucky trips to Lansing over the years to collect her winnings! Anytime she was out and about, she was sure to have a good time!

Annie’s love for people and genuine kindness will be her greatest legacies. She was truly the heart and soul of her family. Sadly, she is gone. May her many friends and family hold her memories dear and fondly reflect on the many ways she shared her love with each and every one of them.

Annette Marie Fry, age 66 of Augusta, Michigan, died on September 21, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents. Surviving are her siblings: Carol (Don) Brelowski, Carl (Denise) Fry, Jr., Sue (Michael) Johnson, and Kathy (Jerry) Hadaway; and nieces and nephews: Eric (Jamie) Brelowski Cohn, Tracy (Bryan) Waggoner, Emily (Kyle) Brewer-McClurg, Sarah (Louie) Brewer-Cayedito, Jesse (Kirsten) Dettwiler-Brewer, and Julia (Jacob) Maxwell; great nieces and nephews: Greyson, Cole, Madisyn, Dylan, Emery, Hayes, and Nora; her dog Ellie; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and special friends.

Please join us for a Life Story Visitation on Monday, October 5, from 10-11 AM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, (269) 375-2900. A Life Story Service will begin at 11 AM, also at the funeral home. A reception will follow in the Life Story Center where food, drinks, and stories will be shared. Private burial at Mount Ever Rest Memorial Park South. Celebrate Annette’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to West Michigan Cancer Center or SPCA of Southwest Michigan.