On April 2, 2017, Laura Brydges' body decided to let her spirit move on to the Great Hereafter. If cleanliness is truly next to Godliness, one can imagine the higher plane is a tidy, well organized utopia. However, with the recent addition of Ms. Brydges to its roster, the Great Hereafter will be held to an even more discerning standard.

Ms. Brydges was known for her style and taste, while maintaining an admirable fiscal leash. Her home was her castle, manicured inside and out. Whether overseeing the tending of her garden or the progress of her family, Ms. Brydges minded details with the authority of a crowned royal. She wasn't to be contradicted, nor second-guessed.

Yet, family and friends were allowed peeks behind her regal curtain. What they found beyond the top shelf decor and pristine landscaping was a woman with a penchant for irreverent humor and a heart that had been broken.

In spring of 1997, Ms. Brydges lost her husband, Glenn Brydges, due to heart failure. His death came mere months before their 50th wedding anniversary. Ever after, spring seasons were hard on her, wedding anniversaries harder and Christmas nearly intolerable.

Her humor survived the emotional tidal waves. Though one might not have guessed when seated in her immaculately kept dining room, Ms. Brydges had a penchant for surprising loved ones with gag gifts and novelties.

Raised on a farm near London, Ontario, along with three brothers, Laura Brydges led a full life. A career as a secretary led her to to work with a variety of insurance companies then, finally, Hawthorne Center for the State of Michigan.

Brydges family dinners won't be the same without Ms. Brydges. Her pot roasts, macaroni salads, baked spaghetti, pudding creations and other dishes were spiced to a perfection no one is likely to duplicate.

Only a day before turning 92 years old -- and exactly 20 years plus one day after her husband's departure -- Ms. Brydges left behind a daughter, Gwendolyn (Charles Matthew Smith) Brydges, two grand children, Charity Smith and Aaron Glenn (Toni) Smith, and two great-grandchildren, Nehemiah Thomas and Atticus Glenn Smith.

Visitation for Laura Brydges will be held on Thursday 12-3 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church 120 N Military St., Dearborn, MI.

Funeral Mass Friday 11am

Christ Episcopal Church

120 N Military St.

Dearborn, MI.

Burial following Mass at

Acacia Park Cemetery

31300 Southfield Rd.

Southfield, MI.