Francis "Mike" Zobel

Francis “Mike” Zobel passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on April 13, 2026.  Mike was born on September 16, 1936 and raised in Ferndale, Michigan.  He was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Patricia “Patty” Zobel (nee Ryan); his parents LaFerne Zobel (nee Wieneke) and Francis “Frank” Zobel; and his brother John “Jack” Zobel.

He is survived by his daughter, Anne Zobel, dozens of nieces and nephews including Peter (Gretchen) Zobel, Claire (Fred) Harig, and honorary grandchildren Alix, Adrienne, Fiona and Edith.  

Mike was Detroit to the core, living his entire life in the Woodward corridor and settling in Highland Park in the 1960s.  He attended Highland Park Junior College, Western Michigan University, and Wayne State University. He loved education and completed every political science class offered at WSU. Getting a college degree was irrelevant though, as it served no purpose in his chosen field as a union laborer and cement layer. He was a builder of all things.  Mike built skyscrapers, including the Renaissance Center; an up-north cabin on Lake Michigan; and backyard balance beams, bars, trapezes and ice rinks for Anne and all the neighborhood kids. He built character with his blunt socio-political assessments and prolific profanity-laced rants. And he developed courage in all who knew him to question conventional norms. 

After Patty passed away in 2021, Mike started attending the DayBreak program at Hannan Center. While his memory faded, his kindness and sense of humor amplified. He revealed a previously unknown talent as an artist and garnered impassioned applause for his dance moves at the annual fashion shows.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Hannan Center in memory of “Iron Mike”. Online donations can be made at hannan.org/donate or click here: Hannan Foundation.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 9th at noon at the Kayrod Gallery at Hannan Center, 4750 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan.

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