Jeff Hohlfeldt and Marjorie Nank pose for a photo in her home in St. Clair Shores.
By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published February 2, 2026
ST. CLAIR SHORES — On Jan. 19, a St. Clair Shores resident celebrated her 100th birthday.
Marjorie Nank grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms. She grew up boating as her father was a fisherman on Lake St. Clair.
Nank found work for herself typing documents for a neighbor.
“I did his typing for him for a long time,” Nank said.
Nank said she doesn’t remember what job her neighbor had, but she knew he kept her busy.
According to Nank, Grosse Pointe Farms wasn’t as developed as it is today when she was growing up. She said there was a lot of farmland with different crops tended by the farmers. She said she had a good childhood and had one sister.
“Yeah, it was very pleasant,” Nank said of her childhood memories.
Nank has three sons with her first husband and gained three stepsons and a stepdaughter after she remarried. Jeff Hohlfeldt, one of her four grandchildren, said growing up with Nank was great. He remembers spending nights at her house.
“My favorite is, I remember, we would watch Crocodile Dundee in her basement, and she would cook us snickerdoodle cookies and she would make these beautiful breads,” Hohlfeldt said.
Nank said she baked those snickerdoodles a lot and Hohlfeldt said she could have sold them.
Nank also has four great-grandchildren including Hohlfeldt’s baby daughter.
Hohlfeldt grew up near his grandmother in Grosse Pointe Woods and Nank lived in the area for a very long time until she moved to Dearborn. She now resides in St. Clair Shores.
Hohlfeldt said she’s been a phenomenal grandma to him.
“Just so loving, supportive and always there for us,” Hohlfeldt said.
Nank took care of Hohlfeldt growing up if his parents needed some time to themselves.
She was an avid fiber artist with a main focus in knitting and needlepoint. Hohlfeldt received some of her artworks growing up and she even created a chair cover that still sits in her home.
Nank has seen the world change over the course of her lifetime and though she can’t talk about the changes, she said she dealt with them and moved along with them.
“I can’t say that I have that many changes that I can relate to,” Nank said. “Just take things as they come, you know. Things change and you change with them and do the best you can with what you have to work with. That’s my theory.”
Nank said she’s been sailing through life with no pain except for her knees, which she said are “useless.” Still, she said they’re going to stay with her for as long as she’s alive.
“I have to say, I’ll do the best I can with what I have left to work with,” Nank said.
Hohlfeldt said Nank’s great attitude and her happiness toward life is what makes her unique.
“Never complaining, always just being a great overall person,” Hohlfeldt said. “And we love her for it.”
Nank added that she’s had a good life.
“I just rode along with it, with the flow, and that’s what I intend to do,” Nank said.
There have been so many changes since Nank grew up. When asked about the advice she’d give to young people today, she said that advice wouldn’t be realistic to what she knew.
Nank said she is proud of her children and grandchildren. Hohlfeldt asked her what makes her the most proud.
“The fact that they grew up and didn’t have any problems to speak of,” Nank said. “And they’re getting along real well. I mean, what else can you need?”
Nank added that her family did well and that she’s pleased with it.
Hohlfeldt still has his grandma’s snickerdoodle recipe which he shared:
Snickerdoodle Recipe from Marge Nank
1 C. butter (Softened)
1-1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-3/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 C. pecans
Topping
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly spray a cookie sheet or use parchment paper so cookies won’t stick and will clean up easily.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter and sugar using electric mixer or stand mixer to beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
5. Gently mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and chopped pecans.
6. Add dry mix to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Do not over mix.
7. In a small bowl or on a plate, combine toppings (sugar and cinnamon) to coat finished dough.
8. Use a small ice cream scoop to keep the cookies uniform size.
9. Roll round consistently sized dough balls in sugar/cinnamon topping
10. Place on a cookie sheet evenly spaced far enough apart so they can spread out as they bake.
11. Leave high. Do not flatten too much as the cookies will be too thin.
12. Bake at 350 degrees until moderately brown (about 12 to 14 minutes, depending on
the size of the cookie), closer to the 14-minute mark (12 was not enough).
Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.