10/02/2025
Robert “Bob” Widman Appleford died on September 26, 2025, in Frankfort, Michigan, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 90.
Bob was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 8, 1935, to Alexander A. Appleford and Marguerite Widman Appleford. He was a lifelong athlete with a talent for both tennis and football, starring as quarterback for the Birmingham Seaholm High School football team. Bob was president of Student Congress in high school and
was awarded the first Marc Joslyn Memorial Award for Citizenship, Leadership, Service, and Concern for Others. These are traits that defined Bob for the remainder of his life. He matriculated to serve as quarterback for Williams College, where he was active in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
After his graduation from Williams in 1957, Bob earned a law degree from the University of Michigan. For the next 40 years, he practiced law in the greater Detroit area and was well known for his honesty and commitment to clients.
Bob met Molly Olson in high school and they married in 1958. The couple settled in Birmingham, Michigan, where they raised four active children. The family has fond memories of camping and ski trips, tennis matches, and Bob coaching his sons’ Little League teams. A lifelong nature enthusiast who once collected
butterflies, Bob shared his passion and knowledge of the natural world with his family. Influenced by his own father’s love of photography, Bob also captured countless images of landscapes, National Parks, and his beloved Benzie County in northern Michigan. He savored 50 wonderful years of visits to his parent’s farm in the Allegheny Mountains near Warm Springs, Virginia. Bob and Molly enjoyed traveling widely throughout the United States.
Bob was an avid sports fan whose love of the Detroit Tigers and University of Michigan Wolverines was unbounded. He reveled in a good bet and was known for his sports pools: the Experts Club Football and App’s Final Four March Madness. Bob was principled, respected, appreciated, and loved. Family and friends
affectionately referred to him by many nicknames, including Apps, Apple, Bobby Trim Trim Burn Burn, and Knuckles. He served on numerous boards and committees throughout his life, presenting unbiased advice and always striving to help others. Most significantly, he served as a commissioner for the City of
Birmingham and was elected mayor in the 1980s. He was the first president of The Crystal Lake Watershed Association and served as president of Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan.
In their 67 years of marriage, Bob and Molly’s favorite place was always their home in the woods on Lake Michigan in Frankfort. The cottage they built in 1965 became their home base following Bob’s retirement in 2006. Each summer, the “Appleshack” was host to lively and fun-filled family reunions and parties. Bob was always active, whether tending his beautiful flowers and plants, chopping
firewood, fixing his break wall, playing tennis and pickleball, skiing, swimming in Lake Michigan, or playing card games with family and friends.
In addition to his wife, Molly, Bob is survived by his children: Judy; Annie DeVries (Mike); David (Robin); and Scott (Alison). He was devoted to his grandchildren Maggie, Ben, Charlie, William, Luke, Caroline, and Lily, who affectionately called him “Gumpy.” Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John W. Appleford.
The family would like to thank Jenya Cobb, Joseph Perrino, Claudia Kittleson, Mary Wilkins, Megan Francis, and Jeryl Colby and the entire staff at the Orchard House for their aid and kindness to Molly and Bob.
There will be a private family memorial service. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Bob’s memory can be made to one of the following:
The Crystal Lake Watershed Association, https://my.crystallakewatershed.org/donate. Benzie Conservation District, PO Box 408, Beulah, MI 49617. Benzie Wellness & Aquatic Center, BWAC, PO Box 2204, Frankfort, MI 49635. Arrangements with Jowett Family Funeral Home, Benzonia.
