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Harry "Mac" Lister, age 83, crossed over on September 28, 2025, surrounded by the love of his daughter Alison, wife Lorraine, and dear friend Hildi. Mac was born on July 24, 1942, in Detroit to Harry Curle Lister and Hilda McIntyre Lister.
Mac's early years in Detroit profoundly shaped him. He attended Mumford High School, spent his paper route money on jazz records from the Columbia Record Club, and sang with the Make Way for Youth Chorus on WJR radio. These formative experiences planted seeds that would bloom throughout his life: a deep passion for music, a love of learning, and an appreciation for authentic human connection and diverse communities and relationships.
He attended Miami of Ohio but left after two years and returned to his parents' home, admitting he struggled to find his purpose and direction. Mac would later describe attending a Joan Baez concert in November of 1962 as a turning point that marked the start of a new path for him. Five months after the concert, he enrolled at Wayne State and started back to school. In July 1964, Mac married Kay Van Gorter and took a 2-month honeymoon trip to Europe, staying with Mac’s German brother.
His daughter Alison Suzanne Lister was born on November 21, 2006. Mac was extremely proud of Alison and grateful that his eventual sobriety enabled him to forge a strong and loving bond with her. When Alison married Christopher Rainone in June 2023, he couldn’t have been happier. That is, until they had their daughters, Seraphina (b. 2012) and Mirabelle (b. 2015). These two extraordinary girls were constant sources of love, pride, and discovery to their Grandfather.
Mac loved being a Grandfather not only to his own granddaughters, but also within his community. He possessed what friends called "a grandfather energy with poise, simplicity, and regal presence," modeling a loving, sensitive, masculine presence in all his relationships, especially in his later years.
Music was Mac's constant companion and deepest joy. An accomplished bass-baritone singer, he performed with the Rackham Symphony Choir, Fort Street Presbyterian Church, barbershop quartets, and men's glee clubs. He played both guitar and piano, with eclectic taste spanning jazz, classical, country, and avant-garde. Even as Parkinson's disease progressed, Mac picked up his guitar again and improved. Ten days before he passed, Mac took it upon himself to perform for everyone at the rehab facility where he was staying, even asking Lorraine to get his 12-string guitar restrung and tuned. Music was with Mac until the end.
For Mac, running was not just an exercise regimen; it was a vocation. Beginning in 1977, he completed 13 marathons, stopping only when knee replacement surgery forced him to find different ways to move. One of Mac’s greatest disappointments was missing the Boston Marathon qualification time by 7 minutes. The discipline and determination he brought to running reflected his approach to life: one of consistent change, growth, and striving.
Mac was a lifelong baseball fan and loved the Detroit Tigers without reservation. He watched every Tigers game this year and was deeply invested in their playoff run. He was aware that they made the playoffs and is definitely cheering them on from the other side.
Mac would be the first to admit that his path to sobriety was a long and challenging one. But on August 12, 1997, he entered the 12-step alcohol rehabilitation program at Henry Ford Hospital and remained sober for 28 years. He called this date his true birthday. His willingness to share his journey openly became one of his greatest gifts to others, with his transparency about life's ordeals giving others permission to be equally authentic.
In 1978, Mac met his wife, Lorraine Weber, in the Rackham Symphony Choir. They married on March 26, 1983, beginning a partnership that would last 45 years. Mac's support of Lorraine's professional and spiritual work was unwavering, his partnership a model of true collaboration. In Lorraine's words, Mac "just kept becoming," taking every opportunity to learn, grow, mature, and evolve. Their marriage has been an inspiration for many, and Mac made it known that his love for Lorraine and the relationship they built together was one of his life’s proudest achievements.
In 1997, Mac became a founding pillar of the EarthWalk Spiritual Center. On Mother's Day weekend in 1991, Mac and Larry, Ellen Miller’s husband, became the critical foundational support for the first Changing Woman Initiation, a role Mac held for 35 years. In 1996, Mac and Lorraine purchased their share of 127 acres at Gilbert Lake, co-creating a spiritual retreat space dedicated to the vision, transformation, integration and expansion of human expression into the essence and truth of our unique being through love, healing, service and community.
In 2017, Mac and Lorraine moved permanently from Detroit into their home in Gilbert Lake, in the woods of the Leelanau Peninsula, with their golden retrievers, Tucker and Finnigan, and their cat, Phoebe.
Throughout their marriage, Mac and Lorraine shared a deep passion for travel and outdoor adventure, visiting nearly every state in the U.S. and traveling extensively abroad. Their journeys took them from Alaska to South Africa, from sea kayaking in Johnstone Strait to a dinner cruise on the Seine. White water rafting, hiking, and canoeing were often part of their wilderness adventures. Mac would say that the trips to Africa and China were the most impactful upon him. But he loved Australia, New Zealand, Rome and Barcelona as well. Their last trip was to St. Helena Island, South Carolina in March 2023, where Mac beat everyone at cards and remained stalwart despite the limitations of his disease. He laughed at all of his friends holding their breath as he negotiated a steep set of stairs.
Mac's professional journey took him from teaching fifth grade to a lifelong career in information technology and ultimately managing Intelligent Transportation Services for the US Department of Transportation until his retirement at age 74. In 2013, he received the prestigious Federal Highways Administration Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the accomplishments he was most proud of was earning his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1994.
But beyond his education and career accomplishments, Mac was known for his unexpected whimsy and "pun-ishing" humor. Funny faces, weird sounds, and patently absurd statements were standard for Mac. His audacious timing, his optimism, his sensitivity, and his ability to find laughter even amid life’s darker moments touched everyone who knew him.
His battle with Parkinson’s began over ten years ago and throughout the disease's progression, he remained committed to living life to the fullest, staying connected to those he loved and embracing the challenge of its limitations. He and Lorraine faced the future together, and he was always appreciative of the many caregivers who helped him stay present to his life and the world around him.
Mac is survived by his beloved wife and partner of 45 years, Lorraine Weber; his daughter, Alison Lister; his son-in-law, Christopher Rainone; his granddaughters, Seraphina and Mirabelle; and his niece, Jennifer Beard, and her son, Robert Beard. He was preceded in death by his sister, Nora McAbee, and his sister-in-law, Lynn Ann Weber, whom he loved dearly as a sister.
Mac is also survived by an extraordinary community of friends, spiritual brothers and sisters, and fellow travelers who were touched by his wisdom, humor, transparency, and generous heart. As one friend wrote to him, "Look for the brightest light. It is your reflection. Go into it with the love that you are."
Mac’s final wish was simple. He wants us to gather to remember him, tell stories, laugh, cry and make music together in celebration of a life well lived.
Those wishing to honor Mac’s memory may consider a gift to the EarthWalk Spiritual Center.
Leelanau Memorial Service: Saturday, October 18, 2025 - 12691 South Temenos Road, Empire, MI 49630
A visitation will be held at Mac and Lorraine’s home at Gilbert Lake from 1pm to 5pm, followed by a celebration of life service at their home. Later, there will be a ceremony at the Grandfather Fire in the meadow. Refreshments will be served throughout the day, and a dinner will be served following the outdoor ceremony. Please dress casually and warmly if you are staying for the fire gathering. Bring a folding chair and musical instruments if you are so moved.
Detroit Celebration of Life: Saturday, November 22, 2025
11:00 am Swanson Funeral Home Chapel, 806 East Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48207 Phone: 313-923-1122
Reception immediately following: Sinbad’s Restaurant – Sohar Room, 100 St Clair St, Detroit, MI 48214 Phone: (313) 822-8000
To Learn More about Mac, here are some additional links:
Mac Lister: A Life in Pictures