Mariah Renea Huston

Mariah Renea Huston went Home to Jesus on January 9, 2021.  Mariah loved music, dancing and spending time with family and friends. Though she lived her life with chronic pain, she did her utmost to put on a smile and make the best of any situation.  She excelled at finding the joy in the things she did, and especially in celebrating the achievements of her children, whom she loved more than anything in this world.  She never let her Sickle Cell Disease define her, who she was, or what she was capable of.  She knew she might not be able to do everything as fast as other people, but it was only a matter of time and effort before she would get a job done, no matter how big or small.

Mariah was fiercely loyal. Once she counted a person as a friend, they were a friend for life.  Once she gave a person their nickname, it stuck.  You were forever known by that name, or some variation of it.  She regularly called people by their first and middle names.  Not as an admonition but an endearment.  If she didn’t know your middle name, she made one up and you liked it.

She was also stubbornly independent, never seeking help when she could do it herself and have it done just the way she liked it.

Mariah never gave up on anything; obtaining her First Degree Black Belt at the Williams Center for Martial Arts, a General Associates Degree from Lansing Community College, after becoming a Certified Surgical Technologist.  Her drive and determination to achieve her goals kept everyone around her on their toes.  She set an example for all who came in contact with her, showing every day what was possible, despite what obstacles or adversities stood in her way.

She loved everyone with her whole heart.  Even when her pain and medical issues progressed to the point that they kept her from doing many things for herself, she constantly reached out to others to see how they were doing.  She always remembered birthdays, making sure people knew she was thinking of them and wishing friends and loved ones alike the best day ever.

Mariah will forever be missed by all who were graced by her presence.  For those who loved her and were loved by her, there is a Mariah-sized-hole in all of our hearts that can only be filled with memories of her and the laughter and tears that comes with them.

She is Greeted in Heaven by a Great Cloud of Witnesses including those who preceded her in death: her Grandfather Dec. William Blair; Grandmother Emma Blair; Grandfather Rev. David Morrell, Sister Stephanie A Blair, and Sister Makeda K. Morrell-Washington.

She is survived by her Husband, Joseph W. Huston, Children Kristopher A. Montry-Huston, Victoria K. Huston, Adrienne R. Huston and Joseph T. Huston; Grandmother Ruth E. Morrell; Father Robert L. Blair (Ruth Blair); Mother Maxine Morrell Blair, Sisters, Sonya D. Blair-Davis (Kevin Davis), Kyra L. Spalding and a host of Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Nephews.

Mariah was a collector of families.  Some ties become so strong that even though no blood is shared, it is insufficient to describe them as “friends.”  To that end, she also leaves behind Momma Liz Quintero and her three sons, Rafael Quintero (Amy Quintero), Joel Quintero and Marco Quintero whom she called Brothers; Momma Chris Barricklow, Grandmother to Kristopher; Sister by choice Crystal Smith; Momma Sue Dunivon and Sister by choice Tracy Moss and all of their respective children.

The lives she touched in her short 39 years on this earth are too many to count, and those not listed here are no less important, as she saw all of her “peeps” as precious and beautiful. May her love and acceptance of others be an example to us all in the years to come until we are all reunited in the Kingdom of Heaven for the greatest house party even held in the history of Heaven and Earth.

Due to the pandemic, no service is planned at present; a celebration of her life will be held at a later date.