Claudia A. Borcherts

Claudia A. Borcherts, age 78, a longtime resident of Northville, passed away on February 14, 2024. She was born on June 3, 1945 in Royal Oak, Michigan; daughter of Francis and Bernice (Schultz) Zaremba. She was united in marriage to Frederick H. Borcherts on July 23, 1966; spending over 52 years devoted to their love until his death in 2019.

Raised in Harper Woods, Claudia played baseball during grade school where she had a 400-batting average.   She excelled in basketball and played from grade school to high school before Title IX.  As most valuable player, Claudia made every neighborhood male in Detroit shiver when she stepped in to play pickup games.  She graduated from St. Ambrose High School in Harper Woods; class of 1964.  She later continued her education at OCC where she studied graphic design.

After graduation Claudia worked as a keyline artist, graphic designer, and proofreader for Detroit Gravure, an affiliate to the Detroit Sunday Supplement Magazine.  Following the birth of her first child, she devoted herself to her family and stayed home to raise her children.  Once they were school aged, Claudia went back to work at Northville Public Schools as a teacher assistant with the special needs and gifted programs.

Claudia’s impressive height earned her the crown in the Miss Tall Detroit pageant in 1964, and later 1st runner up in the Miss Tall USA.  She was a member of Tip Toppers of Detroit, a group for people 6ft. and over.  Claudia was a member of First United Methodist Church of Northville for many years.  She was a talented painter and freelance artist with most of her focus on watercolor paintings of birds and trees.  Claudia used that same artistic flair in her side business, Back Door Treasures, designing and crafting dried flower arrangements, garlands, and wreaths.  She was also an avid gardener. Among her other talents, she played guitar and piano.  She enjoyed both downhill and cross-country skiing, as well as playing volleyball at the Northville Rec Center.  An enthusiastic football fan, Claudia was thrilled when U of M won the National Championship, and the Lions had their record season.  Following the death of her husband, Claudia made her permanent residence in Trout Lake, Michigan in the glorious U.P.  She braved winter storms all by herself, split wood, fed the fires, and kept the house in tip top shape for use by her family in the future.  Above all else, Claudia loved her family.  Adoringly known as Oma, she was incredibly proud of her grandchildren and all of their accomplishments.  Her loving nature will be missed by all who were blessed to know her.

Claudia is survived by her loving children, Kirt (Susie) Borcherts and Kelly (Derek) Poppink; her grandchildren, Nolan, Josh, Allie, Elliot, Alex, Joe, and Courtney; and her brother-in-law, Dr. Robert (Holde) Borcherts.  She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her brother Martin Zaremba.

Memorial Visitation will be held Sunday, February 25, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. with a Memorial Service beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Casterline Funeral Home, 122 West Dunlap, Northville.  She will be laid to rest with her husband at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate memorial contributions to Residential Hospice , 5440 Corporate Dr., Ste. 400, Troy, MI 48098 or Breast Cancer Research Foundation , 28 West 44th Street, Ste. 609, New York, NY 10036.