Ada L. Cain

Ada Louise Newby Cain was born on March 25, 1922, in Jones County, Georgia to Cuyler Newby and Ada Jessie Billingslea Newby. Her father was a sharecropper in Georgia and a factory maintenance worker in Detroit. Her mother taught school, worked in a cannery, and looked after her family. Like her mother, who was the 6th of 12 children, Ada was the 6th of 10 and the fraternal twin to Alfred Louis Newby. Her name Ada is Hebrew for “one who is adored.”

Adored by many, Ada attended Jones County Public Schools and graduated in 1941. Following graduation, she moved to Atlanta, GA, where she studied cosmetology. A talented seamstress, Ada learned to operate an industrial power sewing machine. This specialty later aided her in getting a job in a jacket factory in Hamtramck, Michigan, and eventually at Ford Motor Company, where she was employed for 20 years.

Ada married R. James Griffin in 1943 in Atlanta, Georgia. This union produced 3 children: Roy, Jr. in 1946; Peggy, 1947; and Michael, 1952. While her husband was serving his country during WWII, Ada worked at Ex-Cello Corporation in Highland Park, Michigan, aiding the war effort. After the war, she returned to Atlanta and lived there until 1953, when she moved to Detroit’s east side, to be with relatives, who came North during the Great Migration. During this time, she worked as a cosmetologist and performed maid services for Jewish families.

In 1957, Ada married her second husband, Luke Cain (who departed this life in 1997). This union produced a son, Richard H. Cain, in 1958. After Richard’s birth, the family moved to California Street in Highland Park, where Ada lived for 43 years. All the neighbors adored her, especially the children who accompanied her to Detroit Tiger baseball games on the weekends.

Very much a sports’ enthusiast, Ada was always found sitting in front of her TV rooting for the Lions, Tigers, and Pistons. When she was not pre-occupied with sports, Ada spent her time filling in crossword puzzles, walking two miles a day, going to luncheons at St. Patrick’s Senior Center, attending UAW Local 400 gatherings, and services and functions at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, where she had been a faithful member since 1965.

Ada was the proud grandmother of Julian A. Kirkland, Amanda J. Cain, and Amy L. Cain. They all loved their “Granny” very much and enjoyed spending time with her because of her energetic and down-to-earth personality. They share fond memories of walking with her to the General Motors Building –struggling to keep up with her fast walking pace – and watching her pat her feet and dance to her jazz music, which she loved to listen to on the radio every day.

She is survived by her four children: Rev. Roy J. Griffin of Atlanta, GA; Peggy A. Pennock (David) of Birmingham, MI; Michael Griffin of Madison Heights, MI; and Richard H. Cain (Gloria) of Eastpointe, MI; her 3 grandchildren; 1 brother (Frank C. Newby, 103, and 1 sister, Lillian M. Porchia, 92, both of Southfield, MI). Other family members include 4 nieces, 6 nephews, cousins, and in-laws (Nora Huffman & Timothy Huffman, both of Birmingham, Alabama). Deceased siblings include Willie James Newby, Mary Newby Moore, Cuyler Newby, Bernard E. Newby, Geraldine M. Newby Patterson; her twin, Alfred L. Newby, and Johnny V. Newby.

A devout Christian, Ada departed this life on May 11, 2020. Honest, loyal, hard working, unpretentious, and humble, she fought the good fight by overcoming breast cancer at the age of 86, took care of her sick husband for many years until his death, and helped her parents as they neared the end of their lives. But most of all, she loved planting her flowers, digging up her vegetable garden, and playing bingo and dancing the hustle at Sterling Place (a retirement community in Southfield, MI). Her sense of humor and infectious energy shall never be forgotten.