DETROIT — Fr. Henry Villerot was a “very pastoral priest,” said his sister, Sr. Therese Villerot, RSM.
“He enjoyed people, and was very non-judgmental,” she said of her older brother.
“And he was very into sports — he loved golfing, and he had a friend, Barney McCoskey, who was a former Detroit Tiger,” Sr. Villerot said.
Fr. Villerot died Feb. 15. He was 97.
One of Fr. Villerot’s longtime golf partners was his brother, Msgr. Thomas Villerot.
“He always had a good time playing golf or bowling, and playing handball when he was younger. And he loved baseball,” Msgr. Villerot said.
He said his brother was still able to play golf until just a few years ago: “We weren’t the best golfers in the world, but we played it every chance we got.”
But those opportunities had to take a back seat to pastoral duties, Msgr. Villerot said, because his brother “was very involved in his priesthood, and limited his outside activities to his days off.”
Henry E. Villerot was born Aug. 14, 1915, in Detroit to Henry and Mary (O’Brien) Villerot. He attended St. Agnes Grade School, Detroit; Sacred Heart Seminary High School and College, Detroit; and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Norwood, Ohio.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit on June 7, 1941.
Fr. Villerot’s many parish assignments included serving as associate pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes, River Rouge; and St. Aloysius and Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, both in Detroit.
He also ministered as a chaplain at Henry Ford and Detroit Osteopathic hospitals and was pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Detroit; St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Clair Shores; and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Beverly Hills. He was granted senior priest status in 1985.
Fr. Villerot was predeceased by his parents and four siblings: Adele Marie, Anne Rita, Kathleen and Ernest. He is survived by two brothers, Msgr. Thomas and Joseph; two sisters, Sr. Therese, RSM, and Barbara; and 36 nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was to be celebrated Feb. 20 at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, Beverly Hills. Interment was to be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield. Condolences may be sent to Mrs. Anne Falcon, 5133 Thorncroft Court, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073.
