Maria Gokey may be small in stature, but her words come across huge.

She is loved by her family, friends and neighbors and uses her words to encourage them whenever she has a chance.

One thing that stands out about Maria is that she has been a servant to the community of Ecorse for decades. She worked at O'Briens grocery store when it was located in Wyandotte and continued at O'Briens when they moved to the City of Ecorse. When she said that she worked in the Meat Department, her daughter, Allison proudly said, 'She ran the Meat Department for years'. She saw it first-hand when she went to work with her mom a few times when she was younger.

Maria sitting with Ecorse City Clerk, Kimberly Whitsett and her daughter, Allision as he holds the book on the history of Ecorse where there is a chapter on her titled - The Queen of Ecorse

Besides working at Obriens, she also worked in the Ecorse elections for over 16 years. Maria's positive personality still shows at the age of 98. But during her time working for the Ecorse elections, she said when she walked in the building early in the morning on election day, she would say, 'Hello Everyone!' She would also bring a salmon spread, crackers and coffee for her fellow election workers. Ecorse City Clerk, Kimberly Whitsett, said, 'Maria wanted to work in this year's election'. She loved working in the elections and proudly had on her Election Inspector badge when we stopped by to visit with her. When asked what she would tell people about voting, she said, 'Open your eyes and do your part'.

Maria was featured in the book 'History of Ecorse' where they called her 'The Queen of Ecorse'. That name stuck after community members began calling her that in her younger days.

When asked, what she would say to residents today, she said, 'Respect your Neighbors', 'Help one another', 'Don't take what's not yours' and 'Don't Quit Quitting'.

Happy birthday to Maria Gokey, 'The Queen of Ecorse. In her honor, don't forget to vote in each election.