Katherine "Trina" (McDuffie) Pung

Katherine “Trina” Elizabeth (McDuffie) Pung is being remembered by family and friends as free-spirited, strong-willed, compassionate, loving and kind. Trina, 54, died February 27 in her home in Bellaire.

Her roots in Northern Michigan run deep. Born on December 14, 1963, she grew up in Bellaire and took pride in tracing her family’s lineage to the early days of the village. While college and family took her downstate for many years, she always returned to the community she loved.

Trina graduated from Bellaire High School with a varsity letter in skiing before attending Albion College, where she majored in German. She made her home in the Grand Rapids area after graduation where she launched Willow Springs Farms and bred Friesians and Quarter Horses.

Trina loved all things with fur or motors. Most recently, she established Semper Fi Kennels in Bellaire, a program that sought to provide free service dogs to veterans struggling with PTSD and other issues. She and her husband, Air Force veteran Joshua M. H. Pung, regularly opened their home to veterans who needed a place to stay, a hot meal or a listening ear.

She loved shooting, traveling, flying and fast cars. A highlight of a recent cross-country road trip was test driving a Tesla. A good friend to many throughout her life, Trina always had time to reconnect when long-lost friends called or visited.

A woman with a big heart for people or animals in need, Trina would regularly find ways to provide clothing, shelter, transportation or a supportive word. A dreamer of big dreams, she always had multiple plans and schemes in the works, most recently the desire to open a B&B in Scotland that could serve as a front for a smuggling ring.

Trina will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her husband, Josh, and his daughter, Chevelle, and her son, Alex Ott, and his girlfriend, Allie VanDuzer. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Kay McDuffie, and her brother, Thomas McDuffie. She leaves behind her father, Edward McDuffie, brother Michael McDuffie (Tina), nephew Dustin Endicott of North Carolina and dear friend Sarah Schoppe of Massachusetts.

A funeral mass will be held Saturday, March 17 at 12 noon, at St. Luke Catholic Church in Bellaire with Fr. Chet Collins officiating.  The family will receive friends beginning at 11 a.m.  Memorial contributions can be made to AC PAW, PO BOX 94, Acme, MI 49610. Arrangements have been handled by the Bellaire Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.  Please sign her online guestbook www.mortensenfuneralhomes.com