of Portland, 61, died Wednesday, February 20, 2008, at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, after an extended illness and treatment in intensive care. Private services are 1 p.m. Friday at Schrauben-Lehman Funeral Home, 210 E. Bridge Street, Portland, Michigan. A memorial gathering of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School community will be held at its Grand Rapids campus, 111 Commerce S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. Memorial contributions may be made to the Scleroderma Society, 300 Rosewood Drive, Suite 105, Danvers, MA 10923, or to the Humane Society. Marion Hilligan was born April 11, 1946. She leaves no surviving family members. Marion Hilligan’s adopted family was the Thomas M. Cooley Law School community. Marion Hilligan earned the Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Michigan State University in 1986 and a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1989. She was an Honors Scholar at Cooley Law School, a member of the Cooley Law Review Board of Editors, and the Law Review’s Casenotes and Comments Editor. Marion Hilligan’s first employment with Cooley Law School after her graduation was as a grading assistant and then as a Visiting Professor from 1993 to 1997, followed by terms as Visiting Assistant Professor from 1997 to 1998, Assistant Professor from 1998 to 2002, and Associate Professor from 2002 to 2007, before being granted tenure and becoming a full Professor on January 1, 2008. Her teaching subjects were Legal Methods, Research and Writing, and Scholarly Writing. She was the Vice-Chair of the law school’s Research and Writing Department. Marion Hilligan also served Cooley Law School as Assistant Dean of its Grand Rapids campus in 2003 before becoming Associate Dean of the campus in 2004—a position she held until her death this year. As a public servant, Marion Hilligan was the Mayor of Portland for four years, a member of the Portland City Council for eight years, and a member of the Portland Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission. She also served on Portland’s Community Arts Council Board of Directors, Downtown Development Authority, and Main Street Board of Directors. She was a leader in Portland’s involvement in the Michigan Main Street Program and the Governor’s Cool Cities Initiative.