Bridget Marie (Hamill) Houston, 58, passed away on February 15, 2026, at 7:01 a.m. surrounded by her loving family after battling a highly aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.
Bridget was born in Pontiac, Michigan, on February 28, 1967. She grew up in Berkley, Michigan. She had a passion for horses from a very young age and spent much of her summers and other vacation time in Cross Village where her father’s side of family resided for generations riding horses and swimming in Good Hart or Sturgeon Bay.
Bridget graduated from Berkley High School and worked as a 911 operator/public safety dispatcher and medical first responder in Oakland County while she attended Oakland Community College to pursue a degree in foreign languages. She met her soulmate, firefighter Dale Houston, at a high-rise fire where he rescued two residents and a rookie that had run out of air. They got engaged 6 weeks later and spent the next 37 years in love.
Bridget and Dale have one daughter, June Houston, who shares her mother’s passion for animals, especially horses. In 1995 Bridget and Dale moved to the Harbor Springs area where the air was cleaner and they felt the community was much better to raise June. Bridget went to work as dispatcher for Top O’Michigan Electric Co-op until 1997 when she was diagnosed with fatal disease and given just 3 to 6 months to live. She turned to alternative medicine, and it saved her life. This led to her attaining a doctorate in Naturopathy (ND), as well as several other holistic certifications. She opened her own practice and spent over 25 years helping others achieve their health goals. Her daughter, June, followed in her footsteps and also attained Naturopath degree and has practicing alongside her for the last 16 years. It gave Bridget great comfort to know that June will be carrying on her legacy and providing her many cherished clients with a knowledgeable and dedicated practitioner at HummingBird Health Consultants, LLC.
Bridget and June shared a bond far beyond mother and daughter. They were soul sisters, colleagues, mentor and student to each other, and best friends. Both Dale and June are feeling her loss beyond what can be put into words.
She is survived by her husband, Dale Houston; daughter June Houston; her parents Cliff and Kathy Hamill of Harbor Springs; mother-in-law Elsie “Vickie” Merrifield of Harbor Springs; brother Steve Hamill of Troy; nephew Coryn Hamill of Calumet, MI; and a large number of Aunts, Uncles and cousins.
If you would like to help donate to cover the astronomical medical bills and cost of cremation, donations may be made to: Dale Houston at their office address, 990 West Conway Road, Harbor Springs, MI 49740