Florine Mark, former owner of Weight Watchers franchises in Michigan and Canada, dies at 90

DETROIT (AP) — Florine Mark, a Michigan business icon and former owner of Weight Watchers franchises in Michigan and Ontario, Canada, has died. She was 90. Mark died Friday morning, says Kelly Woerner, a staff member with Ira Kaufman Chapel in the Detroit suburb of Southfield. Mark established the Michigan Weight Watchers franchise in 1966, having been inspired by the 50-pound weight loss she experienced after seeking help at a Weight Watchers chapter in New York. She eventually expanded to more than a dozen other states and also opened franchises in Canada and Mexico. Mark later sold The WW Group franchise and one in Ontario, Canada, to Weight Watchers International.