Irene Elaine Senkiw

Irene Elaine Senkiw, 83, of Sterling Heights, MI passed away Friday, April 20, 2018 at Munson Medical Center. Irene was born on July 25, 1934 to Charles and Etha Mae (McCormick) Corry in Detroit. She grew up there with her two brothers, Wallace and Charles (Rex) Corry. Irene graduated from Deaconess Hospital Nursing School in 1956 and married Walter Senkiw in the fall of that same year. They had four children together and lived briefly in Garden City, but spent most of their 58 years together at their home in Sterling Heights. Irene worked as an industrial nurse for General Motors Tech Center in Warren, MI for most of her career. She loved her work in caring for other people. We will most remember Irene for her kind spirit, affectionate hugs and kisses, and love of music, dancing, parties and social events. She and Walter had a wide group of friends who came to the famous backyard “Barn Parties” in the 1970s – complete with roosters, an outhouse, cowboy outfits and square dancing. They raised beautiful gardens every summer filled with fruit trees, berry bushes, rows of corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini as well as herbs and flowers. In the frugal days of raising a family she canned produce and jams to save a few pennies, but later came to realize that homegrown food was the best of all because it could be shared with so many people. Everyone got zucchini and tomatoes. She also loved reading and writing poetry, sewing, ceramics, and collecting Barbie dolls! Walter passed in 2014 and Irene came to Traverse City to live near her youngest daughter. Irene had developed dementia in her later years and even though her memories had faded, her personality was unchanged. She was adored by many of the staff who cared for her by those charming smiles and lively playfulness. She is survived by her children Carol Bell, Joane (Howard) Slusky and Mark Senkiw. She is also survived by grandchildren Stacey, Jasmine, Ryan, Jacob, Nathan, Jonathon, and Great-Grandchildren Isabell and Jack. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and son Paul Senkiw. She will be buried at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, MI on Monday, June 4, 2018 at 1:30pm. A Memorial Service will be held mid-August in Traverse City. Date and details will be announced soon. Those wishing an expression of sympathy may direct contributions in Irene’s name to SEEDS, a Traverse City non-profit group that supports community gardens and promoting native ecology. https://www.ecoseeds.org/179/donate Click on “Special Instructions to the seller:” and Type “For Irene” Let us know your address by clicking on share address. You can also print the following form www.ecoseeds.org/content/userfiles/SEEDSDonationForm.pdf

Irene Elaine Senkiw

July 25, 1934 - April 20, 2018