Patty Lou Springstead

Traverse City - Patty Lou Springstead, 65, of Traverse City passed away November 14, 2018 at her home with her family and close friend Sandy Marutz by her side after a hard fought battle with cancer. Patty was born on June 26, 1953 in Detroit to the late Herman Frederick and Marguerite Ann (Morrison) Luhrs. Patty graduated from Houghton Lake High. She then furthered her education at Northwestern Michigan College where she earned her Associates Degree in nursing and later obtained the LPN designation. She cared for people at Munson Medical Center on SW2 for over ten years. After Munson, she volunteered over 1,000 hours at Munson Hospice House. She was the recipient of the Volunteer of the year award in 2005. Most recently, she cared for individuals in their home with the utmost compassion and grace. Patty was a student of cooking. She loved trying new recipes from magazines, books or anything that she found online. She was a gifted cook and with an amazing ability to turn ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes. Patty also enjoyed gardening and was certified as a Master Gardener after she completed the classes through the MSU Extension campus. The shores and sunshine of Hawaii brought Patty much joy. After vacationing there in 1983, she and her husband Bill spent several weeks there every year for the past 33 years. She loved to whale watch and was the biggest fan of the Ultimate Whale Watch company on the shores of Lahaina. Above all else, Patty cherished her family. She will be deeply missed by her husband Dr. William "Bill" A. Springstead; children Nicholas (Lyndsay) Batsakis of Traverse City, Caitlin Springstead of Dearborn Heights and Nathan Springstead of Portland, OR; beloved granddaughters Ella and Margot Batsakis; twin sister Peggy (Brad) Luhrs Beal of Houston, TX and sister Lynn (Gary) Herbers of Kalkaska. Patty was preceded in death by her parents and eldest sister Dorothy. Visitation for friends and family to share memories will be held on Sunday November 18, 2018 from 3 to 6 pm at the Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home. Memorial contributions in Patty's name may be directed to Munson Hospice or to the Whale Trust in Hawaii (https://whaletrust.org/) Please visit www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com to share your condolences and memories with the family. The family is being cared for by Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.

Patty Lou Springstead

June 26, 1953 - November 14, 2018