Loretta DeYoung Siniff

There is a fragile magic that surrounds any wing—mechanically developed or intelligently designed, evolved over eons. Loretta had wings that we could see, and she had another set that she kept tucked away for when she needed them. Trying to fit a lifetime into an obituary is like trying to give someone the crib notes on the essentials of landing a 757 in Detroit during a snowstorm. Gear down, flaps down, reverse thrusters and brakes—good luck, good buddy. So let’s start with this: Loretta’s laugh. If you knew Loretta, then you’ve heard her laugh. The articulation of that laugh was in full force even through her final days. She laughed as she retold stories, laughed at the hypocrisy in the headlines, and laughed when her beloved kitties—Smokey and Lulu—did anything worthy of a black cat meme or viral cat video on social media. We’d be remiss if we didn’t first talk about Smokey, Lulu and Buttercup—who is now reunited with Loretta on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Loretta loved dogs and cats! From Odie and Red, Tucker and Gus, and Abby, to Smokey and Lulu, but she especially loved Buttercup. Buttercup was a senior cat when she chose Loretta at the rescue shelter, passed over for years by others, waiting for Loretta. When Loretta told her family and friends Buttercup was a rescue, she often followed up by saying, “I’m not sure who rescued who!” Loretta lived her life without fear of risk or the temptation of reward because of the hand the universe had dealt to her. Her father, John DeYoung, died of pancreatic cancer in 1977, leaving behind a wife, Mary Jo (Currie) DeYoung, and three young children: Melbourne, Loretta and Thomas. At the time of John’s death, Mary Jo was battling the insidious symptoms of Huntington’s Disease. She was unable to care for Loretta and Tom, and the oldest, Mel, was still a teen. Loretta and Tom entered Michigan’s foster care system with just one suitcase each. We will spare the world the details of their experience. Suffice to say, Loretta did not espouse a tremendous amount of respect for “the men in brown suits.” But if there is language that anyone in this world is capable of speaking, it is compassion. Mel and Deb Huston married in 1980, and the Huston family invited Loretta into their loving arms and very long good-byes. “We have to plan for the Huston good-bye,” she’d always say before leaving a family gathering in Lewiston to head back to Traverse City. She loved being loved by them and she especially loved Deb and her late husband Harry Phillips. Bruce Huston, father of Deb, Susan and Cindy, was a light in Loretta’s life. She was there both for him and his loving wife Marian when their time on this earth got small. Loretta loved children. And though she chose not to bear any children of her own, she loved Cecilia Potts and Ian DeYoung like her own. Cecilia came into Loretta’s life when Loretta met Dave Potts while enrolled in the Northwestern Michigan College aviation program. Cecilia is Dave’s daughter from his marriage to Yvonne, and Yvonne’s grace and intuition that Loretta was a special soul were among the reasons she agreed to lovingly share her daughter with Loretta. The common thread of Cecilia forged a friendship between Loretta and Yvonne. When Loretta was ready for help, she first called Yvonne and said to her, “I need Cecilia.” It wasn’t the first time Loretta had asked Cecilia for help. It was Cecilia who helped Loretta make her final journey back to Michigan from Florida in December of 2021 in order to be closer to her family, especially her beloved brother Tom, and to be there for Ian, Tom DeYoung’s only child. The first time Loretta looked into Tom’s baby’s eyes she said she was looking at an angel. She moved mountains to show Ian her love. Never has there been a love like that in her life, and she needed it and never wanted it to end. Like Loretta, Ian attended NMC and Loretta loved and supported Ian unconditionally. Ian is now attending Eastern Michigan University and Ian’s weekly Sunday calls were a bright spot in Loretta’s life. By the time Loretta returned to Michigan in 2021, she had ended her 30-plus year career in aviation. What started in Cessnas at NMC ended with 757s at Delta Airlines, and what was written in between are the trials and triumphs that harden even the toughest. Loretta was a trailblazer. Yes, there were women flying airplanes before her, but the next time you walk down the jetway and board the aircraft take a peak into the cockpit and make a note of how often you see a woman in the front seats of the bus. Loretta worked hard for her right seat at Northwest Airlines and there is an unsung supporter in the wings who was there for all of her interviews, check rides and re-current exams. Loretta and Dan Siniff were married on a windy day on the shoreline of Saginaw Bay, and they rode into that wind and on that wind together for several years. Dan was an unwavering supporter of Loretta and he also became Cecilia’s cycling coach. Dan and Loretta were there for Ceal’s gold medals but also to clean up after the crashes, too. They were a good team and made a life in Hawaii and in Michigan together, and in her last few days Loretta told Tom that Dan was a good man. Loretta lived her life large because only she and a few others understood her health. Over the years she went on cycling trips with friends all over the country and the world—Colorado, Alaska, Australia, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Austria, just to name a few. She forged life-long friendships with members of the Tri-City Cyclists from the Midland and Bay City, Michigan area and the Cherry Capital Cycling Club. Loretta was most proud of her 1980 Morgan 382 sailboat named Kealoha. She lived aboard Kealoha for many years at the Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida. She sailed Kealoha in the Bahamas and she crewed on other vessels for yacht races to Cuba and Mexico. She had sailing friends to both her port and starboard during that time, and one friend she particularly connected with was Margi Sells. Margi sailed over the horizon in November of 2024 and Cecilia helped Loretta send a message to Margi’s daughter in August that was full of light and love. Loretta’s approach to her wellness was a holistic one. She embraced the practice of Yoga for both the physical and mental benefits her practice provided. Loretta loved her Yoga family, especially Rob, who was her friend and Yoga Instructor. She traveled abroad for Yoga retreats and maintained her daily practice for as long as she could as it helped her with balance in all aspects of her life. She moved from living aboard Kealoha with Buttercup to a beachside apartment and then to a downtown St. Petersburg, high-rise apartment with Buttercup, Smokey and Lulu. Loretta became very active in supporting and championing the Democratic Party in Florida. She knocked on hundreds of doors at election time to get the word out, and she was not afraid, EVER, to make her opinion on politics heard. She was repulsed by actions and words of #45 and #47. The isolation that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic did not help Loretta’s mental and emotional state. The move from Florida to Michigan was not an easy one, but it did end with big smiles and many, many, many of those big hugs Loretta so loved to give and receive. A special thank you to David Boon, Yvonne’s husband, for following the rented RV/rolling cat carrier all the way in Loretta’s car. Loretta got back on the bike once spring of 2022 came around. She purchased an e-bike to ride on the trail system in Traverse City and got a bike rack for her car so that she could load her e-bike on and off independently. Loretta was fiercely independent. And it was her strong will that kept her going for so long all the while knowing her body’s inevitable decline. What Loretta didn’t understand was the army of people who loved her unconditionally and wanted to help her. She clung to her independence and pushed people she loved away. That wasn’t her. It was the part of her she could no longer control and contain. Loretta loved all the people she pushed away, but she no longer had the ability or the energy for apologies and explanations. If you were pushed away by Loretta, know that the eight family members along with her Hospice nurse Kelley and Hospice social worker Amanda, heard Loretta tell them sometime during the past three months that she loved you because she did. Please consider yourself hugged when you read this. Loretta knew she was running out of time. She boldly pre-arranged her celebration of life, which included her wish for the ceremony to be outdoors in the garden—and that we play music by Prince and Cher and maybe some Jimmy Buffett and whatever else we want! Loretta wanted to be cremated and did not wish for a headstone to memorialize her. We are honoring her wishes, and to that end we have created the Loretta DeYoung Scholarship for Aviators who attend Northwestern Michigan College. She would love to know she was helping another young person get their wings just as she was helped so many years ago. The list of those who loved Loretta and survived her is long. But if you see or know any of the following people please reach out and show them your love: older brother Mel DeYoung and his wife Linda Littleton; younger brother Tom DeYoung and his wife Carolyn Kelly; step-daughter Cecilia Potts and her husband Jim Jordan; her angel Ian DeYoung; friend Yvonne and her husband David Boon; dozens of cousins on both the DeYoung and Currie sides of her family; former sister-in-law and forever friend Deb (Huston) Phillips, along with former sisters-in-law Susan (Huston) and husband Maurice Evans, and Cindy (Huston) and husband Neil Gallaway. We are encouraging those who wish to memorialize Loretta to please consider contributing the Loretta DeYoung Scholarship for Aviators. We will provide a link for donation as soon as it is available. Loretta loved winged things – airplanes, the Kevlar main sail on her sailboat, butterflies and bird of paradise flowers. Please join us to celebrate her life and soaring spirit beginning at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, outdoors rain or shine (with and indoor back up plan) in the garden at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth St., Traverse City, Michigan 49684.The service will begin at 3 p.m. All are welcome! Feel free to memorialize Loretta in a way that makes you feel best. If you’d like to send flowers, flowers or plant a seedling or make a contribution to a charity other than the scholarship fund, we understand and are grateful for your love and support of Loretta.

Loretta DeYoung Siniff

March 2, 1963 - September 24, 2025