Sunny Charkowski

If you knew Sunny Charkowski, then chances are you know that she never met a stranger, or at the very least someone who didn't become her friend. Through her role as a wife, mother, grandmother, and sister she made caring for people her life's work, and it was a career she excelled at. Above all else, Sunny was dedicated to the well being of her family and cherished every minute she had with them. Although she lived in a world where very few things are permanent, she knew of two things that she could always count on, the love of God and the love of her family.

Sunny’s story began on a cold winter day in 1937, as the winter winds whipped through the streets of Kalamazoo, MIchigan. Those were hopeful times in this country, which had begun recovering from the Great Depression. Amid these hopeful times, Merle and Treva (Phelps) Wilkins had even more to celebrate, with the arrival of their second child, a baby girl born on December 16, 1937. They named her Sunny Gayle and a fitting name it was. Her sunny personality brightened wherever she was, but at times it also had the strength of a gale force.

Sunny had an older sister, Donna, and when younger sister Joanne, arrived, the three girls were inseparable. They had an ideal childhood and enjoyed all the activities of little girls. The family often spent their summers visiting relatives in Wisconsin and Maine. This early sense of the importance of family stayed with Sunny all her life.

The family spent a few years in upstate New York where her father, Merle, worked in the paper industry but eventually they moved back to Plainwell, Michigan. Sunny attended Plainwell High School, and with her “sunny” personality, participated in many school activities. She was a cheerleader and very active in all aspects of school. After graduating in 1956, she later went on to study Art and Interior Design at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

In the summer of 1961, an event happened that changed Sunny’s life forever – she met Larry Charkowski. It didn’t take them long to realize how they complimented each other and soon a wonderful romance blossomed. On an unusually warm December 1st, 1962 they said their “I’ do’s”, becoming husband and wife.

Sunny loved being around family and soon she and Larry started one of their own. When Kevin was born in 1963, followed by Susan in 1966 and Robin in 1971, Sunny knew she had been truly blessed. With a loving husband and three wonderful children, life could not get much better.

The hub is what holds the parts of the wheel together and Sunny was the hub that held her family circle together. She was very supportive of her children and believed in all they did and accomplished. With her words of encouragement, she taught them to be good people and instilled in them the values she had grown up with.

If there was a reason or event to get together, Sunny was the hostess, and she turned her home into a warm and inviting place, open to everyone. Birthdays, holidays, or “just because”, the house at 640 Marsh Road was definitely a gathering place for friends and family. You were always welcome in Sunny’s home, and even though she and Larry had done some traveling over the years, for Sunny, there truly was “no place like home.”

When grandchildren came along, Sunny’s world became even brighter. She quit working to care for her first grandchild, Lauren. When granddaughter Abby came along, Sunny continued to support her as she had Lauren. She traveled by train, plane or automobile, to make sure she was there for all the milestones in Lauren’s and Abby’s life even after they moved to Virginia. They affectionately called her “Mimi”, a name Sunny cherished.

Everything Sunny Charkowski did was for the happiness of others. She loved to shop, but it was usually to buy something for a loved one. It didn’t have to be anything fancy, even if it was just a card which always had perfect words, perfect timing and perfect handwriting. Just something to bring a smile to the loved one’s face. She believed in the Golden Rule and hoped others did too. With her warm and gracious personality, she made people feel at ease and made each person feel important in their own way. No matter what she did, big or small, Sunny did it with love, a love she shared with all those around her.

Faith was a big part of Sunny’s life and she found great joy and comfort in studying the Bible. For the past several years she had been a member of a Bible Study Fellowship and it provided her with just that – a chance to share her faith and to share with her friends. She and Larry made sure to attend Mass each Sunday wherever they were; Virginia, northern Michigan or by the lake shore.

After two previous bouts with breast cancer, Sunny learned it had metastasized to her bones in 2008. She spent her life sharing lessons in life that she thought were important – dedication, a moral life, and treat others as you want to be treated. When she was diagnosed with cancer these lessons, along with the strong love of her family and her personal strength, supported her through this difficult time.

Sunny Charkowski’s joy was found in the commitments she had to other people, whether it was cheering on her children, sharing a walk, or a game of tennis or golf with Larry, or on the floor playing with the grandbabies. She treasured every moment that she was engaged with the people around her. Even in her last days at Rose Arbor Hospice, Sunny was making new friends of her caregivers, who are sure to be among the family and loved ones on a long list of people that love her and will miss her dearly.

Sunny Charkowski, age 70, of Plainwell passed away peacefully at Rose Arbor Hospice on Saturday, August 16, 2008. Learn more about Sunny, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends Tuesday from 4-7 at the Life Story Funeral Home, Plainwell, 120 S. Woodhams. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the same location.

Members of her family include her husband Larry, 3 children: Kevin and his girlfriend Tammy James, Susan and her husband Bob Jordan, Robin and her husband Seth VanHall and their 2 children Lauren and Abby, 2 sisters: Donna Edenfield and her sons Mark and Brandon, Joanne and her husband Larry Bean and their son Zachary and grandson Mason. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law Carl Edenfield.

Please visit Sunny’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo, sign her memory book online before coming to the funeral home or make a memorial donation West Michigan Cancer Center.