Grace Sloniawski

Although Grace Sloniawski valued many things throughout her long life, none were more important than the close relationships she shared with the family she treasured so deeply. She was a loving wife, devoted mother, and proud grandmother and great-grandmother who laced her days with devotion, laughter and a deep abiding faith. Grace was a woman of great strength, who worked hard throughout her life, and persevered through trials that came her way, always remaining true to the joy that was in her heart.

The decade of the Roaring Twenties was a fantastic period in our nation’s history, when the sounds of progress could be heard in every village and city across America. It was the birthplace of Jazz, the golden age of industry and above all, a time of plenty. For Oliver and Christina (Hutson) Smith of Snover, Michigan, it was a time of great celebration for their family as they welcomed the birth of their beautiful daughter, Grace Lucille, on January 7, 1927. Grace was one of five children with three sisters, Katherine, Ina and a sister who died in her youth, and one brother, James. They grew up on their family farm in “The Thumb” area of Michigan, and attended the Sandusky schools. Grace was a bright, outgoing girl and enjoyed being on the pom-pom team in high school and did very well in her Public Speaking class. Though there was always that one student who beat her; she later found out that student went on to be a minister.

Shortly after graduating from Sandusky High School, Grace left the farm for the big city life of Berkley, a suburb of Detroit, where she lived with her sister and brother-in-law. Here, Grace found a job at Burroughs Corporation, which soon gave her more than a weekly paycheck – but also the love of her life, Henry J. Sloniawski. It was love at first sight, especially for Henry, and he proudly told all his co-workers that Grace would be his lovely bride one day. Perfectly suited for each other – Grace was Henry’s “Duchess” and he was her “Duke.” After a whirlwind courtship of about 6 months, the Duchess and Duke were happily married in St. Florian Church in Hamtramck, Michigan on May 7, 1949. So happy together, Henry would often joke when hearing the hymn “Amazing Grace” that he “had the Amazing Grace.” It wasn’t long before their love grew to include to wonderful children: Deborah and Dennis.

It was easy to see that Grace considered it pure joy to care for her husband and children. She was active in the lives of her children and also created a home that was a place where love was plentiful. From cuts and bruises to broken hearts, Grace always had the healing touch to mend them all. She loved making birthdays and holidays very special for her family, with special birthday dinners, and decorating the house for all the holidays. Christmas was by far her favorite time of year, and the Christmas tree reflected that because Grace had it crammed full of ornaments. Her kids joked every year that someone “could shop for ornaments” from her tree. For Grace, family was truly the greatest source of happiness in her life. With joy in her heart, she taught her children honesty and kindness, the value of hard work and the love of the Lord. She was truly a woman of great faith.

Grace’s “healing touch” went beyond just her family. It was said that she was known as the “plant witch” because she could take a twig or stem and make an orchard out of it. Her family would drop off plants for “rehab” under her tender loving care. With such a special talent, it was only natural that Grace had the best looking lawn in the whole neighborhood, and her backyard boasted of beautiful flower beds that she carefully created so they would bloom all year round. Meanwhile, Grace would frugally save spare change throughout the year so that when the new growing season came, she would have enough for plants and seeds. She derived such joy from watching her flowers grow and bloom.

Aside from her big heart, Grace had a keen mind and an eye for detail too. Over the years, she kept immaculate records and charts, and she could go back and tell you what the weather was on a given day, when the first snow fell or when she saw the first bird in spring. Her kids used to tell her she should have been an auditor, but Grace was thinking more on the lines of undercover work, like being a spy! She so thought she had the sly qualities to be one.

Although Grace will be deeply missed, her legacy of love and dedication leaves her loved ones with wonderful memories and a strong foundation to look to for comfort.

Sloniawski, Grace, age 87, passed away on Wednesday, April 9, 2014. Beloved wife of the late Henry. Loving mother of Deborah (Thomas) Llewellyn and the late Dennis. Dearest grandmother of Jennifer (Chris) Suykerbuyk, Thomas II (Janice) Llewellyn and Ryan Sloniawski, and great-grandmother to Heidi Grace Suykerbuyk.

Visitation will be on Friday, April 11, from 5-9 p.m. with a 6 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the Neely-Turowski Life Story Funeral Home, 30200 Five Mile (between Middlebelt and Merriman), Livonia. Instate will be on Saturday, April 12, at 10:15 a.m. until time of Mass at 11:00 a.m. at St. Genevieve Catholic Church (on Jamison east of Middlebelt). Memorials may be sent to the American Diabetes Association. Please visit Grace’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may share a memory or photo and sign the online guest book.