Cynthia Doezema

With ways all her own, Cynthia Doezema enlightened those around her. From her stubborn and opinionated nature to her valiant fight for a cause, Cynthia gave her all, and then some. At the very center of her heart was a generous, loving woman who liked helping the underdog. For those who knew and loved Cynthia, they came to appreciate these special qualities in the woman they called wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend.

The decade of the 1950s was a time of revelation within the culture of America. The baby boom was continuing to grow, and family centered neighborhoods were being developed from coast to coast. In 1956, Elvis began his height of fame just as the rock and roll dance craze took the world by storm. For Robert and Rosalie (Ratajczak) Cruthers of Flint, Michigan, nothing compared to their joy on November 12, 1956 when they welcomed the birth of their little girl, Cynthia into their arms.

The oldest of three children, Cynthia was later joined by two younger sisters, Jean Ann and Annette. As a youngster, Cynthia loved the adventures of childhood playing outdoors with the many other neighborhood children. She was an outgoing girl, and easily made friends. The Cruthers were close with their neighbors, and together they shared many enjoyable times as families. During her youth, Cynthia liked tagging along with her father, and even went hunting with him a time or two.

Cynthia attended the local schools and played the clarinet in the school band. During her high school years at Hamady High School she worked as a lifeguard during the summer. With a keen interest in the science of plant cultivation, Cynthia went on to earn her horticulture degree from Michigan State University.

Yet it was during her freshman year while attending Michigan State University when Cynthia met her future husband, David Doezema. He was walking by her dining table, and true to her forthright nature, Cynthia told David to sit down by her. They talked over the years, and David had no doubt Cynthia would one day become his wife. She was a bit more cautious, and took time in their budding relationship before agreeing to say "I do". Together they enjoyed a large wedding ceremony in Flint on September 9, 1978.

Cynthia and David began their new lives together in Grand Rapids. After living in an apartment for a time, they happily settled into the house they called home for the rest of their days together. Through the years, Cynthia worked a number of jobs. She first began at a florist until finding work at a copy center. While there, she taught herself how to use a computer, and did some collection work for the company, too.

Working with collections at the copy center set Cynthia up for her next position solely working in collections. It was definitely a good fit for Cynthia since she could be a little intimidating. She liked asking a lot of questions, and could ask questions in multiple ways to trip people up! She had a gift for tedious counting, and was a very precise woman. Cynthia set her standards high, and had a way of making people feel bad for not paying their bills. Her last job began in the basement of a home. She grew along with the company, Gage Crib Worldwide where she remained for about 15 years and where she enjoyed her involvement in several facets of the business.

During her working career and after ten years of marriage, Cynthia and David grew their family to include two wonderful daughters, Deming and Corinne. As a family they took a few vacations including Florida's Disney World, Chicago, and Mackinac Island, but these times were quite stressful for Cynthia. She preferred the quieter side of life, such as the many weekends they spent at David's parents cottage, which in time came to be their own. Cynthia loved it there where she filled the hours knitting, reading, grilling, and playing with the dogs in the water. Loving on her dogs brought out the best in Cynthia. She always enjoyed having a canine companion, including her first dog, Mickey, followed by Ladie. Her most recent dog, Jacob was quite an "educated" dog as Cynthia enrolled him in many classes.

At home, Cynthia liked to grill. She really didn’t care for cooking, but she enjoyed grilling. When it came to her grill, she was very particular. No propane tanks for her as she would only grill with charcoal. With a natural ability for crafts, Cynthia loved a variety of them through the years. She was not only talented at knitting, but with crocheting and scrapbooking, too. In addition, she liked working with pixled pictures and beaded banners. Cynthia also loved to read, especially murder mysteries. With a gift for gab, Cynthia loved a good conversation and could talk on the phone for what seemed like hours!

In the late 1990s, Cynthia was diagnosed with breast cancer, and later, colon cancer. While she beat both, the cancers took a great toll on her. During this time, Cynthia took time off from work for a year and also cared for her mother who moved in with them. Cynthia was grateful to have spent the last year of her mother's life caring for her, and was very glad she could do it.

Cynthia loved to shop, but rarely for herself because she found joy in doing so for others. Her heart for others, especially those in unfortunate circumstances, tugged at her heart. Cynthia liked helping those who needed it most. But leave it to Cynthia to champion a cause. When given something to believe in and fight for, she ran with it. One to take risks, it was Cynthia who encouraged David to take more risks that he never would without her. Although there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Cynthia could be stubborn and opinionated, she was usually right, and things were done her way. She even liked a good argument and debate.

For the last several months, Cynthia was not the same. She just wasn't herself, and didn't want to open up about it, either. Sadly, after being admitted to the hospital, Cynthia passed away after a short stay there.

A woman who knew the boundaries yet pushed the envelope, Cynthia was her own woman in many respects. She held high to her beliefs and standards, yet had a heart of gold when it came to others. Deeply missed, Cynthia was dearly loved and will be fondly remembered.

Cynthia Doezema, age 58 of Grand Rapids, passed away Monday, March 30, 2015. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Rosalie Cruthers. Cynthia is survived by her husband of 36 years, David; their daughters, Deming and Corinne; sisters, Jean Ann (Tim) March, Annette Kniffle; as well as brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. A service to remember and celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2015, 1:00 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home-Van Strien Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield NE where friends are invited to visit with her family from 12:00 PM until the time of the service. Memorial contributions to the Humane Society of West Michigan are appreciated. To read more about Cynthia's life, to share a memory or to sign her register book, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.