Constance "Connie" Cylkowski

Constance "Connie" Cylkowski, age 92, died at 5:05 p.m. on August 13, 2024. Connie was fond of saying that she had been lucky-blessed in life, and in love, as she was married to Gerry for 64 years before his death in 2018. She believed that five was her lucky number, as she had five daughters, of whom she was extremely proud, and five sons-in-law, for whom she had deep affection: Catherine (Chris), Anne (Bob), Marybeth (Jeff), Carolyn (Frank), and Clare (Jason). Five was lucky in grandchildren as well, as she had five, whom she dearly loved along with their partners: Peter, Jennifer (John), Danielle, Erivae (Blake), and Michael (Renee), and she was charmed to have two great-grandchildren, James and Jackson. She was lucky to have come from a family of five siblings (Joy, Celeste, Kathleen, and Len, with Connie in the middle), the five children of Joseph Leonard Bowman and Margaret Hughes Bowman. She will be remembered fondly by her brother-in-law Richard, her many nieces and nephews, her lifelong friends JoAnn and Grethe, and her "bonus daughters" Karen, Joan, and Cindy.
Connie always was active in school, particularly at the Shrine of the Little Flower High School, where she was an excellent student, the Vice President of her class, and a member of the basketball team. Connie earned her Master's Degree while raising her daughters, at a time when working women were not common.
Connie was a teacher, through and through-it likely was in her DNA, as her mother and two of her four siblings were teachers, as were her husband and one of her daughters. As a reading and language specialist, Connie taught scores of elementary students in Northville, primarily at Winchester Elementary (and earned a speeding ticket or two racing to get to school after sending off her own brood). Evenings would find her correcting papers written by her own students, or the students of Gerry, a professor of English Literature at Mercy College of Detroit. Her editing skills were legendary, as she red-penned her way through pieces written by Gerry, herself, her daughters-really, just about anyone who may have left a stray piece of writing in her ambit. Despite her best efforts, though, her family still fails to properly use the terms "lie" or "lay," so she likely will be correcting them in perpetuity from Heaven.
Connie and Gerry enjoyed traveling, and took their daughters camping and fishing across the country, driving their green station wagon to visit family in assorted states, and enjoying the pleasant peninsula that is Michigan. Connie loved fishing with Gerry, be it from their matching sets of waders, their rowboat, or their piers at Cordley Lake or the Florida bay. She and Gerry also were fortunate to visit Europe, and especially cherished England and Ireland. They later wintered in Florida, and she happily walked by the shoreline on a wall that was quite narrow, much to her daughters' consternation.
Connie had a mischievous streak, and delighted in sudden bursts of irreverent fun, often at the dinner table with her sons-in-law. Aside from listening to classical music, her favorite activity was walking in nature. She would encourage her daughters to search with her for pretty rocks. She was a champion rock-skipper on each of the Great Lakes. More recently, she relished the changing leaves each autumn, and would wander among the trees, admiring and collecting their colorful castoffs.
Connie's family, friends, and neighbors long will remember her enthusiasm, her spunky nature, and her humor. We were lucky-blessed to have her, and will miss her so very much.
A family memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, Connie's family invites you to take a walk in nature, listen to the singing birds, marvel at the leaves and the flowers (especially the five-petaled ones), savor the crisp air, and be at peace.