Patricia Ann Czinder

Pati Ann (Bileth) Czinder, age 86 of Hastings, passed away peacefully on May 27, 2024 following a courageous battle with Parkinson's.

She was born and raised in Grand Rapids, the second of six children. An exceptionally close and artistic family, Pati grew up listening to her dad, Leigh, call square dances. Her joy in dancing with her siblings and friends at Leigh's many events instilled in her a lifetime love of dancing and of country and old cowboy music. In 1945, her parents bought land on Green Lake in Caledonia. They and their children worked to tame the undeveloped land and lake bed and to build the house that would become a beacon for generations of family members. Pati's kids spent many summer days at Green Lake, surrounded by extended family and participating in such festivities as the annual 4th of July Boat Parade and fireworks display.

Working the soda fountain at Hilton's Drug Store in Seymour Square in Grand Rapids, Pati met a young pharmacy student and Korean War vet named John Czinder. He was smitten and a long-distance courtship ensued between John at Ferris School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids and Pati in Grand Rapids. They married in 1956 and moved to Hastings in 1960. Pati contributed substantially to John's success as a small businessman, helping him operate Cinder Pharmacy and Hallmark Shop in downtown Hastings for more than 40 years.

Together, they raised four children who, like their parents and their siblings, remain exceptionally close. The family's annual river trip on the Manistee was the highlight of every summer. Pati loved to laugh, loved to tell stories around the campfire and watch the young ones swing in the hammock or wobble their way onto a canoe or inner tube. With her friends, she enjoyed bowling, volunteering at the Pennock Hospital Gift Shop, and playing bridge, cribbage, and euchre. Pati and John were long-time members of Hastings Country Club and fraternal organizations such as the Moose Lodge and the Elks Lodge (where she relished beating the men in the Monday night football pools). In her 70s, Pati developed a passion for photography, visually documenting everything from the trivial to the substantial in the life of her family and compiling her photos into numerous albums that the family cherishes. Most recently, she enjoyed doing puzzles and crosswords and making up word games, the rules to which only she knew.

Pati will be deeply missed. She is survived by her son Gregory Jay (Kelly) Czinder; three daughters Susan (Michael) Jacobs, Sally (Eric) Paul, and Sarah Czinder-Carroll; seven grandchildren Andrea (Matthew) Cook, John (Ryan Cook) Jacobs, Jessica (Darrell) Slaughter, Leah (Devin) Bancroft, Abigail Czinder, Ella Carroll, and Owen Carroll; and eight great-grandchildren Adam, Eslynn, Joseph, Nathan, Emmett, Maeble, Piper, and Ayla.

She is also survived by her siblings Barbara (Virgil) Kaminski, Bonnie (Jim) Grooters, Jack (Karen) Bileth, Bill (Joan) Bileth, and Vicki (David Hickmott) Bileth; one half-sibling Anne (Bob) DeGraves; one sister-in-law Alma (William) Czinder; and numerous beloved extended family members, friends, and neighbors.

Pati was preceded in death by her parents Leigh and Ellen (Gudith) Bileth, husband John, infant son Gregory John, and son-in-law Michael Jacobs.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary (https://bit.ly/PCzinderKBS), the Parkinson's Foundation, or a charity of your choice. In accordance with Pati's wishes, there will be no visitation or funeral. Her remains will be interred with those of her husband at Resurrection Cemetery in Grand Rapids. What Pati most desired was a party, a Celebration of Life at which her loved ones can reminisce and bask in the joy and gratitude we share in having had her in our lives even as we wish she were with us for just a little longer.

A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held at Legacy Golf Course (formerly Hastings Country Club), 1550 North Broadway; Hastings, MI 49058 on Saturday, August 17, 2024 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM with a time of sharing of memories and stories at 2:00 PM.  Refreshments will be provided.

Service provided by Girrbach Funeral Home, Hastings, Michigan. To leave online condolences visit www.girrbachfuneralhome.net.