Delphine "Del" A. Rakowski

Rakowski, Delphine A.

Kalamazoo, MI

Delphine Ann Rakowski, “Del”, passed away Tuesday morning, August 23, 2022, in Rose Arbor Hospice Residence. She was born June 28, 1936, in Detroit MI a daughter of Sigmund and Sophie (Nowicki) Truskowski.

Del started kindergarten in the Detroit Public School system only being able to speak Polish. This was because she, her parents and her sister lived with her (Polish immigrant) grandparents until they were able to afford their own home. She completed her education as a graduate of Denby High School (Detroit) in 1954.

Del worked as a “soda jerk” and always talked about riding the street cars around the city to shop and to get to work. One day a baseball team of little kids came in and she talked about how her arm hurt from scooping so much ice cream. This may have helped her decision to find a job at Wayne State in the accounting department after graduating from high school. She often spoke about the funny celebrity (Soupy Sales) that she met at an event while working there.

In the summer of 1956, this city girl went to a “Dude Ranch” in Gaylord MI where she shot a bow and arrow and rode horses (not at the same time of course). She met a young man there that eventually set her up on a blind date with a country boy that would become her future husband and her “Schotzie” which was their (German) term of endearment for Sweetheart.

After her marriage to Stan in 1959 (who most people on the east side of the state know as Leon because his dad was also named Stan) she became a wife, mother, and homemaker. Much to her chagrin, in 1969 the family moved from Warren, MI to a country home in Kalamazoo where she lived for forty-nine years before moving into Friendship Village in the fall of 2018. She loved attending all her kids’ sporting, music, and academic events. Her and Stan also became members of the Kalamazoo Antique Auto Restorers Club (KAARC).

As the kids got older, she worked as a secretary for the Mechanical Engineering Department at Western Michigan University. Stan retired at the end of 1998, and she retired in the spring of 1999 which allowed them to do a lot of travel. Of the many travels, some of her favorites were: cruises; their car trip with friends along Route 66; and other car club events. Stan has many funny stories such as her refusal to go up Pikes Peak due to her fear of heights; many old car breakdowns; and tripping over a curb where she broke her front tooth on a shipping dock to name a few.

Del had several health challenges throughout her life. In 1992, she became a survivor of breast cancer. She had a knee replacement in 2010, and in 2016 on the day before Thanksgiving she tripped over her “piles” and broke both of her arms up at the shoulder sockets! But she always said, “I’m tough” and would pull through. At the end, when we reminded her that she was “tough”, she said “well, I used to be”.

Thanksgiving, Christmas dinners and any family gathering were always her favorites. One Christmas she and Stan surprised the family with the announcement that they were taking us all on a weeklong Caribbean cruise to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. The week we went was between Christmas and the 2009 New Year. Every year after this we would all chant “CRUISE, CRUISE, CRUISE, CRUISE!!!”.

As noted earlier, Stan and Del joined the KAARC due to Stan’s car enthusiast escapades and his “Swap Meets”. They had several restored old cars and dozens of years enjoying trips and events with the car club where she was the navigator and co-pilot. Her favorite to drive was the 1961 Buick LeSabre Convertible but to look at was the 1955 Ford Crown Victoria.

Del loved to cook (and it tasted good too!!), with much prodding, Sandy and Rhonda were given many of her cherished recipes (like spaghetti, stuffed cabbage rolls, sloppy joes, hamburger vegetable soup).

She loved to crochet and was always making a scarf or blanket for her grands, great grands or to donate to the Kalamazoo shelter.

She loved doing Sudoku puzzles, watching the TV show “Cops”, playing Pinochle and Euchre.

In the extra bowl of turkey stuffing at Thanksgiving, was the turkey neck which was her favorite. She always recycled half pieces of envelopes or the backside of used sheets of paper torn into quarter sheets for her notes and reminders and paper clipped them to her “piles”. She saved a tomato in the freezer for years that looked like it had a face on it. Every time she saw number patterns like 11:11, 2:22 or 12:34 she said it meant you were “lucky”. When visiting, she always had a “half of something” (banana, cookie, sandwich) in case she got hungry. She also said, “I’m tall for a girl”, but she was only about 5’7” at the most. She would carefully open presents and save the wrapping paper and reuse it later.

She was loved, she gave love, she loved life, and we were blessed to have her in our lives and now forever in our memories.

Del was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Barbara Larson. On August 8, 1959, she married Stanley Rakowski who survives. Del is survived by her children, Laurie Cronkhite (Rick Edwards), Steve (Sandy) Rakowski, and Rick (Rhonda) Rakowski; grandchildren, Michael (Jaime) Rakowski, Sara (Joel) Lentz, Ryan (Emma) Rakowski, Zach Rakowski and Cameron Rakowski; great-grandchildren, Kaylin, Sophie, and Landon and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held 4-7pm Monday, August 29, 2022, and 10-11am Tuesday, August 30, 2022, when with services will beginning at 11am at Langeland Family Funeral Homes Burial & Cremation Services, 3926 S. 9th St, Kalamazoo MI 49009. Soloists: Zach Rakowski (grandson, acoustic guitar), Kaylin Rakowski (great granddaughter, vocals), Phil Edmonds (friend, keyboard). Pall bearers: Grandsons: Michael Rakowski, Ryan Rakowski, Zach Rakowski, Cameron Rakowski, Joel Lentz, and great grandson Landon Cunningham. Graveside services in Genessee Prairie Cemetery will follow. A light reception will be held following the graveside service at the funeral home.  To view Delphine’s personalized web page, please visit https://www.langelands.com