Eleanor F. Kobierzynski

Eleanor F. Kobierzynski, age 94, a longtime resident of Northville, passed away on January 9, 2024. She was born October 10, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan; daughter of John and Casimira (Waruszewski) Klein. She graduated from Saint Casimir High School in Detroit; class of 1947 and continued her education at UCLA where she studied photography.  Eleanor was acquainted with Arthur Kobierzynski in high school, but their romance did not develop until he enlisted in the Navy.  She wrote to him while he was away.  They dated once he was discharged and were united in marriage on August 22, 1953.   This past August, Eleanor and Arthur celebrated 70 years of wedded bliss.

Eleanor’s first career was as a secretary with Ford Motor Company where she worked until starting her family.  She then worked alongside her husband at the bar they owned called The Livernois Inn in Detroit.  While raising her family in the upstairs apartment, she juggled the demands of working and motherhood until they sold the bar.  She and her husband continued their working relationship when they purchased and refurbished the Thunderbird Inn.  The Thunderbird Inn was a popular restaurant, banquet facility, and dinner club in Plymouth where Eleanor had many roles from bookkeeper to hostess to banquet sales. Following its’ closure in 1974 she and her husband became partners in the Grand Traverse Hilton and later a bar in Harbor Springs called Bar Harbor.  An incredibly hard worker, she continued bookkeeping at both the bar until the 2000’s.

Eleanor was a devoted catholic and a member of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Northville for many years.  She on the board at the founding of Hearts of Livonia, an organization that raised money for new lifesaving equipment at St. Mary Hospital.  She was an invaluable part of the high school reunion committee for her class.  Acting as secretary, she helped plan reunions every 5 years and kept in touch with classmates throughout that time.  She also supported the local Zonta Chapter.  She enjoyed travelling including taking cruises with high school friends and trips to visit family around the country.  Eleanor kept herself busy in retirement learning to knit, needlepoint, and do crewel embroidery.  One of her favorite hobbies was scrapbooking.  She was also an avid reader.  Eleanor was a Red Wing hockey fan, loudly cheering for the team whether she was attending the game or watching at home. If it was 7 p.m. on a game night she did not want to be disturbed.  Always well dressed, with her hair styled, she liked to shop and was the prettiest mom while on lunch duty at school.  She loved all her pets, which were mostly dogs and the occasional cat that snuck in. Eleanor cared deeply for her husband and was a loving mother, she will be missed by all who knew her.

Eleanor is survived by her loving husband, Arthur Kobierzynski; her daughters, Teri (Walter) Jachimowicz and Stacey (Robert) Foster; her daughter-in-law, Carla Kobierzynski; her grandchildren, Casmira Jachimowicz, Anna (Bubba Arendt) Jachimowicz, Geoffrey (Kim) Foster, and Claire Jachimowicz; her great grandchildren, Riley Kruse and Emilia Foster; and her sister Yolanda Anderson.  She was preceded in death by her son Jeffrey Kobierzynski, her parents, and her sister Jean Gazda.

A funeral mass will be held Monday, May 6, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. with a time of gathering beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 133 Orchard Drive, Northville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions would be appreciated to the Humane Society of Huron Valley , 3100 Cherry Hill Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105.