Yvonne Wyn's Obituary
Yvonne (Langlois) Wyn, 88, passed away Monday, January 20, after a year battling several health challenges including pancreatic cancer. Throughout her difficult treatments, Yvonne remained upbeat and vital, with books by her side and witty comments on her mind.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Muskegon Catholic Central High School and Western Michigan University, she met and married John Wyn, of Muskegon, in 1957, after a romantic ice fishing date led to a proposal. They eloped to Chicago and shared 67 years together.
Yvonne was a devoted wife, extraordinary mother, enthusiastic grandmother, loyal friend, and inspirational teacher. A lover of sports, she won several tennis tournaments in the ‘70s and recorded a hole in one at age 83. She and John never missed any of their daughters’ games/meets, nor any event, sporting or otherwise, for their four grandchildren. Nanny, as she was known to them, was their gourmet chef, first friend, and steadfast encourager of their dreams, introducing them to art, cooking, theater, travel, and the public library. She swam in the Lake Michigan waves nearly every summer of her life and cheered whole-heartedly for the Spartans and Lions in her final days.
Yvonne was proud of her 30-plus-year career as a much-loved kindergarten teacher in the Mona Shores School District, where her patience and kindness were hallmarks. Former students remember her playing the piano and making the classroom a magical place of learning and laughter. She will be remembered by all for her keen sense of humor, avid love of reading, ability to connect deeply with others, and unique gift of making any event more fun by simply showing up. Upon retirement, Yvonne and John had a great time traveling the world with a close-knit group of friends and spent nearly 30 winters together in Florida.
Yvonne is survived by and will be dearly missed by her daughter, Paula Recknagel (Andrew BeDell) of Ann Arbor, MI; grandchildren, Dr. John Recknagel, (Dr. Anjana Kumar), of Durham, NC, Andrew Recknagel, of Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Maxwell Recknagel, (Dr. Alana Hollis) of Saginaw, MI, and Kathryn Wyn Recknagel of Grand Rapids, MI. She is also survived by brothers David Langlois and Tony Langlois, and sister Kathleen Lewis (Michael), all of Muskegon, as well as many special nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Pauline Langlois; a brother, Robert; her husband, John, and daughter Cathy. She was a member of Calvin CRC and a volunteer for the Frauenthal Center.
Donations can be made, in her name, to construct A Little Free Library, for the front of her Norton Shores home. A celebration of life will follow this spring.
Share memories with the family online at www.SytsemaFH.com. Arrangements by The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 6291 S. Harvey St. Norton Shores, MI 49444 (231) 798-1100.
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