Ruth Isabelle Magdzinski

Ruth Isabelle Konvalinka Magdzinski, 93, of Woodland Terrace Senior Living in Bridgman, Michigan, passed away on December 28, 2020. She was born at home in Union Pier, Michigan, on April 24, 1927, to Joseph and Emma (Jirsa) Konvalinka. Ruth was raised in Union Pier, Michigan. She attended elementary school at the old Union Pier School on Community Hall Road and attended New Buffalo High School, graduating in 1944. After graduation Ruth walked about two miles to and from the bus route on what was then US Highway 12 in order to get to her job at the A & P grocery store in Michigan City, Indiana, where she met and later married the love of her life, John R. Magdzinski. “Johnny” preceded her in death in February, 2015. They were married on May 24, 1947, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Buffalo, and lived in Michigan City for several years until they later moved back to her hometown area and made their home in Lakeside, Michigan, for nearly sixty years. Ruth's children called her the Energizer Bunny. She was always on the go and involved in many activities. She was an avid gardener and she loved craft work even into her elderly years. She gifted a lot of her craft items to friends and family. Ruth and her husband, John, absolutely adored the beach and spent much of their spare time there. In their younger years, they loved bowling and were on several different couples teams. After retirement, they traveled the States in their mobile home and also bought a small winter home in Naples, Florida, where they spent three months every winter. However, Ruth would never allow them to leave for Florida before she held Christmas with her family. Ruth and John LOVED to dance, particularly the polka, and were the life of the party at many a wedding over the years, many of them in the same building where Ruth had attended grade school, which had for many years been converted to the Union Pier Community Building, and has since been renovated to a private home. For about a dozen years in the 70s and 80s, they travelled every year to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, for the annual Oktoberfest there. It was an annual pilgrimage for Ruth and John. After moving from Michigan City to Lakeside in 1957, Ruth became a member of the Lakeside School PTA, and held several offices, including president. She also, some years later, got a group of her previous classmates together to help hold a Union Pier Reunion, for which the committee members also had a book of the attendees’ memories and history printed. Ruth also was a member and sometimes officer of the Lakeside Association in Lakeside. She was one of the members who offered both her memories and her time spent, to put together the blue Lakeside History book that is still a treasured book today by Lakeside residents and history buffs. She worked hard for their children's events and adult activities. You could often see her hiding eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt, sometimes even in the snow. She dipped ice cream and handed out hot dogs for the Ice Cream Social, and she and some friends helped initiate the long-lasting Lakeside Association Craft Show in the Park. She and her husband put the seasonal Christmas lights up in the park for many years, until it became too hard for them, and they passed the torch to some good friends. She donated a small evergreen tree in the Lakeside Park to be planted and used as the first decorated tree around which to sing Christmas carols, and the tree still stands as a memory to her in that park. Ruth also served on the Chikaming Township Park Board for about 18 years. Ruth worked for most years of her life, even when it was just her part-time Avon salesperson job when her children were small. She was also employed as a purchasing agent at Consumer Building Industries (CBI) in Union Pier for several years and later in the main office at Horness Company, a chair-making company in Three Oaks. The building housing Horness was one of the old buildings that had originally held the Featherbone Factory, where, coincidentally, Ruth's mother had been a seamstress many years before. The same building has been transformed once again into the Acorn Theatre and the Journeyman Distillery. Ruth also worked as an insurance agent for Metropolitan Life for a few years, and was their first woman insurance agent in this district. She later started working as a real estate agent for Bun Baldwin Real Estate Agency, and later became a broker and started her own business, Lakeside Country Shores Realty, in Lakeside. She was in the real estate business for 30 years until she retired. Ruth loved her years spent at Woodland Terrace Senior Living facility in Bridgman, and she made Woodland her loving home for the last six years of her life. She tremendously loved and appreciated the care workers and other employees who assisted her every day. Ruth is survived by her daughter, Kathy Magdzinski (Steve) Beldorth of Lakeside, Michigan, and her son, Stephen Magdzinski of Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is also survived by her grandchildren -- Stephanie (Beldorth) (Jason) Ashcraft, Ion Beldorth, Christopher (Brooke) Magdzinski, Julia (Magdzinski)( Chris) Thurley, and Ted (Lara) Magdzinski. Also surviving are nine great-grandchildren: Jacob Ashcraft, Jaxon Ashcraft, Jessi Ashcraft, Taylor Magdzinski, Max Magdzinski, Brady Magdzinski, Miles Magdzinski, Calvin Magdzinski and Sasha Thurley. Ruth is also survived by her niece, Shirley (Smith) Lindborg, whom she considered one of her very best friends for their entire lives. Ruth loved and always stayed close with all of her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Magdzinski, her father, Joseph Konvalinka, and her mother, Emily “Emma” Konvalinka. She was also preceded by two brothers, Joseph Konvalinka, Jr. and George Konvalinka, as well as sisters, Dorothy Konvalinka, Irma (Konvalinka) Smith, and Loretta (Konvalinka) Sadenwater. Ruth was guardian for another niece, Joanne Smith, who preceded her in death. A graveside ceremony will be held for immediate family at Lakeside Cemetery. The family would like to thank all Ruth’s friends and family who kept her spirits up these past few years while she spent her time at Woodland Terrace senior living facility. Memorials may be made to: • Harbor Country Emergency Food Pantry, Three Oaks, MI -- https://www.berriencommunity.org/help4her/harbor-country-emergency-food-pantry">https://www.berriencommunity.org/help4her/harbor-country-emergency-food-pantry</a> • Caring Circle Hospice of Lakeland -- https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/caring-circle/give-now/donate">https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/caring-circle/give-now/donate</a> • Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis -- https://www.rileykids.org/">https://www.rileykids.org/</a> • Any COVID relief organization of your choice.