Patsy Hooker

Patsy Hooker was a vibrant and generous woman to know and love. She modeled a life rich with hard work, putting others first, and being a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Her warm personality, cheerful demeanor, and infectious smile will be lovingly remembered by her many special friends and loved ones.

Despite the Thirties being marked by tough economic times, the decade also saw an expansion of new technologies. Aviation, radio, and film were making great strides. In 1936 for example, Kodachrome was invented and remained a leader in both cinematography and still photography for many years. Bringing great joy to their world, Frederick and Helen (Dingman) Borgman welcomed home their newborn baby girl, Patsy Ann, on June 7th in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born the third of five children, her birth brought much happiness to her loving parents.

Typical of the times, Patsy relied on her siblings for entertainment. They were exceptionally close and enjoyed playing games together in their Madison Square neighborhood. She attended both Jefferson and Coit Elementary schools where she fell in love with reading at an early age. As a family, they moved around quite a bit and were no stranger to hard times. They once even stayed in their aunt and uncle’s chicken coop in Hudsonville until their dad found gainful employment. For enjoyment, they traveled to Grand Haven or nearby Holland to spend time at the beach or tagged along on fishing trips with her father. In the summer months, Patsy cherished the time they spent on the family’s cherry farm near Traverse City picking cherries for four to five weeks at a time. Overall, she had a happy childhood and made many lasting memories. Ambitious as well as studious, Patsy graduated with the Class of 1954 from South High near the top of her class.

Not to be forgotten was the meeting of David Hooker, the man who would change the course of her life forever! Meeting at a local root beer stand, they hit it off right from the start. Dating for a little over a year, they committed themselves to one another and joined in marriage in April of 1955. David was in the service and stationed in Washington, so as newlyweds they lived out there for a couple of years before returning home to Michigan to start their family. Together they welcomed three children; their daughter Cynthia, and twin boys Kevin and Keith into their Wedgewood home. Sadly, Keith died of SIDS within his first year. Grief stricken and devastated, Patsy and David leaned on their faith to see them through. David worked for Wolverine Brass and Patsy spent some of their early years as a homemaker before she later ventured into the field of a legal secretary. As a family, they relished in their years of vacationing to different states throughout the US. Many of their trips were focused on where Patsy needed to collect her next Beanie Baby! Due to her fear of flying, they often took long road trips yet did manage to spend some time in Tennessee, Florida, and California. She and David modeled a loving marriage and faithful life for their children. They wanted nothing more than to share in their every success and raised them with a strong foundation of family and faith.

Patsy was a woman of many special interests. She enjoyed getting her hair and nails done weekly, and enjoyed her years as a member of the local Red Hat Society. Although she savored homemade macaroni and tomatoes, Patsy never passed up a dinner out to her favorite places, Bill Knapp's or Rainbow Grill. She was a regular at Marge’s Donut Den. Each morning since they opened, she stopped there for her coffee. She was well known by Marge who trusted her payment at the end of each week! Over the years, Patsy collected baseball cards, and Beanie babies, and many hugs and kisses from her grandchildren! No greater joy was found then the times they spent together! Patsy loved each and every one of them and enjoyed spoiling them on holidays. She loved to share her love of reading by buying them books and sharing her fondness for music with them. Her favorite music was often gospel or traditional Christmas music, yet she absolutely loved Judy Garland’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the popular movie, Wizard of Oz! Patsy made sure to watch the movie when it was featured during the holidays. Never one to slow down, Patsy remained as a legal secretary for Warner Norcross, Miller Johnson, and lastly Dickenson and Wright for a remarkable twenty years until she retired at the age of eighty years old. Strong and healthy until recent weeks after suffering a small stroke, Patsy was diagnosed with cancer. She was hospitalized for the past four weeks and passed away. Patsy modeled a life rich with memories of large family gatherings and enough laughter to last until they were together again. Her love of her children and grandchildren was never in doubt as she relished in any amount of time they were together. May her loved ones cherish the many special memories she leaves behind and trust that she is now peacefully home with her Savior.

Patsy Ann (Borgman) Hooker, age 84, of Wyoming, passed away on December 26, 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frederick John and Helen Borgman; daughter, Cynthia Hooker; son, Keith Hooker; sister, Marion Butler; and brothers, Morris and Gerald Borgman. Patsy is survived by her loving husband, David Hooker; son, Kevin (Terri) Hooker; grandchildren, Jennifer (Jeremy) Berens, Leah (Jayson) Koets, Steven (Michelle) Hooker and Tiffany (Ajay) Stanton; 13 great-grandchildren; brother, Richard (Nancy) Borgman and many nieces and nephews. A private family service will be held on Wednesday. Family and friends will gather for a visitation (masks and 25 person capacity required) from 6-8 PM on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. Entombment in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. Contributions in her memory may be made to Faith Hospice. Please visit www.heritagelifestory.com to submit a favorite memory, photo or to sign the guestbook online.