Barbara Droski

Drummond Island -

You may sing of California, with its climate all so rare;

Or of picturesque New England, with its pure and bracing air;

You may sound the praise of Florida, where blizzards dare not go;

Or, of rugged Colorado, with its mountains capped with snow;

You may sing of this or that resort,

And argue which is best-

Only give me Drummond Island...

And you're welcome to the rest.

written by her aunt, Isla DePree

Barbara Droski was a passionate, caring, determined woman who dedicated her life to helping others. She had a generous spirit and loved to give of her time and talents. In the challenging times of life, Barb never asked, “Why me?” She was content to live in the moment, appreciating the family, friends and events that brought her life incredible joy.

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Chet and Ruth (Thorpe) DePree had their attention focused on the new bundle of joy in the lives, their daughter, Barbara Jean, born on April 19, 1943. Along with her two older siblings, Sharon and Donald; Barb enjoyed a extraordinary childhood growing up on the southeast side of Grand Rapids. She enjoyed the outdoors and apparently enjoyed dressing up, often in Indian costumes. At the age of 6, Barb started spending a couple of weeks every summer with her Aunt Isla DePree on Drummond Island in the beautiful Upper Peninsula, taking a car ferry across the Straits of Mackinac because the bridge was not yet built. These indelible memories stayed with her throughout life. In fact, in later years, she created wonderful new memories on the Island with her own family. For education, Barb attended Oakdale Elementary School and spent a short time at Ottawa Hills High before moving to the northwest side of town, where she attended Union High School.

Shortly after high school, Barb’s life took a new direction when she met Ed Droski at a party. The two fell in love and were happily married on August 3, 1962. Barb and Ed spent the next 47 years together, raising their three children: Carrie, Dan and Art. They shared many wonderful memories as a family. Barb loved being a mother to her three kids and was always very involved and supportive of them in their schooling and other activities. Besides being a devoted wife and mother, Barb took her job as a “domestic engineer” to heart and her home was always warm and welcoming to all who entered in. She liked keeping her kids close to home, so she always had an open door policy for all of their friends. She and Ed even converted their garage to “Kronski’s Gym”, where the kids had many fitness challenges and good times.

It was only natural that Barb would share her passion for Drummond Island with her family. She loved to search for pudding stones, good luck "hole through a rock" rocks, ladies slippers, driftwood and rocks for her spider web rock creations. She also had a soft spot for Monarch butterflies and often watched them through their full life cycle from egg to caterpillar to crysalis to butterfly. Later, in their retirement years, Barb and Ed would spend the entire summer on the Island, which they thoroughly enjoyed for the last 15 years. Drummond Island wasn’t the only place they visited. The families second home was visiting her mother’s (Grandma at the Lake) home on Little Pine Island Lake.

Barb had many hobbies and when she cared about something, she put her whole heart into it. A huge antique collector, she loved to spend time shopping, selling and organizing her pieces, which some people just thought of as clutter, but to Barb, they all had a purpose. For several years, she sold her antiques at a booth in Spring Lake, and later was active at the Allegan Antique Show. When shopping for new treasures, Barb always had an eye out for something that she thought would be special for her family or friends.

A true hostess, Barb loved to entertain and plan parties at her house for holidays or for no particular reason at all. Her house was always decorated for the occasion, which added great warmth to the atmosphere. Always she would hand out tickets at the door or some other curiosities. Whoever won at the end of the evening, got a gift from her treasured "white elephant" collections. Some gifts were just a gag and others more thoughtful, but nonetheless it was always a lot of fun. For many years, the family and friends looked forward to Barb’s annual Super Bowl party, and the Fourth of July/Ed’s birthday bash (that they called the Droski Invitational), which was held in Spring Lake and in later years transferred to Drummond Island. No matter what event it was, Barb had enough food to feed an army, which often featured her infamously delicious Italian burnt chicken, broccoli dish and chocolate cake. Barb loved to give the gift of her time and talents, knowing that hospitability always begins in the heart.

Barb was very passionate about her animals. Starting with Charm, she raised and bred Doberman Pinchers for almost 40 years and her reputation of having the best puppies drew people from all over North America to want one. Barb volunteered at the Grand Rapids Kennel Club where she served as trophy chairman and made many great friends over the last 40 years. She thoroughly loved handing out the trophies and candy at the shows. Other community endeavors included working for Grand Rapids Public Schools Sports activities and the Old Farts Running Club.

Of all the wonderful things in Barb’s life, time spent with her loved ones towered above the rest. She loved being a doting grandmother to her grandchildren. She poured the same amount of love into these relationships as she did with her own children. With her bubbly personality and great sense of humor, Barb was always a pleasure to be around. She inspired everyone to live every day to its fullest extent. She was a loving and utterly devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend, who will be deeply missed and remembered forever.

Barbara Jean Droski (DePree), age 66, passed away on Monday, February 22, 2010, after a courageous fight with cancer. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth (Grandma at the lake) and Chet DePree. Surviving is her husband of 47 years, Ed Droski; children: Carrie Droski and grandkids, Allyson and Jacob Hudenko, Dan and Melanie Droski and grandkids, Katrina and Miles, Art and Cheryl Droski and grandkids, Brett, Emily, Zach and Abby; sister, Sharon, and brother, Donald, of California; and her favorite Aunt, Norma Sidor.

Family and friends may visit with her family on Wednesday, February 24, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, MI. Barb will have, per her request, a special memorial ceremony later this summer on Drummond Island. The family would like to thank Dr. Drumm and Dr. Sobong (“the Godfather”) for their caring and kindness and for going above and beyond the call of duty. Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to the Drummond Island Medical Clinic, P.O. Box 98, Drummond Island, MI 49726. Please visit Barb’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may share a memory or photo with her family or sign her online guest book.