Winifred Black

With an open and loving heart, Winifred Minnie Jurney Black (affectionately called Winnie) exemplified true beauty. She had experienced lack and loss in her lifetime, which taught her to value the simplest things like fireworks, flowers, even sunshine. Never one to take things for granted, Winifred cherished every moment with her family and friends, believing that each person was special and treating them that way.

The early part of the twentieth century was filled with momentous change as the United States faced a world war, Prohibition, and economic disaster. Just one short year after American women received the right to vote, James and Anna Jurney of Newman, Illinois, prepared for a change right in their own home as the birth of their third child grew closer. Winnie Minnie arrived on October 20, 1921, and was soon chasing after her two older sisters, Carrie and Vivian. The family continued to grow, and eventually Helen, Ethelmae, Alice (Monna), James, and Rose added to the hustle and bustle of the Jurney household.

Just days after Winnie’s eighth birthday, the Wall Street Crash of ’29 sent the world’s economy spiraling for over a decade. With eight children, it was hard enough to make ends meet, and it certainly didn’t get any easier for Winnie’s father who provided for the family by working as a milk, paper, and ice deliveryman. Winnie’s mother managed the home and taught the children how to make do with what they had. Waste was not an option and resourcefulness was a necessity.

Winnie attended public schools in her hometown and graduated from high school just as Europe was teetering on the edge of the Second World War. She went on to take classes in business and secretarial skills. She married after high school, but it soon ended in divorce. In the early 1950s, Winnie moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and took a job at General Motors. She worked there for a short time and then found employment at AMI Rowe International, a jukebox manufacturer.

Dances were a common form of entertainment at the time and the course of many lives were changed on the dance floor, including Winnie’s. At a dance she attended, a young man named Phillip Black took one look at the beautiful redhead and decided immediately that he wanted to get to know her better. He asked her to dance and then invited her out for dinner. Winnie agreed and the two of them began a relationship that would span over fifty years.

Phillip lived at the YMCA at the time and Winnie had an apartment on Park Street. After dating for a few months, they traveled to Indiana to meet Phillip’s parents. On the way home, they passed through Angola, and since there was no waiting period for marriage licenses, they decided to tie the knot right then and there. Phillip had been married previously and had two sons whom Winnie accepted with open arms. They lived in her apartment for a short time, then spent about a decade in a house in Allendale. In the mid 1960s, they moved to their final home in Standale on St. Clair NW.

Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and Winnie took his wisdom to heart. She devoted an entire room to coupon clipping and storage and saved a lot of money over the years. The lessons she had learned as a young girl about waste and resourcefulness never left her and she never threw anything away, saving everything from knick-knacks to muffin cups.

Winnie kept her hands busy with a variety of hobbies. She loved gardening, and spent hours carefully tending vegetables and flowers year after year. If the weather kept her inside, then she liked making Christmas ornaments and refrigerator magnets, and she also took the opportunity to exercise her passion for baking (and eating) cookies and other sweets. She poured out much affection on her dogs, caring for numerous mutts over the years, sometimes as many as three at once. She kept her mind active as well, reading novels, newspapers, and magazines, which helped her keep up with current events.

Music had brought Winnie and Phillip together and it remained an important part of her life. She especially enjoyed Big Band and swing music. She and Phillip spent sweet, relaxing times together at their cottages, the first of which was near Big Start Lake and the second near Mason Lake. During their years together they developed a true sense of teamwork, enduring through hardship and rejoicing with each other’s successes. Winnie’s example of loyalty, commitment, and love will not only continue to touch her husband, but will also influence the lives of all who knew her.

Winnie died on Monday, October 29, 2007. She is survived by her husband Phillip and her stepsons, Phillip (Sharon) Black and Steven Black. She is also survived by her sisters, Ethelmae Hale and Rose (Harold) Gallion, her brother, James Jurney, and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 3, at 11 a.m. at Heritage Lifestory Funeral Homes - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW where friends may meet the family on Friday, November 2, from 7-9 p.m. and on Saturday for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Rosedale Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kent County Humane Society. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a favorite photo or memory, learn how to make a contribution, or sign the online guest book.