Cindy Vennix

Cynthia Louise “Cindy” Vennix lived a life overflowing with family, friendship, laughter, and service. Quick with a smile, Cindy paired her deep compassion with a joyful spirit that made everyone feel welcome. Her unwavering faith guided her life, not as something she simply believed, but as something she lived each day through kindness, presence, and love. By giving herself so freely and loving to others she set an example of grace in action. A deeply loved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, who provided many memories by her presence.

In 1961, America was reaching for new horizons. President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to aim for the Moon, Roger Maris was chasing Babe Ruth’s home run record, and families gathered around their televisions to watch a rapidly changing world unfold. Nowhere was there greater excitement than in Bay City, Michigan, where Bert and Patricia Noack welcomed their daughter, Cynthia “Cindy” Noack on February 24. Bert worked as an engineer at General Motors and her mother became a president of a local bank. Her arrival brought joy to her family and marked the beginning of a life that would be shaped by the values, traditions, and enduring spirit of her Michigan roots. Her parents provided an environment that modeled the kind of life their daughter would go on to live.

From an early age, Cindy embraced life with an adventurous spirit. A true tomboy at heart, spending her childhood outdoors, racing through the neighborhood, playing softball and basketball, and joining whatever game the kids on the block happened to invent that day. Along the way, she formed treasured friendships that lasted a lifetime. High school brought on the same by playing team sports and learning academics. It was also a special time as she met the love of her life, Mike, who became her high school sweetheart and her husband later.

Cindy and Mike graduated from All Saints Catholic High School in 1979. Their faith, spirit, and love of people were already fully on display. Both of them went on to college at Western Michigan University. College years brought on more friends that quickly became like family. They all went camping together, celebrated homecoming weekends, and remained connected sharing marriages, careers, children, and every chapter in between.

1983 was a very busy year. They graduated in June, married in September and began working their first professional jobs in August. Locating them in Northern Indiana. Cindy began working at Elkhart General Hospital as a staff therapist treating upper extremity injuries. Her life was defined by a genuine and tireless desire to help people heal. She moved to Southwestern Michigan Hospital in Battle Creek Michigan, working at an inpatient rehabilitation unit, performing similar types of therapy. Her and Mike eventually moved back to Kalamazoo as they desired to call home. In 1988 an opportunity of working alongside three hand surgeons became available, providing post-surgical therapy for her clients. With Mike & Cindy starting their own family, priorities were focused now raising their boys, Brian and Eric.

In 1991 she became nationally certified as a hand therapist continuing education through years of seminars on ergonomics, work injuries, and post-surgical therapy. In 1997 she completed an intensive course in lymphedema education and became certified in the treatment of lymphedema therapy.

Her career eventually placed her working at Bronson Hospital for several years and running her own company, Ergonomically Correct LLC, where she contracted with manufacturing companies to improve ergonomics both on the production floor and in the office. It was work that combined experience of clinical expertise, practical problem solving, and an unshakeable commitment to the wellbeing of the people. However impressive, it is only a small fraction of who Cindy was.

We could go on and discuss all the successful places Cindy worked, but it does not describe the faith in God, the love her and Mike shared, and how they passed that faith on to others. Cindy’s church community and friendships forged by her sons’ school years added even more depth to a life already rich and meaningful. Wherever she found herself, Cindy had a remarkable gift of building genuine friendships and nurturing them over time.

She was the kind of person who made every room brighter simply by being in it. Her outgoing personality, her warm smile, and her genuine love for people drew everyone in and made them feel immediately at home. She had a quick and perfectly timed sense of humor that kept people coming back for more. She loved playing pickleball and tennis, biking, and walking with friends. But the truth is she would enjoy any sport or competition that came her way including card games like Euchre. She sang and played guitar in the church choir for most of her life. She had a deep love of music that never wavered. She loved camping trips across the country with her family.

Her volunteer time was with St. Augustine School and Cathedral Church Serving on the School Advisory Board and as Youth Mass Coordinator. Her Catholic beliefs extended further as a Eucharistic minister, a reader, and an usher. Her faith was so alive in her that she started a parish rosary group, gathering others around in prayer. Faith was not something Cindy practiced occasionally; it was the foundation everything else was built on.

Cindy loved to cook for her family. The tradition of preparing Christmas French meat pies and breakfast quiche were her best. Her boys loved her green bean casserole and her butternut squash. But nobody could forget her burnt garlic bread that somehow always ended up tasting perfect anyway.

What set Cindy apart was not simply her love for the people in her life, it was how consistently and actively she showed up for them. She did not wait to be asked. She did not send a card and move on. She was present. If someone needed her, she would be there at the drop of a hat. No hesitation, no conditions. Her and Mike showed up to nieces and nephews sporting events, recitals, school performances, and milestone moments without being asked because that was simply what you did for the people you loved. It did not matter how busy they were, they made the time because the people in their lives were important.

Cindy brought that same presence to every relationship she had. Friends, family, colleagues, patients. She was a shining role model across every generation of her family. Whether it was a bridal shower, a Vennix family Christmas, or a quiet conversation, time with Cindy was always something people held onto and looked forward to again. Those who loved her most described her as a pure and beautiful soul, someone whose outgoing spirit and kind heart never failed to lift the people around her. But more than anything they described her as a reflection of God’s love. To know Cindy was to see His grace in action. In her final months, that love came pouring back to her. Cards and messages arrived telling her in their own words what she had meant to them. They spoke of her warm smile, her outgoing personality, her beautiful soul, and her faith that never wavered. They quoted scripture and spoke of comfort and told her she was loved.

To her grandchildren Brandon and Kielanni she was Grandma Cici, and that role was one of the greatest joys of her life. She loved those two children with everything she had and then some. She would have given them the world without a second thought and sacrificed anything and everything if it meant they were loved, safe, and cared for. The time she poured into them in their earliest years left a mark on their lives that will never fade. They may not yet fully understand the depth of what she gave them, but they will spend the rest of their lives discovering it. Grandma Cici will be with them in every moment she shaped and every lesson she quietly passed on.

Cynthia “Cindy” Vennix of Kalamazoo, age 65, died on June 14, 2026. Cindy was born on February 24, 1961, in Bay City, MI to Bert & Patricia Noack. Cindy was preceded in death by parents, and her brother, Phil Noack. Surviving are her husband, Mike; children: Brian (Sarah) Vennix and Eric Vennix; cherished grandchildren: Brandon and Kielanni Vennix; brother, Randy Noack; sister-in-law, Mary Noack; and many nieces and nephews.

Please join us at a Life Story Visitation on Tuesday, June 23, from 4 – 7 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900, where food, drinks, and stories can be shared. Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 24, at 10 AM at St. Augustine Cathedral. A reception will follow in the Crowley Center. Private burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Celebrate Cindy’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. Memorial contributions may be made to Centrica Care Navigators or St. Augustine Cathedral.