Denise Jakimiak

To know Denise Jakimiak was to love her. A woman whose love radiated so warm it made the rays of the sun itself pale in comparison. Everyone who had had the opportunity to share time and space with her was deeply moved by her presence. She modeled true love for people and the world to all those around her. As a mother, she was what all mothers strive to be, filled with sound guidance and endless support through all times, even when her sons concerned her (only slightly) with their decisions to go be “dirtbag” river guides and live in tents by the river for a few summers. If they were happy, fed and basic needs were met, she was happy.

Born August 14th, 1966, to Janet and David Parker, Denise came into the world with her two older brothers, David Jr. and Glenn. Although her parents divorced in ’76, they continued to live in the same house on Hunt Club for her entire childhood with single motherhood at the helm. She attended Gross Point North High School where she fell in love with gymnastics, swimming and spending time with her friends. She had eclectic tastes, loved music, and especially books, per grandma “she would never leave the house without having a book with her”. She can even boast to have beaten Miss Pac-Man no less than two times. Her senior year of high school she met her first love, our father, John Jakimiak, and hit the road trucking.

After some years of trucking, they welcomed two young men into the world, John in ‘89 and Justin in ‘92. While raising the two boys as a stay-at-home Mom she completed her bachelor’s in accounting. They continued their careers in trucking, then sales, management and ultimately ended up running their own business in used truck sales. Mom, of course, ran the books to keep dads spending in check. The whole family worked many long hard days to propel the business into success. When they weren’t busy working to propel themselves into prosperity, many days were enjoyed on the lake boating, tubing and riding jet skis.

When her husband John passed in 2017, following a diagnosis of lung cancer, she retired and lived her life to the fullest, embarking on many travels. Whether it was taking her mother to the Bahamas to celebrate her 80th birthday or road tripping to Tennessee and Montana to visit her sons in their new home states, she indulged in many adventures. These trips included lots of rock climbing, whitewater boat riding, and many hikes (usually so Justin could climb). Just under two years after the passing of her late husband, she met Armando, her true love. They enjoyed fishing, golfing, and trips to the south to escape Michigan winters. In the summers, she enjoyed gardening, canning, baking sourdough, and an assortment of home-making activities.

In December of 2023, she was lucky enough that Justin had duped a very pretty girl into marrying him (JK Love you Charmaine ;)) and just nine short months later, she was there to welcome her grandson, Leon into the world. Two massive milestones she was praying for years to see for her children.

Following her diagnosis with cancer, she chose to attempt treatment. The cancer she had was a medical mystery of sorts. No source type was ever identified; it was far too advanced and was spreading rapidly. After the first round of chemo and a sobering brush with death, the decision was made to go onto hospice and enjoy the remaining days left of her life with a focus on quality over quantity. This time was spent soaking in the good moments with her closest family, her sons, mother, Charmaine, little Leon, and Armando by her side each day.

She found salvation from her suffering and is now living her best resurrected life in the heavens with God. She took her last breath on October 3rd at around 7:15 am. She died with her closest loved ones by her side. The boys, Charmaine, Leon, Armando and Grandma, were all there. We say she was waiting to hear Leon's voice one last time. We all took turns through the night caring for her and kept her very comfortable with adequate medications. When she felt it was time she ascended peacefully and with dignity.

The boys are happy that she left this world able to say she was the better Euchre player, as she smoked us in our last game we played with her while at home on hospice.

She embodied the true spirit of God, a spirit that has been the singular common thread found in all the great religions of the world to be the supreme unifying principle, Love. To borrow from the words of Merton in his essay Love and Need. “Love is, in fact an intensification of life, a completeness, a fullness, a wholeness of life…Life curves, upward to a peak intensity, a high point of value and meaning, at which all its latent creative possibility go into action and the person transcends himself or herself in encounter, response, and communion with another. It is for this that we came into the world- this communion and self-transcendence.” This is the essence of love that effloresces from us when we take care of those around us and embrace true love. The kind of love that imparts deep pain and sorrow when we lose those who we loved. To experience this true love makes all the sorrow we feel now worth every bit of knowing the joy that comes from loving in this way. This was the Love she lived with and gave to all those around her who learned to love the way she loved.

As devastated as we are at the circumstances and untimely passing of our mother, we are equally filled with joy by the legacy she left behind. And find comfort in knowing that her spirit lives on in our hearts and our actions, in every step we take and every action we make, inspired by her spirit and her Love. Every ray of sunshine we enjoy, we can feel her love.