Alvina Konopinski, of Dowagiac

Published 9:25 am Thursday, February 13, 2014

Sept. 15, 1921 — Feb. 10, 2014

Alvina Konopinski, 92, of Dowagiac passed away on Monday, Feb. 10, 2014, at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind. She spent the last year of her life at the Cass County Medical Care Facility.

Konopinski

She was born to Jacob and Ida (Streich) Schultz on Sept. 15, 1921, in Dowagiac. She was united in marriage to Louis F. Konopinski (deceased) on Nov. 13, 1942, in South Bend, Ind., and later moved to Dowagiac after the second World War.

She was a graduate of Dowagiac High School class of 1939 and a member of the St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Alvina was a housewife and loved spending time with her family. She enjoyed talking with people and traveling later in life with her sister around the United States. She was quite the bingo enthusiast and played at many of the local bingo halls. She also enjoyed dancing when she was younger. Some of her activities included fishing with her husband and children, working crossword puzzles and playing the organ, which she taught herself to do.

She is most remembered as a great storyteller about her siblings and family members. She was the last surviving of 11 children, having five brothers and five sisters. Her surviving family includes her three sons, Louis G. “Jerry” Konopinski of Niles, Charles L. (Lynn) Konopinski of Granger, Ind., and Michael J. (Laura) Konopinski of Niles; eight grandchildren, Scott (Karen) Konopinski of Charlotte, Mich., Tonja (Brian) Ambrose of Three Rivers, Mich., Robert (Andrea) Konopinski of Mishawaka, Ind., Charles F. Konopinski of Key West, Fla., Kristen (Vince) DeDario of Granger, Ind., Nathan Konopinski of San Francisco, Calif., Jonathan Konopinski of Houston, Texas, and Breanna Konopinski of Mishawaka, Ind. She is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

Family and friends will gather for visitation on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, beginning at 11 a.m. with funeral service to begin at 1 p.m. at Clark Chapel, 405 Center St., Dowagiac, MI.

She will be laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery, Dowagiac, MI, following the service. Please take the opportunity to sign her guestbook and leave a memory of Alvina at www.clarkch.com.