Loretta "Jody" Burmeister

I, Loretta J. Burmeister (Jody), was born December 29, 1935, in a small town in southern, Indiana. The modest log cabin sat atop a sloping hillside, back of my grandparents, John and Mary Jane's, farm land. My brother was staying with them, while awaiting arrival of his only sibling. On a cold wintry evening the strong winds were blowing, as the kerosene lamps flickered from the drafty windows. My humble beginnings began as the old family Doctor told Mom that she had a healthy baby girl. Then declared, she sure has a mind of her own! Not sure what she meant at the time but he could have been right.

My brother Norman was two years older and taught me some valuable lessons of life. Like learning to climb a tree and if the branch begins to bend you've gone far too high. Playing marbles, the ground needed to be level and the large steely marble would seal the deal. When gathering eggs from their nest I need to watch out for the nasty old setting hen. Collecting stamps and baseball cards was going to make us rich someday. Fishing with dough balls is okay, but to catch a fish you use an earthworm. He always called me Sissy until I entered my teens and then he started calling me Sis, it was then that I knew I was growing up. We talked weekly until he passed away, joining our parents and loved ones awaiting his arrival. He was a good man and was loved by all that knew him. I've missed him!

My Grandma was special and began my love of carving, when she gave me my first bar of ivory soap. Then let me use her old worn out pairing knife, laid down newspapers on the pedestal table, and placed water in a bowl. Then told me to carve a beautiful duck to go swimming in the water, pretending it was a pond. I believed it must have been magic because it actually floated. Even if it was a little lopsided, I felt like a master carver. She also taught me to sew on the old treadle sewing machine and gave me a printed feed sack to make my first apron. She was gentle, kind, and a nurturing influence in my life. My most treasured memory is that she always took time to listen as we sat on the cherished wooden swing, we talked and then she would always say, You'll be okay now and I was!

I met my soulmate Bud in church in 1958 and we were married in 1959. It was a match made in Heaven, I loved to cook and he loved to eat. He would often say I needed more practice and maybe I did! We enjoyed his bountiful garden that provided an abundance of veggies to can over the years. I tried to duplicate the homemade buns my grandma used to make, although the first batch was a disaster. Determination wouldn't let the stop me from trying, so i've made a few buns since then. We loved to be with family and friends but something was missing. Our home needed kids, pets and little foot prints of mud on the floor. It was time to fill our empty nest, first John(Christina) and then Beth.

John and Beth were born three years apart, consequently, our home had lots of neighborhood and school friends from their early childhood thru graduation. Those were the years when our love of camping with the kids and the church began. There's nothing like the love we felt for each child and the diversity each brought into our lives. They chose and pursed years of education, enabling them to love the dream job they felt would be right for them. We couldn't have expected more from either one of them or been more proud of of the way they have chosen to live and parent their kids. Their dedication and work ethics will be an example for others to emulate. Thus far their children, Dan(Abby) and Ashley Burmeister and Bryn (Kayley Langlands), Mckain, and Johnna Williams have all chosen the medical field and political science for their chosen futures. Not a loser in the bunch.

Last but not least is the cherished friendships, as we became our own chosen family. They were there during the good and bad times, where I just needed a friend. It's been said if you make one truly good friend in a lifetime, you are blessed. Thanks for giving me riches beyond my hopes, dreams, and imagination.

My life has been lived to its fullest and my regrets are few. It's been a long journey from my humble beginnings, to the love and trust I've had in Family and Friends. I've been blessed, finding sunshine behind every dark cloud. You folks have been Nuggets of Gold at My Rainbows End.

Jody's family will welcome all to a visitation on Tuesday February 27th, 2024 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. and on Wednesday from 11a.m. until the time of the celebration of life service at noon at Pixley Funeral Home, located at 3530 Auburn Road in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Memorial contributions may be made in Jody's honor to the Michigan Humane Society online at Michiganhumane.org or at Pixley Funeral Home.