Lucy Doroshko

"CHARGE!” That word best describes Lucy. She could be impatient and impulsive at times, but she believed whatever she was faced with, be it large or small, needed to be dealt with immediately and decisively. And, whenever she became aware of someone’s problems, she wanted to fix the situation.

She was very outgoing and made friends easily and frequently. She was curious and adventurous and always willing to try new things. Family was very important to her. She loved her parents and her sisters, her husband, her stepchildren and their children. She was still close to women who had been her friends since junior high school or earlier.

She was a devoted caregiver to her parents in their last years. Both of them were born in Ukraine and immigrated here prior to Lucy’s birth. Lucy was very proud of her Ukrainian heritage. She managed to visit there several years ago and had many Ukrainian things around her home.

Lucy was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was nine. It caused her to suffer a lot of health problems as an adult, but she seldom complained to others. She simply dealt with the issue at hand and moved on. She was smart and curious and continually sought more knowledge about her disease. She knew more than most doctors about diabetes and treatment.

Several years ago Lucy wrote a rough draft of her own obituary. This is what she wrote about her life and what she considered important: “Lucy spent her career following her dream of protecting the environment. She worked for several recycling organizations as well as spending 20 years as the state’s recycling coordinator, helping businesses and communities build recycling programs. A late second career was teaching senior fitness through the YMCA, a job she enjoyed. Lucy loved rescuing animals and, with her husband, adopted many cats and dogs that strayed into their country yard or were adopted from rescue organizations and shelters. She pursued many interests including reading, gardening, watching University of Michigan football and basketball, travel, working with photos and renovating her 130 year old farmhouse. Having been diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 9, Lucy spent most of her life struggling to find good blood sugar control and developed numerous complications along the way: at 23 she lost much of her vision, at 40 she had a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery. She developed several other chronic illnesses that are associated with diabetes. One of her favorite sayings was ‘you can’t be brave if you have never been challenged'. By default she was brave.”

Lucy was born December 4, 1954 in Jackson, Michigan. She passed away August 6, 2025 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. She graduated from Jackson High School and subsequently from the University of Michigan with a degree from the School of Natural Resources. She is survived by her husband Tom Wheeker; her step children Michael Wheeker (Tonisha) and Amanda Wheeker; her grand children Jocelyn Wheeker, Brandon Graham, Taylor Jackson, Kendall Jackson and Kelly Jackson: her beloved sisters Luba Davis (Tom), Anna Helen Sager (David) and Irene McGlinchey (John) and a niece and several nephews. She was predeceased by her parents Semen and Anna Doroshko.

There will be a memorial service Friday, August 22 at 1 p.m. at Gorsline-Runciman funeral home in Mason. Visitation at 12. In lieu of flowers, in Lucy’s words: "please donate to a local shelter in Lucy’s name or adopt a furry friend (the older the better) out of your local humane society or animal shelter".