Apparently God rather abruptly realized he needed the help of a strong, opinionated, take-no-prisoners woman to ensure heaven is being run properly, because, on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at 11:00 pm, he reached out for the one person perfectly suited for the job, Renee (Renata) Zielke. Unfortunately, that leaves those of us here on earth to struggle with the very large hole in our lives left by her absence, and to try and put into words meeting the obituary guidelines some small indication of who she was and what she meant to us.
The child of Natalia and Carlo Chiarani, she emigrated with her parents and younger siblings – twin brothers, Mario and Luigi (no joke), and sister, Maria Theresa – from the staggeringly beautiful Northern Italian region of Trentino to Detroit in 1954. This family set the standard for full force living – loving ferociously, protecting unreservedly, arguing loudly, talking passionately and without any filters. The entire spectrum turned up to 11. At a wedding in 1960, she met James Michael Zielke, a clarinet playing, skinny tie wearing iconoclast, and that was that. They were joined together and remained that way through the good, the bad, the ups, the downs, the whole shimmering, irrepressible, beautiful, stunning catastrophic experience that marked their lives together. They welcomed their three children, Kim, Kevin (Jennifer), and Kristen (Greg) into the world and all were indoctrinated into the ethos of family first, last and always. The five of them grew up together. Laughs were frequent and plentiful, and the fights, when they inevitably happened, were epic, but not enduring (By the way, Mom – just because you died doesn't mean you were right! We'll talk about it when we are all back together). Renee gave her kids all she had and, no matter what, they never doubted the strength of her love for each of them.
That love, the hallmark of every great mother, propelled each of them into their lives, leading to what turned out to be Renee's greatest joy – her four granddaughters, Sydney and Erica Bigelow and Zoe and Ila Zielke. Renee took the role of Nonna to a new level – almost making it a competitive sport. She never missed an opportunity to be with them, to marvel at their accomplishments, to bake the cookies that cannot be named in a family publication, to jump in as last minute babysitter, and to travel vast distances to attend a dance recital, musical performance, horse show, or other event no matter how small or large (always applauding the longest and loudest). Her devotion to "her girls" was unmatched and they each carry a huge part of her with them as they move forward in their lives.
Renee was preceded in death by her father, Carlo, and her older brother, known with deep affection as "Primo GiGi". She was one-of-a-kind, will be sorely missed by all who knew her, and her legend will only grow as stories about her are shared with those not lucky enough to be in that group. Grazie mille, Renata, Momma, Nonna – until we meet again!
While no immediate memorial is scheduled, the family is planning a gathering to celebrate her at some point in the future when, hopefully, large raucous gatherings will once again be permitted. Details will be provided via social media when they are available. In the interim, celebrate Renee by laughing loudly swearing with enthusiasm, and making sure those you love are very aware of that fact.
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