Phyllis C. Cerligione

Phyllis C. Cerligione (nee: Scrafano), age 92, of St. Clair Shores died Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at St. John Hospital in Detroit. Phyllis was born October 13, 1916 in Detroit the daughter of the late Vincenzo and the late Rosa (nee: Orlando) Scrafano. Phyllis was a kind woman who was always willing to help people. At an early age she decided she wanted to pursue a career in nursing. She attended Nursing School at St. Mary's Hospital in Detroit and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1938. After getting her nursing degree she joined the United States Army and served as an Army nurse in World War II. She served in both Italy and France as a 2nd Lieutenant under General Patton. In 1948 she was certified as an Anesthesia Nurse which became her true love of nursing. She worked at many hospitals in the Detroit area including St. Mary's, Harper and St. John until she relocated to Florida in the early 1970's. In Florida, she continued nursing for many years until she retired. In 2004 she moved back to Detroit so she could spend the rest of her days with her family. Over the years she loved to travel and made it a point to explore countries all over the world. She was always a very generous person who would extend a hand or a kind word to anyone she met. Her family always said it didn't matter who you were, that if you were a friend of mine then you were a friend of Phyllis. She opened her door to all and always made sure she fed you a meal before you left her home. She will be greatly missed by all of her family and friends. She is survived by her sister, Rose (Raymond) Desgroseilliers; her caretaker, Rose (Dave) Molloy; and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her sibilings; Lena Mannino, Louise Tripiano, Charles Scrafano, Tony Scrafano, Nick Scrafano, James Scrafano, Frances Scrafano, Sam Scrafano, and Mary Sarcone. Visitation for Mrs. Cerligione will be Friday 3-9 pm with a 7 pm Rosary Service at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12 1/2 Mile Road). She will lie in state Saturday 9:30 am at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in St. Clair Shores until the time of the Funeral Mass at 10:00 am. Officiating the Funeral Liturgy will be Rev. Fr. Tim Mazur. Interment will take place at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Hospice and The Capuchins. Please share memories at Phyllis' guestbook.