Patricia "Patti" Vandekuyt

Patricia Elizabeth “Patti” Vandekuyt (Cronenwett) was born on September 20, 1965, in Detroit, Michigan, to Donald Cronenwett and Katherine Joyce “Kay” Cronenwett (Redmond). She was their only child.

Patti was preceded in death by her mother, Kay; her uncle, Jim; and her cousin, Vicki. She is survived by her beloved sons, Kody and Zack, and their father, Derek. She is also survived by her aunt, Jane; her cousins, Jim (Mary), Kayleigh and Dominic, Dean (Dorreen), Tracey (Matt), Maddox and Riley, and Eric (Amanda). Patti was a loving sister-in-law to Bert and Deb and a proud and devoted aunt to Lara and Ethan.

Patti was the first in her family to earn a university degree, graduating from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, an accomplishment of which she and her family were incredibly proud.

More than anything, Patti loved people. After earning her degree, she chose to become a stay-at-home mother and devoted herself to raising her two sons, Kody and Zack. They were the center of her world and, without question, her greatest joy.

As her boys grew, Patti remained deeply involved in their lives and their schools. During their elementary years, she could often be found volunteering in their classrooms and helping wherever she was needed. When they reached middle and high school, Patti began working as a substitute teacher in elementary and upper elementary schools. Through her work, she touched the lives of countless students, teachers, and support staff. Her warmth, energy, and genuine care for others left an impression on the people she met.

Patti simply had a way about her. She could walk into a room and somehow make it feel brighter. She was rarely content to sit still—there was always somewhere to go, something to do, or another experience waiting to be had, and she had a way of bringing everyone along with her.

Whether it was an outing, a road trip, a concert, a family gathering, or simply finding something fun to do on an ordinary day, Patti brought people together. She believed in experiencing life rather than watching it pass by, and she made certain that the people she loved experienced it right alongside her.

Travel was one of Patti’s greatest joys. Some of her favorite and most frequent destinations included Washington State, Whistler in British Columbia, Florida, New Mexico, and Nashville, Tennessee. There were road trips to Utah through the Dakotas and Montana, trips to Montana to visit her aunt Jane, and even a journey to Boston simply for the experience of going somewhere new. Nashville became a favorite destination for countless country music festivals and unforgettable memories.

Her adventures also took her far beyond the familiar. Patti spent three weeks traveling through Europe, experiencing London, Paris, and the Swiss Alps—another chapter in a life filled with curiosity, adventure, and a desire to see as much of the world as she could.

That same love of adventure was something she made sure to pass on to her sons. Patti wanted Kody and Zack to experience as much of life as possible. Her mother once remarked that by the ages of eight and ten, the boys had accumulated more air miles than she herself had by the age of sixty, a fitting reflection of the childhood Patti worked so hard to give them.

Camping trips to Pinery Provincial Park became a family tradition for many years, eventually growing into weekends spent alongside her brother- and sister-in-law and her niece and nephew. Summers brought countless getaways to Put-In-Bay with her boys and friends. There were trips to the Toledo Zoo and Detroit Zoo, interactive experiences of every kind she could find, and adventures to Silver Lake to go off-roading among the dunes.

For Patti, these were never simply trips or places on a map. They were opportunities to make memories with the people she loved.

Patti lived with unmistakable energy and enthusiasm for life. She loved adventure, travel, music, family, friends, and bringing people together. Above all else, she loved her sons. So much of her life was devoted to making sure they saw the world, tried new things, made memories, and understood how much life had to offer.

The greatest reflection of Patti’s life can be found in the memories she created and, in the people, fortunate enough to share them with her. Her presence brought energy to a room, her adventurous spirit turned ordinary days into experiences, and her love for her family—especially Kody and Zack—was at the heart of everything she did.

Patti will be deeply missed, but the life she lived and the memories she created will continue through everyone who knew and loved her. Every road trip, every family adventure, every song, every gathering, and every story told about her will carry a piece of her forward.

Her life was one meant to be experienced—and she made sure it was.