Richard Joseph Bartkowski

Richard Joseph Bartkowski was born on February 12, 1940, to Stephanie and Joseph Bartkowski in Detroit, Michigan. Rich had two siblings: the late Ilene (Benny) Stachnik and Robert (Jan) Bartkowski. He attended Corpus Christi Catholic School through eighth grade and graduated from Pershing High School in 1957. After high school, Rich enlisted in the U.S. Navy and saw the world from the decks of the U.S.S. Glacier while receiving training as an electrician. He went to New Zealand and dropped off a National Geographic photographer in Antarctica. He always considered the navy one of his best decisions. Once his enlistment was completed, he reconnected with old friends at home and worked at a variety of jobs. In March of 1964, his cousin Brenda, a nurse, set him up on a blind date with her dietitian friend Jean Cerne. The two quickly fell in love, and they married on October 10th of that same year. Jean maintained throughout her life that she knew Rich was the one for her because a mere two weeks after they met, her brother succumbed to cancer back home in Ohio. Rich drove her home, dropped her off, promised he’d see her again when she returned to Michigan, and turned around and went back to Detroit. Jean was amazed that he would drop everything and do this beautifully kind thing for her after having known her only a short while. This willingness to help others was the defining characteristic of Rich Bartkowski. He never hesitated to lend a helping hand. His family knew this better than anyone. He and Jean had three daughters: Beth (Tim) Sanislow, Lynn (Mark) Simlar, and Anne (Wayne) Cook. There was never a time where he didn’t help them with anything they might need or want. Sink leaking? Rich said “I’ll be there in a half hour,” and he appeared with his tools and keen ability to troubleshoot and fix the problem. Need a shelf for your classroom collection of puppets? He made and delivered one within a week. Want to remodel your bathroom? Rich learned how to lay tile alongside his daughter and her husband so that he could help with the job. He was known by many for this trait. While his family certainly benefitted from it always, neighbors up and down Ivanhoe and extended family called on him when their furnace was on the fritz or their lawn mower wouldn’t start. And he would gladly show up, ready to pitch in. It’s safe to say that there are very few people out there who can claim to have done more favors for Rich than he did for them. Rich retired from Chrysler at 56 and spent his retirement with Jean doing the things they loved: traveling, tending a meticulously kept yard, and enjoying their grandchildren (Owen and Reed Simlar, Celia and Maggie Sanislow, and Jack and Katharine Cook). Though he may have been a strict father with high expectations of his daughters, grandchildren softened him. They could have told him they wanted to dig a hole in the front yard, and he would have procured the shovels! He set up a BB gun range for them in his basement, never giving a thought to the little dings in the walls surrounding the target! He wanted them to have fun and enjoy themselves at his house, sprinkling in some little lessons like the value of working hard for a $.50 payout, earned by picking up sticks from the grass or shelling peanuts for the cardinals that visited their patio daily for dinner. While Rich helped everyone around him, his complete devotion was to Jean. Every spring, he would head out, looking for lilacs around some of the older farmhouses north of Hall Road, returning with a trunk full of them because she loved the way they smelled. She spotted a hummingbird once, and he bought a feeder, enticing them to visit more often so his beloved wife could see them and excitedly track their appearance on the calendar. He constructed a high, narrow table that fit between the washer and dryer so that she did not have to bend to pick up the detergent bottle because she had a bad back. He never once hesitated to dedicate every vacation from work to traveling with her and the kids to either Oregon or Ohio and Pennsylvania to see her family. He had the forethought to go a different route each time the family drove cross country to Oregon so that they could all see as much of the country (and even Canada) as possible. Jean was first and foremost in his mind, and his greatest wish since February of 2021 was to be reunited with her in Heaven. He spent many an afternoon on his porch since then, listening to his polka music and taking a walk down Memory Lane with her hand in his. Rich Bartkowski lived a fulfilled life as a caring husband, family man, and good friend. His legacy will live on as those who knew him remember all the things, both great and small, he did for them. Visitation Monday, July 8 from 4-8 pm at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc., 36900 Schoenherr at Metro Parkway (16 Mile), Sterling Heights. Instate Tuesday, July 9 from 10am am until time of 10:30am Mass at St. Faustina Catholic Church, 14025 12 Mile Rd. (E. of Schoenherr), Warren. Private entombment, Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton Township. Please share memories with the family at their online guestbook at WujekCalcaterra.com

Richard Joseph Bartkowski

February 12, 1940 - June 21, 2024