Obituary Listings

Mildred (Millie) Marie Sinacola of Royal Oak, died July 19, 2020, surrounded by family. She was 93 years old. Millie was born February 20, 1927, in Detroit, to Bernard and Blanche (Gorny) Starner.

Millie is survived by her children, Steve (Christine) Sinacola; Michael (Josie) Sinacola; Donna (Steve) Litchfield; Mary Ashburn (Marc) Rosenberg; John Sinacola; and Teresa (Dennis) Siavrakas. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Josephine (the late David) Oliver. She is preceded in death by her loving husband Frank Alex Sinacola; daughters, Paulette VanCleave and Debra Boyd; grandsons Paul and Jason Allen; granddaughter, Beth Boyd; and all her siblings.

Millie was a loving wife to Frank for almost 64 years until his death in 2012, mother of eight, grandmother of 17 and great grandmother of 19. She was a loving daughter to her parents, sister to 10 siblings and the “fun” aunt to many, many nieces and nephews.

Millie graduated from St. Rita High School in Detroit in 1945 and spent most of her life as a homemaker after working as a shoe store clerk in downtown Detroit in the mid-1940s and a secretary at Burroughs. Devoting herself to her husband and raising their children and grandchildren, Millie’s family filled her heart and their happiness and well-being were her focus. A highlight for some of the older grandchildren was “their week” to go camping with grandma in the summer.

Millie enhanced everyday life and made a positive impact on others’ lives. Whether it was babysitting and giving parents the peace of mind that their child was safe in their absence with a loving person; helping others run their household;, or taking an elderly neighbor out for lunch, Millie was there for others.

Millie absolutely adored babies and every time she saw one, she would smile, wave and say hello. She would also let parents know if they were not watching their child properly in the shopping cart. She did not want anyone to fall on their head and she felt someone had to speak up for the child! She likely deserves credit for keeping many little ones safe.

As a talented cake decorator, she happily and eagerly made beautiful, delicious cakes for her loved ones’ special occasions. Her family especially liked her cheesecake. She also was an avid recipe collector, pre- Pinterest, and created volumes of clipped recipes, many categorized by food type.

Millie also read A LOT. She chose mostly books and magazines related to health and nutrition, which gave her a wealth of knowledge on those subjects, and she underlined all the important information.

She enjoyed lunching and shopping frequently for many years with her sister Irene; dinner dances with her sister Catherine and brother-in-law Pat and other friends; wintering in Florida with Frank for several years where they had many good times with their friends there, Grace and John; and she had a close tie to her sister Pauline who was closest in age to her; as well as many special times with her other siblings and their spouses and families, and friends.

As a devoted wife and the friendly person that she was, on her daily visits to the nursing home to see her Frank, she would make it a point to greet and chat with other residents. She also made a point to know everyone’s name and was well liked at her senior living apartment.
Every Sunday she went to church until age made it too much, which was well into her 90th year, and she lived on her own well into her 91st year.

A private family funeral service will be held at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home in Clawson.

Donations in Millie’s name may be made to The Salvation Army or Detroit Goodfellows. Mass Intentions in her memory are also appreciated.