Obituary: LeAnn Lyewski, 74, of Kentwood, formerly of Ludington.

Obituary: LeAnn Lyewski, 74, of Kentwood, formerly of Ludington.

LeAnn Elaine (Sherburn) Lyewski of Kentwood, and formerly of Ludington, passed away Friday, May 27, 2022 at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids following a brief illness, at the age of 74.  She was born April 30, 1948 to Raymond and Florence (Clemensen) Sherburn, the fifth of six children. She was baptized and confirmed a Lutheran by Reverend John Christensen at Victory Trinity Lutheran Church and was a member there for many years. She graduated from Mason County Central High School in 1966, Hackley School of Nursing in 1970, and later from Ferris State University with a bachelor Of science degree in nursing. She worked in many nursing capacities over her 30 year career at Memorial Medical Center, concluding by being the Director of Surgical Services at the time of her retirement. She was a born caregiver.

On August 3, 1974, she married Gerald Lyewski at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ludington. Jerry has preceded her in death. Jerry and LeAnn never had any children of their own, but she was a beloved aunt to six nephews and two nieces. She always gave sound advice when asked, with clear eyed objectivity.

In addition to her husband Jerry and their beloved dog BW, she was preceded in death by her parents and an older brother, Donald W. Anton. And Cats. Lots of Cats.

As we all do, LeAnn had her demons, maybe hers were bigger than most. She fought them like a gladiator to the very end.  She will not be defined by those struggles, and we will not remember them when we think of her. We will remember that she loved to sew, quilt and garden. She was gentle, kind, compassionate and generous.  Most of all, she loved deeply and was loved in return. She was loved and respected by all who knew her. She cared for those in pain, the sick, the lonely, the frightened and the broken, understanding all of that because at one time or another in her life she had been all of those things herself. Her struggles are over and she now rests in the arms of Jesus.

She is survived by her siblings, Diane (Jay) Silhanek of Gaithersburg, Md., Kathleen (Wayne) Weisner of Paw Paw, Ivan (Jane) Sherburn of Tazewell, Tenn. and Linda (Don) Olson of Ludington. She is also survived by nephews Tom (Jackie) Silhanek of Ann Arbor, Robert Weisner and Michael Weisner of PawPaw, Tim (Richard Cowen) Sherburn of Seattle, Wash., Andrew (Kim) Clapper of Owings, Md., Daniel (Lori) Clapper of Caledonia and nieces Brenda (Scott) Davis of Knoxville, Tenn., and Kim (Bill) Pursche of Marshall, Va., as well as a host of great nieces and nephews.

Cremation has taken place. A private family memorial will be held at the Ray and Florence Sherburn family reunion in August, where we all be together one last time, we will place the urn on the picnic table and share our stories and memories of her, and this time she won’t be able to talk back. Memorials and condolences may be sent c/o Linda Olson, 2067 N Rath Rd, Ludington, MI, 49431, and will be shared with the family when we gather.

We will always love her dearly. Rest well, our sweet sister. Your race is over. You won.

Arrangements were entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, www.OakGroveLudington.com.