Ortonville- Barbara Wilk was a cheerful, light hearted woman.
Even when she was diagnosed in late 2001 with myelodysplastic syndrome, a fatal disease in which dysfunctional blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, Wilk simply accepted it as another day, something else to deal with.
The former village councilwoman and co-owner of Sherman Wilk Funeral Home died Jan. 16.
She was 60.
‘Many people didn’t believe she was sick,? said her husband, Bob Wilk. ‘She was a very outgoing, happy person.?
Barbara Wilk was born Jan. 3, 1946 in Wyandotte to John and Catherine (Flatley) Surma. She grew up in Dearborn and graduated from Fordson High School in 1964. She was a bookkeeper at several different auto dealerships and married Bob Wilk on Nov. 5, 1971. They had three children.
‘She was a wonderful lady,? he said. ‘She loved her kids and would do anything for them. She loved me, took care of me, and supported me a lot in my business until she became too ill.?
Barbara Wilk worked as an information technology systems operator at Fernco in Davison for about 20 years. She tried staying home, but became bored and took a part-time job at Hudson’s as a cosmetics saleswoman. She later worked at Jacobson’s until she became ill in 2001.
Wilk served as a village councilwoman from May 1987 until March 1994. Her husband recalled she enjoyed serving her community.
Wilk also enjoyed reading, movies and bulldogs. She was a member of the Detroit Bulldog Club.
‘She was a very fun, stubborn lady,? recalled long-time friend Samantha Zamecki. ‘She was never unhappy. She loved her kids and grandbabies, it was all she talked about.?
Besides her husband, Wilk leaves behind daughter Catherine (Randy) Brosseau of W. New York, NJ; sons John R. Wilk of Grand Rapids and Christopher (Jutamas) Wilk of Phoenix, AZ; brother Daniel (Connie) Surma and two grandchildren- Zack and Reagan. A funeral mass was celebrated 11 a.m., Jan. 21 at St. Anne Church, 825 S. Ortonville Road. Interment was in Ortonville Cemetery.