Catherine Ann (Crenshaw) Konarske Carmack, age 74, of Gregory, MI and Sarasota, FL, passed away peacefully on February 13, 2024 in Riverview, Michigan. Cathy was born January 8, 1950, in Wayne, MI to James and Rosetta (Santoro) Crenshaw. She married James Konarske on December 22, 1967, and they had a daughter, April (Konarske) Hansen.
On July 14, 1989, she married Bobbie Carmack, who preceded her in death on June 6, 2005.
Cathy lived on Joslin Lake in Gregory, MI for over 51 years and wintered at her home in Sarasota, FL for the last nine years.
She grew up in Wyandotte, Michigan. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1968, and as a teen she worked at Giordano’s Pizza.
She traveled for a short stint in Tennessee and South Carolina with her husband, James Konarske while he was in the military. Shortly thereafter, they settled in Unadilla Twp., Michigan.
Cathy worked as an energetic server for Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor, MI for approximately 18 years. There she met Bobbie Carmack, a regular customer for many years, who later became her second husband. They liked to work around the house, relax on the lake, and in their free time, ride their Harleys.
Additionally, Cathy worked as an administrative assistant at Guenther Building, and as a scheduler for EPMG. In 2003, she worked as an administrative assistant to Fr. Brendan Walsh and St. Joseph’s Parish in Dexter, MI until her retirement in 2011.
Cathy had a passion for community, laughing, talking, sharing stories, and helping animals and people in need. Her favorite pastimes were gardening, watching birds, and rescuing animals, traveling, skiing, boating, sunbathing, and gathering shells on the beach. She loved spending time at family gatherings and visiting her twin granddaughters, Mandy and Liberty Hansen. Cathy volunteered at a wildlife rescue, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, St Joseph’s Parish, and festivals in Dexter, MI.
Cathy is survived by her daughter, April (David) Hansen; grandchildren, Mandy Hansen and Liberty Hansen; sister, Sharon (Kenneth) Belknap, brother, Ron (Dawn) Crenshaw, sister, Lorraine (Arthur) Ruge, sister, Mary Jo (William) Welsch, and a sister, Rosemarie (Johnathan) Barnosky; as well as numerous nieces and nephews, a sister-in-law, Jackie Santoro. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, James Santoro.
Mass of Christian Burial will be prayed at St. Joseph Village Church, 3430 Dover St., Dexter, with Fr. Brendan J. Walsh presiding, on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
The family will receive friends at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, 901 N. Main St., Chelsea, on Friday, March 1, 2024 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m., with a Wake Service at 7:00 p.m. The family will also receive friends at the church on Saturday one hour prior to the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church.
