Cindy Lou Engebretson Bemis

Cindy Lou Engebretson Bemis, of Westland, age 63, departed this life on March 19, 2022, following a 44-day struggle with acute kidney disease, congestive heart failure and a stroke. She is survived by her husband of 27 years, Frank, her parents Senie and former Livonia Mayor Jack Engebretson, her brother John (Susan) and their sons Alex, Derek, and Jared. Cindy was born in Washington, D.C. where her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force. At about one year of age, she received a DPT vaccine that appeared to have caused her body temperature to rise to 106 degrees. The Andrews Air Force Base Hospital staff cooled her with ice, but it seems like the high temperature may have caused some damage that left her with a mild learning difficulty. Cindy developed a personality that enabled her to function well in society even with a mild disability. She developed a personality that was extremely kind and compassionate. She loved helping others – particularly those who had some mental or physical challenges. She learned to read quite well, was very capable with the spoken word, and the use of modern technology such as computers etc. Knitting and crocheting projects for the benefit of others were among her favorite pastimes. She loved her independence, and she dearly loved her dogs and all animals. Her driving skills were excellent having only one accident in more than 40 years of driving (including an ice cream truck with a CDL license). Cindy loved to sing and dance. She and her husband Frank were members of the Moose Club and would go there weekly on their karaoke nights. Cindy and Frank also owned karaoke equipment and took it to nursing homes to provide a few hours of enjoyment to the residents of those homes. All that work was done in a complete volunteer mode. In the opinion of her parents, she was actually a very talented and accomplished person with the above good qualities plus she was very street smart. She was a very good person to the end even though quality of life ended on the first day at the hospital. The MediLodge of Plymouth nursing home staff loved her, and she retuned that love to them even under the most difficult circumstances. Cindy was a great person who was stubborn but mostly in a good way. Most of all, she loved the Lord and her church related activities that were centered on that premise. A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, March 28 at the RG & GR Harris Funeral Home at 15451 Farmington Road in Livonia at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation hour beginning at 10:00 a.m. Cindy’s final resting place on earth will be at a family plot at the Glen Eden Cemetery on Eight Mile Road in Livonia. Her cremated remains will be placed in a private family ceremony to be scheduled a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (nkfm.org). Please share a memory of Cindy on her Tribute Wall.