Arthur G. Florkey

Arthur Florkey, 93, of Mt. Pleasant and formerly of Traverse City, passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at the Isabella County Medical Care Facility. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Noon on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Loren Kalinowski presiding. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the Mass. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Woodland Hospice. Envelopes are available at the church or at the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd. Arthur was born Dec. 11, 1916, in Detroit, the son of the late, Joseph and Rose (Polaski) Florkey. He married the late Mary Jane Woodhead in 1937 in Detroit. He was employed by J.B. Webb Company in Detroit and later founded his own business, Florkeys Conveyor Service. He also planted trees in the Cadillac area with the Civilian Conservation Corp. Before moving to the Mt. Pleasant in 1993, he and his wife had retired to Traverse City in 1970. Arthur had an incredible imagination for inventing things; from a fiberglass boat that he made from scratch; to challenging fun games; to toys, some of which were used during the Special Olympics. He was very versatile with music and had a wonderful melodic singing voice, with the organ being the instrument of choice. A kind-hearted and generous man, Arthur was always quick to share a favorite joke. Arthur is survived by five daughters, Dolores DiGiacomo of Denver, CO, Beverly (Robert) Smith of Phoenix, AZ, Sharon (George) Shink of Traverse City, Sandra (Martin) Trombley of Mt. Pleasant, and Suzanne (Paul) Ellis of St. Clair Shores; 24 grandchildren; 68 great-grandchildren; 14 great-great-grandchildren; his sister, Ruth Montemurro of Detroit; and sister-in-law, Beverly Florkey of Sterling Heights. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Jane Florkey in 2007; three brothers, Edward, Clarence, and Joseph Babe Florkey; granddaughter, Kimberly Shink; great-grandson, Elisha Ankerson; son-in-law, Nick DiGiamaco; and his faithful companion dog, Dutch . The family would like to thank the entire second floor staff at the Medical Care Facility for the tender loving care Arthur received.