Arthur W. Konarske

Arthur W. Konarske was born of The Greatest Generation in Roseville, Michigan on Christmas Eve, 1921. He enjoyed his childhood with his six brothers and two sisters. His mother believed strongly in hard work, good manners, education, elocution and athleticism. He excelled at all of these and graduated Roseville High School at 16 as Salutatorian. In addition, he ran track and played football. As times were tough during the Depression, he eagerly joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC's) at Camp Mackinac to travel and to help his family, as 80% of his earnings were sent back to his mother and father. He enjoyed leading stream clean-out activities and planting red-pine trees that would later become the forest in Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Art vividly remembered when Pearl Harbor was bombed and joined the Navy as a strong able young man trained in military protocol from the CCC's. He experienced civilian pilot training at Wayne State University and the University of Detroit. During this time, his brother Walter taught him to dance to the Big Bands so he could entice the ladies. He met the first love of his life, Joan Joyce at an Allied Youth Dance at Bob Lo Island outside of Detroit. He completed his training at Norman OK and Pensacola FL on the Waco Biplane. Arthur shipped out of San Diego on February 14, 1943 aboard USS Barnes. He served as a navigator with Patrol Squadron VP-44 flying night bombing patrols with the ""Black Cats"" over the South Pacific on the amphibious flying boat Consolidated PBY Catalina (PBY). After a long distance relationship complete with many love letters, Art and Joan were married on November 19, 1943 at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Detroit. After the war, Art and Joan moved to Willow Run to complete his studies in Science at the University of Michigan on the GI Bill. He finished Bachelor of Science in Physics and Master of Arts in Education degrees to become a Science teacher. His first position was teaching science at the Edison Institute located within Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. He later joined the faculty in the newly built Edsel Ford High School, also in Dearborn. After 12 years, Arthur joined the Henry Ford Community College to teach Physics and Natural Science courses. During these years, Art and Joan raised their two children, Karen and Bruce to enjoy learning, nature, camping, and travel. After several years of ‘snow-bird' travel from Michigan, Art and Joan later retired to Venice Park in Venice Florida and enjoyed ballroom dancing, cards, friends, travel and cruising. After more than 60 years with his first love, Art was lost when Joan died on May 19th 2005. He was encouraged by his daughter to visit the Venice Senior Friendship Center to make new friends. Almost immediately, he was attracted to his last great love, Joanne McCollum of Nokomis. They remained great dancers to the very end and enjoyed ballroom dancing at the Friendship Center, the Elks, the American Legion, and any other venue with a great band! Surely dreaming of dancing, Arthur passed away in Nokomis on April 6, 2016. Arthur is survived by his very great friend Joanne; his son Bruce Konarske; his daughter Karen and son-in-law Vincent Gerber of Estes Park Colorado; his grandson Jason Gerber of Silverthorne Colorado; his granddaughter Alison and grandson-in-law Adam Newby of Lochbuie Colorado; his sister-in-law Lorraine Konarske as well as numerous nieces and nephews living in Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that Venice Tidewell Hospice and the Venice Senior Friendship Center of Florida be the recipients of any gift generously donated in Arthur's name.