Emma Anna (Jurgovsky) Hlinetzky

Emma Anna Hlinetzky, age 100, died May 20, 2020 at home surrounded by loving family. Emma is survived by her children, Peter (Susan) Linetzky of Boyne Falls, MI, and Rita (Eric) Sorensen of Chicago, IL; grandchildren Steven Sorensen, Karen (Kevin) Helm, Nicole (Nick) Drury, and Kate (Brian) Duncan; great-grandchildren Claire Lila and Grace Emma Drury, Claudia Marie and Adeline Lois Helm, and Max Walter Duncan. She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 68 years, Walter Hlinetzky, parents Jakob and Rosalia Jurgovsky, and brothers Emil, Johann, Adelbert, and Wilhelm Jurgovsky; and sisters Elisabeth (Gustav) Meschar, and Magdalene (Mattias) Grofcsik. 

Born in Germany, Emma was a talented and respected teacher before emigrating to Windsor, Ontario, in 1951 and eventually moving to America in the 1960s when her husband founded Dominion Tool & Die Co. in Warren, MI. Daughter of a master tailor in Germany, Emma worked as a furrier in Windsor before raising her young family. She was also a skilled and prolific seamstress who made and designed all of her own clothing, as well as those of her growing children and grandchildren. Emma continued her love of learning as a teacher in local German language schools as she raised her young family. She eventually retired from teaching but never from learning, as she was an avid reader and world traveler. Her love of the beauty of nature led her to work to master the art of oil painting, and she produced countless paintings of her memories of her beloved Tatra Mountains. The wooded hills of northern Michigan reminded her of those days, and she and Walter loved spending time at their summer home in Boyne Falls and winters in Stuart, FL. 

Following Walter’s death in 2016, Emma made her final home in Petoskey. But Emma’s real love was for her four grandchildren and five precious great-grandchildren, who all share warm memories of spending time with their Oma. After a full and wonderful lifetime full of joys and adventure, Emma will live on in the loving memories of her descendants. 

Private services will be held at 10am May 23, with internment following at St. Augustine Cemetery in Boyne Falls. Memorial donations may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

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