Florence V. Siopes

August 15, 1952 - July 23, 2020

Florence V. Siopes, 67, passed away peacefully at her home in Novi, MI, with her family by her side on Thursday, July 23, 2020. She is predeceased by her parents Grace and Nicolo Candela, and her brothers Joseph and his wife Margaret, and Vincent and his wife Vivian. She is survived by her husband Keith M. Siopes, her son Keith D. Siopes and his wife Annie; her sisters: Patricia Battaglia and her husband John; Mona Tucker; Grace Bourcier and her husband David; Mary Wyckoff and her husband James; and her brothers: Nicholas; Christopher and his wife Nancy; and August; her aunts Joanne (Oliveri) Eagan, Petrina Candela-Blackmer and several nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and friends. Florence was beautiful inside and out. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, niece, cousin, friend and neighbor. She was friendly, loving, kind, gentle, non-judgmental, non-confrontational, considerate, selflessly charitable, and accommodative. She was the primary caretaker for her mother for many years prior to her death, she helped raise a niece and nephew, she helped a friend provide daycare for children with working parents and she was a trusted confidant to family members and friends. As a devoted mom, she thanked God every day for blessing her with a son. There’s nothing that she wouldn’t do for him and she was always worried about him when he was away. She was always willing to help those in need, even if she wasn’t certain that the need was genuine, as she knew that God would address any issues on judgement day. One of Flo’s favorite activities was shopping for and donating to needy families in the annual Adopt a Family program for Christmas at Holy Family Church. Florence loved to cook. Some of her specialties which were passed on from her mother and grandmother included Sicilian style chicken or oxtail soup with “cassateddi” (ricotta and basil ravioli), gnocchi dishes and soups, stuffed peppers, Italian tomato, garlic, olive oil and basil based salsa for use as a topping for steak, chicken, fish, bread (bruschetta) or dipping sauce for tortilla chips, bread or potato chips and Italian cookies. Many friends and work colleagues from around the world, especially China, would rave about her cooking, especially her chicken soup with cassateddi, even several years after their visit. She was quick-witted and a natural G-rated comedian. Most people who knew her commented on how they never knew what would come out of her mouth nor when, which would result in a range of responses from a smile, to gut- wrenching laughter. On many occasions people would spit out their food while they were eating as an uncontrolled response to something she said. She was an avid walker. Many people in the neighborhood, even those who didn’t know her name, knew her as “the woman who walks a lot." They would wave or greet her as she walked by their house. Many women asked her if they could walk with her. Sometimes, the run across America scene from Forrest Gump would come to mind as crowds of women (aka “girl gangs”) would walk around the neighborhood with her. Flo openly shared her bright light with everyone. She is greatly missed and loved. May her memory be Eternal as God’s Eternal Light shines upon her immortal soul in paradise. Visitation will be held at the O'Brien/Sullivan Funeral Home, 41555 Grand River Avenue, Novi on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM & 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Instate Thursday, July 30, 2020 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 24505 Meadowbrook Road, Novi from 10:00 AM until time of funeral liturgy 10:30 AM. For those wishing to participate in her funeral mass and are unable to join in person, you may participate remotely via the Holy Family Church, Novi YouTube Channel listed below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrm_IiGU2h-VTo88z0uRzPQ At 10:00am a thumbnail will appear entitled “Florence Siopes Funeral” in the upper left-hand corner of the “Uploads > Play All” section at 10:30am you may click on it to view the Live-Stream. For those wishing to make a charitable donation in Florence’s honor, in lieu of flowers, then please consider donating via the Alzheimer’s Association, Florence Siopes Tribute page at: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=639073