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Denise M. Fielder
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Denise Rosiek was born on August 14th, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents, Eugene and Diana, arrived at Deaconess Hospital the previous day which they would later recall was extremely hot. The Farmer's Almanac recorded temperatures soaring to almost 90 degrees. Once at the hospital, Diana's labor stopped unexpectedly. Although her doctor advised her to stay overnight, Diana went home and returned the following day to deliver Denise Marie Rosiek into the world.
Denise's parents were dedicated to their family and strong in their faith. Eugene was a systems analyst before becoming the sports equipment manager for Detroit Country Day Schools. Diana was the religious education director at St. James Catholic Church in Ferndale and also worked as a Pharmacy Technician at The Medicine Shop. The couple's Polish ancestry and strong values helped foster the lessons they taught their children: religion comes first and school comes second.
Denise had a happy childhood filled with family, friends and fun. She had five siblings, Michele, Annette, Rene, David and Christine. All of the children were very close growing up and each one was required to participate in after school activities. Denise chose to participate in softball but her extracurricular activities didn't stop at team sports. She enjoyed fishing with her father at Belle Isle in Detroit and celebrating birthdays at Tiger Stadium with him. She and her siblings loved singing, dancing and family game nights which included playing Scrabble, Uno, Pinochle, and Penny Poker. When Denise wasn't spending time with her family, she could be found many days with her best childhood friend, Corin Hyman-Spencer. The two were always together and it was easy to see how close they were.
As Denise got older she began to spend more of her time at church and attending church events. In high school she continued to play softball but also began cheerleading. She was a member of the National Honor Society, was on the Homecoming Court and was crowned the Homecoming Queen. She was even runner-up for Miss Ferndale!
After high school graduation, Denise earned her BA at Wayne State University and went on to receive her Master's Degree in Education, also from Wayne. Denise continued her education and earned a post graduate certificate in School Administration in 2008.
Denise first met Jim, a Marine Corps veteran, when he was student teaching at Ferndale High School in 1975. Jim coached football and wrestling and met Denise where she worked after school in the athletic office.
Denise re-met Jim at Wayne State University in the fall of 1976 where she was a freshman and Jim was completing his degree from Western Michigan University as a guest student. Jim saw Denise walking on campus and was told her name was Michele. That embarrassing introduction and correction led to dating, falling in love, and finally getting married September 13, 1980 at the Warren Chateau. They honeymooned the following summer, leisurely traveling up and down the East Coast.
After graduating from Wayne State, Denise student taught and became a teacher at Maybury Elementary in the Detroit Public Schools. Denise remained at Maybury for the next 25+ years. She left the classroom and assumed administrative duties and training under Ellen Snedeker, her long time mentor, in 1999.
Denise became an assistant principal in the fall of 2009. In the fall of 2010, she became the principal at the Academy of the Americas, also in Detroit. The Academy of the Americas is a K-8 school that is an English/Spanish immersion school. It was Denise’s task to re-introduce the academic focus of the staff and students to make the student’s fluent in Spanish and English by the time they matriculated into high school. Denise flourished as a principal, and her passion for educating young people was the driving force of her life.
During Denise's life she took time to enjoy herself outside of work. Jim and Denise loved to travel and visited all 50 states in the US. The national parks, mountains, Canada, and Mexico were favorite spots. Many countries in Europe were traveled to including London, England for a thanksgiving weekend! She remained active playing golf and softball and relaxed with hobbies like reading and scrapbooking.
Denise Fielder will be remembered with love by her family and friends. They will smile at the memories of her saying "un-frigging-believable", that her favorite color was green and how she'd often, as a result of her bilingual background, talk with her hands. They will remember her most for her kindness, her insurmountable ability to forgive, and for her faith which gave her an unbelievable inner strength.
Her husband Jim found it easy to answer when he was asked to give one word to describe Denise. After deliberating for a moment, he declared "inspirational!"
Denise Marie Fielder passed away at age 54 on February 19, 2013. She was the beloved wife of James for more than 32 years. She was the loving mother of Elyssa, Manuel (Savita), Cindy & Erynn. She was the proud grandmother of Celina. She was the dear daughter of Eugene & Diana Rosiek. She was the sister of Michele (Kevin) Allen, Annette (Mark) Bielski, David (Pam) Rosiek, Rene (Terry) Reiter & Christine (Dan) Daschke. She is survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Denise was a dedicated and devoted educator for the Detroit Public Schools. Her passion was being principal of the Academy of the Americas
Denise's life will be celebrated on February 25, 2013 at St. Fabian Catholic Church in Farmington Hills.
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