Mrs. Maude Minerva Tyiska

TYISKA, Mrs. Maude Minerva - Age 100, passed away Saturday, December 10, 2016 at her residence. Family hour 10:30 AM Saturday, December 17, 2016, Quinn Chapel AME Church, 2101 Lippincott Blvd., with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM, Pastor Sharinese Jackson officiating. Interment Flint Memorial Park Cemetery, G-9506 N. Dort Hwy., Mt. Morris, MI. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10:30 AM Saturday. Mrs. Tyiska will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday. Mrs. Maude Minerva Tyiska was born on December 6, 1916 in Troup, Texas, the youngest daughter of Winston and Bessie Hackett. She was orphaned during the Depression at the age of 14. Through hard work and determination, she put herself through both high school (which required tuition and moving to Tyler, TX) and college. She worked as waitress, walking 14 miles a day to and from work, did hair for her classmates, and worked as hard as she needed to pay for her education and keep up with her studies. Mrs. Tyiska attended Texas College, where she met her husband, John Tyiska. They were married in 1938 and moved to Flint, Michigan in 1944. She worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Hurley Medical Center. Once her children were teenagers, she went back to school becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and a Teacher at the Hurley School of Nursing. She retired from Hurley Medical Center in 1979. Throughout the years, Mrs. Tyiska found an unfailing friend in Jesus Christ and dedicated her life to serving others. She was a Big Sister and warmly opened the doors of her home to friends of her children and young people in need. Mrs. Tyiska had a son, a daughter, 4 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren and nearly a dozen others who chose to call her Mom. She was a devoted member of Quinn Chapel AME Church for more than 75 years. There she was a dedicated fundraiser and a member of the Chancel Choir, the Steward Board, the Willing Workers, the Young Women of Quinn and a charter member of the Lenora Jackson Bible Class. She was a playful and determined spirit. Mrs. Tyiska liked to laugh and sing. She enjoyed playing cards whether with her bridge club or at the kitchen table. No matter if you were 7 or 87, she played to win!! Mrs. Maude Minerva Tyiska is survived by her daughter, Georgia Tyiska Wright of Leesburg, VA; her son Lowell (Virginia) Tyiska of Flint, MI; grandchildren, Daryl (Maryclaire) Wright of Boston, MA, David (Sheila) Wright of Nashville, TN, April Wright of Baltimore, MD and Kenja Tyiska of St. Louis, MO; great-grandchildren, Jonathan (Racine) France and Maxine Wright; great-great grandchildren, Schuyler and Tyler France; sister-in-law, Dorothy Hackett of Richmond, CA; numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. Mrs. Tyiska was preceded in death by her husband, John Tyiska; parents; infant siblings, sisters, Winstona and MaeBelle Hackett; brothers, Pericles, Harold, Solon, Mackenzie, Leon, and Albert Hackett.

Mrs. Maude Minerva Tyiska

December 6, 1916 - December 10, 2016