Obituary of Violet J. Gnida

May 17, 1944 – October 26, 2020

Violet J. Gnida. Age 76 of Wyandotte.

Beloved wife of Gerald Gnida.  Loving mother of Natalie (Joel) Halvorson, Jeremy (Rita) Gnida, Stephanie (Brent) Mikulski and Hilarie (Eric) McMullen.  Dearest grandmother of Jacob, Nathan, Emilia, Isabella, Liliana, Madison, Kyle, Matthew and Megan.  Dear sister of Barbara White, William “Butch” Hubbard and Lori Ery.

Cremation will take place at The On-Site Crematory located within the Molnar Funeral Homes - Brownstown Chapel.

Memorial contributions are appreciated to Our Savior Polish National, 610 N Beech Daly Rd, Dearborn Heights, MI 48127.

Family Tribute

Violet was born in Detroit Michigan, on May 17th, 1944 to William and Louise Hubbard. She had two older siblings Barbara and William (Butch) Hubbard. They lived in Detroit with family until they built their own home and moved to Dearborn, MI.   It is there that another sibling Lori, was born when Violet was 15 years old.  Violet met Gerald Gnida (Jerry) at Fordson High School where they attended Prom together.  She graduated from Fordson High school 1962 and went on to work as a secretary for the US government. Violet and Jerry were married on June 20th, 1964.

Violet and Jerry enjoyed 5 years of marriage before they welcomed the first of 4 children.  It was after the birth of Natalie that they purchased a home together and moved to Wyandotte on Halloween in 1970, where they lived for nearly 50 years. Violet was a dedicated wife and mother that made sure she was there when Jerry arrived home from work each day.  Within 4 years, 3 more children were born; Jeremy, Stephanie and Hilarie.  Violet volunteered at schools, for boy and girl scout troops, swimming team and on the PTO.  She drove many miles getting her four children to and from school and to extracurricular events, often teasing about the miles she drove in and out of the driveway alone.  Violet was a wonderful cook and provided delicious home cooked meals for her family of six!  A legacy she left to her children with a hand-written cook book of her favorite family recipes. When her children were young, she taught them laughter and fun by singing loudly and joking around together as a family.  Camping trips and snowmobiling were frequent family vacations.  Violet would occasionally sit at the piano and play one of the many songs she knew by heart. 

Violet enjoyed seeing all four of her children get married, and the birth of 9 grandchildren.  Jacob and Nathan Halvorson,  Emilia, Isabella, and Liliana Gnida,  Madison and Kyle Mikulski, and Matthew and Megan McMullen. 

For the past 20 years Violet enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow and become the teens and adults she was so proud of.  She attended many of the kids milestone events, games, performances and graduations and encouraged participation in both the arts, athletics and academics.  

Violet and Jerry were happily married for 56 years and enjoyed spending time together with friends and family.  Violet found and bought a cabin in the woods off the river, that grew into a family gathering place for all the extended family. But dancing was something they enjoyed doing together as a couple.  It was a wonderful sight to watch them effortlessly making their way around the dance floor whether at the occasional wedding or later on at their dance clubs. Dancing was their regular night out, many days a week.

Although she was taken from us too soon, it is clear by the many, many friends and her dedicated family that she will be terribly missed. It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our beloved mother and wife.  Her love, laughter, and legacy will surround us all in the coming days.