A beautiful memory: Longtime friendship lives on with Christmas centerpiece
GAYLORD — Cindy Jurewicz and Carol Santti used to work together at Burns Clinic in Petoskey.
Even after the clinic closed and the two ladies moved on in their respective careers and lives, the two close friends kept in touch all the time, said Jurewicz who now lives in Gaylord.
"It was about 28 years ago or so and one Christmas she came in with a cough syrup box with a flower it," Jurewicz said. "That same year I gave her a Christmas card. Well the next year she gave me back that same Christmas card with a note and so I added something else to the cough syrup box and we just kept exchanging these two gifts for about 28 years."
As items began to grow within the cough syrup box, the two dubbed the box their "Christmas centerpiece" which would adorn their respective tables around Christmastime.
"It'd usually be something from our houses where we'd jut put something into it and give it back to each other each year," Jurewicz said. "It turned into a coffee can with all kinds of stuff it it, such as a flower, a ribbon and even a napkin from a restaurant ... all wrapped up in wrapping paper.
"There's Christmas ornaments, stockings, all sorts of things."
Jurewicz noted the centerpiece contained the original Christmas card she gave Santti, although it "didn't hold up as well as we did," and the two would always add a note to that card every year.
"This year, when I was coming across my Christmas stuff I pulled it out and set it on the table as a reminder to myself to send it back to her," Jurewicz said. "That same night her husband called and said she had passed, but it's still such a beautiful memory of her."
Santti passed away at the age of 73 on Dec. 2, at her Petoskey home with her husband and daughters by her side.
A Detroit native, Santti moved to the area in 1981 and worked at J.C. Penney, Burns Clinic and Bay Bluffs where at one point she was the director of nursing. According to her obituary, Santti was an avid reader, a fan of historic novels and was a steady patron of the Harbor Springs Public Library.
She also enjoyed bowling, golf, swimming, occasionally gambling and most of all, walking the shores of Lake Michigan at the Petoskey State Park.
"Her husband said it was about 22 years ago when she came down with breast cancer," Jurewicz said. "It came and went, came and went and she went through a lot of treatments. In November we went out for lunch and she said there was nothing they could do for her anymore."
Jurewicz said she'll always recall Santti for her positive attitude, smile and infectious personality.
"She was always smiling, always bright, always happy and never gave up hope for anything," Jurewicz said. "She even went kayaking not too long ago with her daughters, which I saw was a hoot.
"She was always thinking of other people," Jurewicz added. "I had an operation and she knew I liked to golf, well she volunteered to pick me up and ride around in the golf cart with me since I couldn't play in the league at that time. She was just such a happy person, I never saw her down."
While Jurewicz said it won't be the same exchanging that centerpiece this year or from now on, it's something she'll display prominently on her table.
"It's great because I'll still have it on my table along with all my Christmas decorations and everything," Jurewicz said. "She's still there, which makes it nice.
"It'll be a nice remembrance."
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: A beautiful memory: Longtime friendship lives on with Christmas centerpiece
