Korkye Sternburgh, age 71, of Twin Lake and St. Johns, Michigan, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2018 with her family by her side.
Korkye was born on August 29, 1946, in Muskegon, MI at Hackley Hospital, the daughter of Lorraine (Nielsen) and Harold Peterson. She attended Muskegon Heights High School, graduating in 1964. It was there she met her future husband, Joe Sternburgh—having undoubtedly captured him with her gorgeous blue eyes.
Together they attended Michigan State University, where “Kork”developed her outspoken advocacy for education and children’s rights, became a life-long Spartan fan, and in 1968 earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She and Joe married that same year and over the course of a 50-year marriage they brought three more Spartans into the world: Jody, Allison, and Jacob.
Korkye taught elementary education in Muskegon Heights for two years after college and then, in 1971, moved to the St Johns Public Schools, where she taught for an additional 36 years, retiring in 2007. She was well known and highly respected in the community for her dedication to the betterment of thousands of second and third grade students, whom she lovingly thought of as “her kids”.
Over her lifetime, she continued to be a passionate advocate for a wide range of social and political issues. An inveterate doer, she believed that nothing was too difficult to take on, from installing flashing on the roof of her cottage to winterizing her own boat. Called “Koko” by her cherished grandchildren (Kendall, Molly, Andi, Dash, and Nora), it was her passion and joy to instill in them her love of learning, reading, and adventure; along with the significance of being kind and caring of others…values she embodied.
Korkye dedicated herself to making life better for all those who crossed her path, except for the Canadian geese that seasonally bombarded the Sternburgh’s Twin Lake home. If she cared about you, she cared about everything that was important to you. Her door was always open, her table always had space for another guest, and her helping hand and listening ear were always at the ready—along with a steaming cup of tea, a blueberry muffin, and her infectious sense of fun.
She leaves an amazing legacy for those who survive her:
Husband, Joe Sternburgh; daughter, Jody Wells, her husband, Corey and their children Kendall and Molly; daughter, Allison Bobby, her husband, Greg and their daughter Nora; and son, Jacob Sternburgh, his wife, Jessica and their children Andi and Dash. Her mother, Lorraine Peterson, and sisters, Janine Despres and Judith Geller also survive her.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Thursday, March 8, 2018 at Pilgrim United Methodist Church 2965 W. Parks Rd. St. Johns with Pastor Andy Croel officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Rest Cemetery, St. Johns. The family will receive relatives and friends 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 PM Wednesday at Keck-Coleman Funeral Home, St. Johns.
Memorial donations may be made to Hospice House of Mid-Michigan P.O. Box 30480 Lansing, MI 48909 or St Johns Public Schools in honor of Korkye Sternburgh/Gateway Library Memorial and mailed to 501 West Sickles Street, Business Office, St Johns, MI 48879

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