Vicki Lynn (Heimsoth) Vitale peacfully passed away on April 12, 2018 at Hanson Hospice Center at 3:30pm surrounded by her loving husband Frank and her children after a 5 year long and courageous battle with cancer. It was the first warm spring day and the windows were open with a gentle breeze flowing in. We sat by her side and informed her of the beautiful day, told her how much we love her, and that it is okay to be with God. A tear formed on her soft skin and minutes later heaven gained an angel.

Vicki was born on March 28, 1951 to Victor and Rose Heimsoth in Saint Joseph, Michigan and was raised in Coloma near Paw Paw Lake. Here, her brother and best friend, Eddie, spent time playing in the lake, exploring the fields, and went roller-skating. In the winter, Vicki loved ice skating on the ponds nearby.   Vicki and Eddie were the younger siblings of Pat, Peggy and Sue. Throughout her high school years, Vicki grew into her right-brained talents by learning how to play the guitar and being a gifted artist like her mother, Rose.

Vicki met the love of her life and best friend, Frank Vitale, and they were married in 1978. Vicki and her children, Jennifer and Jason, and Frank's son, Kenneth, created a beautiful and loving family.   Together in 1980, they purchased Frank's parents' family business, Tony & Ann's in Hagar Shores and moved to the area with their children and carried on the family business naming it "Vitale's Market".   Frank and Vicki raised their children in the store with both of their familes in the area, her sister Sue right next door with her four children, Rose and Vic lived in the house on the other side of Sue and Frank's mother, Ann and Papa Joe lived on the same side two house down and Uncle Nello and Aunt Gilda behind Grandma Ann.   Frank and Vicki had created a sense of love and a great childhood for their children surrounded by family, friends and cousins to play with. A side from their free time spent at the beach, Vicki and Frank taught their children a strong work ethic from the family store. Together they grew the store to create a meat market and sub shop that people traveled for miles around to purchase.  Vicki loved all her family and even though she worked many long hours, she always created time to open her home to entertain and cook for anyone. Vicki hosted Christmas Eve's for her family for many, many years where no matter how far away everyone was they always knew they had her home to come to.

As the years passed, Vicki and Frank's children grew and married and started to have children of their own. Their hearts grew even bigger and they had the time, after years of hard work, to be rewarded with spending time with the grandkids playing games, cooking their favorite foods, swimming in the pool and hosting sleep overs. Grandma Vicki, as the children called her, was always the life of the party. She always told humorous stories with her high energy and would take extra paper receipts from the store and create a "paper boy" that the grandkids could jump into. Each year on Christmas, she got her grandkids ornaments with special notes so that when they are older they will have their childhood ornaments to hold onto. When it came to birthdays, she had every family member on the calendar and would leave us a voicemail of her special birthday song. The above sums Grandma Vicki up to a tee: she was a simple person who showed her love in a plethora of unique ways.

Frank and Vicki semi-retired in 2005 and started spending time in Florida in the winters where they created multiple new friendships that over the years have developed to be like family to them and in 2013 they retired from the store and were true "snow-birds" to their Florida residence.   Vicki could enjoy her time spent with her brother Ed and her sister Peggy when in Florida during the winter months but always was excited to come "home" to Michigan to see her children, grandchildren, her sister Sue and all her nieces and nephews.

Furthermore, Vicki was a strong woman who fought cancer as long as she could. She never complained or made it obvious to family members that she wasn't feeling well. Just a month ago, she called her grandson, Andrew, and sang his birthday song for him. Overall, the family wants the world to know that Vicki was a loving, nurturing, animal-lover, intelligent, and gifted individual. She was the backbone of the family and her personality will live on through all of us as we continue to live with her in our hearts. The little things Vicki did to make people feel special will be missed but live on in our memories forever.

"Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away to the next room.

I am I and you are you.

Whatever we were to each other,

That, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.

Speak to me in the easy way

Which you always used.

Put no difference in your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity nor sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed

At the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me.

Let my name be ever the household word

That it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect.

Without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same that it ever was.

There is absolute unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind

Because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.

For an interval.

Somewhere. Very near.

Just around the corner.

Vicki is survived by her husband, Frank Vitale of Covert, MI and her children, Jennifer Sipla (Tom Summers) of Saint Joseph, MI, Kenneth Vitale (Jean Stahl) Saint Joseph, MI , Jason Rosenthal (Gina Balbo) of Saint Joseph, MI and her grandchildren, Andrew Sipla, Ashley Sipla, Mercedes Vitale, Brennick Vitale, Nathan Vitale, Livinia Rosenthal and Charlie Rosenthal;  sisters Pat Turnberg, Peggy Olson, Sue Wilson and brother Edwin Heimsoth and many neices and nephews.

Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to Caring Circle Hospice of Lakeland or Berrien County Cancer Society.