Obituary of Rick "Bronk" Constance

Rick "Bronk" Constance Of Redford, age 62, November 20, 2019. Beloved son of Helen and the late Robert Constance. Dear brother of Patrick "P.C.", Gerald "Jerry" (Valerie) and the late Alan "Al" Constance. Dear uncle of Rachel Constance Littleton, Wendy Constance Buckles and Jolinda Glasco. Cousin of Patricia Smothermon and other cousins. It is with great sadness that we must share the passing of a second uncle, my godfather and my fathers baby brother, Rick "Bronk" Constance. Uncle Bronk was a staple of his neighborhood in Redford, living in his childhood home for all his life. Bronk was born on May 7, 1957, the youngest of the four Constance boys. Struck by tragedy in his 20s, Bronk suffered burns to his body as a result of an industrial accident, but the subsequent surgeries he endured laid the groundwork for helping burn victims in the future, representing an important legacy of his life. In spite of this event, Bronk retained his quiet but cheerful personality and gentle sense of humor. He laughed easily, with a distinctive chuckle, and always had a grin on his face. In his younger days, he was always available to help his friends, family and neighbors, cheerfully and without complaint. He loved to cook, and regularly hosted fish-fries and cookouts, and always enjoyed a few beers with his neighbors. He was a talented man, capable of building and remodeling homes, side projects that he deeply enjoyed. He is best known, however, for his creative mind and love of mechanics. He had a large collection of classic cars, motorcycles, and boats that he loved to repair. He restored these classic cars to their original glory, drove a few of them down the Woodward Dream Cruise, and presented them in car shows. He also loved fishing and boating. My strongest memories of him are from Christmas Eve dinner his job was to fry up the smelt as an appetizer. Our Christmas Eve tradition was from my mothers family, but he joined in with gusto, bringing his cooking talents in to show his love for our family. He was a deeply caring son, helping his brother Al care for their mother after the death of my grandfather, driving her to doctor appointments for years until his own health began to fail. He was a quiet and gentle man, who passed away in his sleep on November 20, 2019, after facing increasingly debilitating health problems that were complicated by the failures of the American health care system. He was 62. We all loved him, and will miss him very much. Due to the approaching holiday season, no memorial events are planned at this time, although we may hold one in the spring