Cindy Wichern has found where she belongs. And its not far from her childhood home on French Road.
Wichern graduated from Lake Leelanau St. Mary in 1989 and went to Northwestern Michigan College earning an associate’s degree in general studies.
“I’ve always been fascinated by small business. My first job was working for my dad’s business, Electric Motor Repair & Service,” said the daughter of Leelanau musical icon John Rutherford. “I did the books, did inventory …and sent out invoices.”
Life took her to update New York, where she worked for a title company. “I knew nothing about titles. But a really enjoyed going through the liber pages and looking at the deeds,” Wichern said. “It was as if I had a hand in history.”
Upon returning, to the area, she went to work at Hagerty Classic Insurance and earned a bachelor’s degree in social work.
“I worked in that field for about 18 months — long enough to determine it wasn’t right for me,” she said.
So, she went on to earn a master’s degree in business from Davenport University.
For the past 21 years, she has worked for a Traverse City lender, focused specifically Small Business Association loans.
“It’s rewarding to see your neighbor’s ideas take flight,” she said. “It’s a great honor to see (the new business) and to have a hand in it.”
Family is important to Wichern, the middle child of John and the late Joan Rutherford. She and her sisters, Janine Winkler and Caroline Bardenhagen enjoy performing with their dad.
It was through one of these sisters that she met Jim Wichern of Centerville Township.
“We knew each other from family gatherings,” Wichern said, adding that Jim is a first cousin to Janine’s husband, Mark Winkler.
Perhaps a harbinger of things her future, Cindy was paired with Jim Wichern — standing up for the bride and groom.
Over the years, she and Jim would see one another at family gatherings — each one bringing their son from previous marriages — Andrew Zeits and Lee Wichern.
The two were born two days apart in September 1994 and often played together that family gatherings.
One evening, Cindy received a text from sister, Janine, inviting her to meet with friends at the Lake Ann Brewery, for pizza and live music.
“We sat together and talked,” she said, smiling. “God just kept bringing our paths together.”
By the following May they were engaged to marry.
“It felt like I was going home,” she said.
The couple enjoys fishing, sampling live music venues, and gardening. The tomatoes in their patch are ripening in preparation for Salsa Saturday in mid-September. Last year, they put up 50 quarts of the condiment.
She also dapples writing music with her ukulele.
But it’s time spent with family that really makes her happy.
With both sons grown, Cindy looks forward to having them all together. Lee lives in Cedar. However, Andrew lives away from here serving in the U. S. Army.
“I am happy to be in their lives any way I can,” she said.
