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Obituaries in 2010
Hartford Michigan |
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|
Dianna L. Williamson,
65, of Eau Claire passed away
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010, at her
home.
Dianna was born Dec. 18, 1945, in Benton Harbor, the
daughter of Clyde and Florence
(Johnson) Williamson. She was
formerly employed with Modar in
Decatur and Zenith Corp. in
Benton Harbor. She loved flowers
and going to garage sales, and
she loved to laugh.
Dianna is survived by her father, Clyde; a brother,
Russell Williamson of Pensacola,
Fla.; a sister, Gayle (Gar)
Bisnet of Hartford; a niece,
Lesa Beem of St. Joseph; a
nephew, Phil Gunther of Lincoln,
Neb.; and a special friend, Jim
Corbit of Eau Claire.
Dianna was preceded in passing by her mother, Florence,
and a brother, Jon.
The family will welcome friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where
the service to honor her memory
will commence at 1 p.m. Pastor
Doug Cuthbert of Sister Lakes
Community Church will officiate.
Burial will follow in Keeler
Cemetery.
NOTE:
Dianna was a member of the Class
of 1965 at Hartford High School.
|
Geronimo "Jerrito"
Mireles Contreras, of Hartford
passed away suddenly Monday,
Dec. 27, 2010, at home.
 Jerrito was born Aug. 28, 1983, in Berrien Springs, the son
of Edward and Rachel (Mireles)
Contreras. Jerrito was formerly
employed with Coloma Frozen
Foods.
Jerrito was loved by many, had a great sense of humor, and he
will be greatly missed by his
family and friends.
Jerrito is survived by his parents, Edward and Rachel; four
siblings, Edward (Natalie)
Contreras, Augustina Contreras
(Jason Phillips), Selena
Contreras and Jose Contreras,
all of Hartford; two nieces, Zoe
Phillips and Liliana Contreras;
a nephew, Liam Contreras;
grandmother, Augustina
Contreras; grandparents,
Geronimo and Oralia Mireles; and
numerous aunts, uncles, cousins
and friends.
Jerrito was preceded in passing by two aunts, Yolanda
Mireles and Susanna Ramarez.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30, at the
Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church, Hartford, where the Mass
of Christian Burial to honor his
memory will be celebrated at 9
a.m. Friday, Dec. 31, with
Father Robert Flickinger
presiding. Burial will follow in
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford.
The family asks memorial
donations in Geronimo’s name be
made to the family. The Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, has been
entrusted in handling the
arrangements.
|
Mildred
Bradlee,
81, a lifelong resident of
Naperville, Ill., died
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010, at
Tabor Hills Healthcare
 Facility
in Naperville. She was born July
13, 1929, in Aurora, Ill., the
daughter of the late Mackey A
and Hannah E. Squires.
She was the beloved wife of Bruce, loving mother of the
late Bruce Bradlee, Jr., Barbara
Haas of Rochester, Minn., Barry
Bradlee (fiancé Joan Yesutis) of
Naperville, the late Brian
Bradlee, and Bonnie Bradlee of
Aurora. She was the cherished
grandmother of Rickey Haas,
Peter (Joanna) Haas, and fond
great-grandmother of Celeste and
Madison Haas. Dear sister of
Donald (Janet) Squires and the
late James Squires and sister-in-law of Mary Squires, Ruth Bradlee, and Mary Bradlee.
Millie graduated from Ellsworth Elementary and Junior
High and attended Naperville
High School.
She graduated from Hartford
High School, class of
1947.
She will be fondly remembered for her volunteerism in
her children’s activities. She
served as den mother and troop
leader for both Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts. She volunteered at
Naper School in the library and
was room mother for each of her
children. She was a charter
member of the Naperville Jr.
Women’s Club and belonged to the
Fox Valley Genealogical Society
for many years. Mildred also
served as a volunteer with the
Ladies’ Auxiliary to the V.F.W.,
where she held many officer
roles and lovingly made cards
every month to distribute to the
vets at Heinz Hospital. She will
be missed by many.
Services will be held on Dec. 30, 2010, at Wheatland
Salem United Methodist Church,
1852 95th St. Naperville, with
visitation from 5 to 7 p.m. and
memorial services to follow
immediately. Arrangements were
entrusted to: Friedrich-Jones
Funeral Home, 44 S. Mill St.,
Naperville, Ill. 60540.
Information can be obtained at
630-355-0213 or www.friedrich-jones.com.
|
 Leneve
O. Nutt,
Kalamazoo, MI,
died Monday afternoon, December
20, 2010.
Leneve was born October 25, 1910 in Hartford, Michigan
a daughter of Forbes and Mary
(Hathaway) Conklin.
She had been a Kalamazoo area
resident most of her life.
Leneve was a life member of the
Eastern Star and Women's
Improvement Association. She
also loved gathering, polishing,
painting, and making jewelry
with stones.
Leneve was preceded in death by her parents; her
husband, Harry L. Nutt in March
of 1992; a daughter, Lugene Mary
Saddler on September 24, 2003;
two brothers, Charles and Forbes
Conklin; and two sisters, Letha
Gillett and Alta Cowgill. She is
survived by a grandson, Edmond "Foz"
Saddler of Cloudcroft, NM; and
several niece and nephews.
Private services and burial will be held at a later
date. There will be no
visitation. Memorials may be
directed to the Senior Services.
Arrangements were made by the
Langeland Family Funeral Homes,
Memorial Chapel, 622 S. Burdick
St., www.langelands.com,
343-1508.
|
Arlene Marie
Ziemer,
76, of Hartford passed away on
Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010, at
Countryside Nursing and
Rehabilitation Community, South
Haven.
Arlene was born March 14, 1934, in Watervliet, the daughter
of John and Frances (Skibbe)
Danneffel, both of whom preceded
her in passing. Arlene was also
preceded by her husband, Rynold,
on Aug. 19, 2001, a son,
Randy on Nov. 10, 2002, and
two brothers.
Arlene was a legal secretary at the abstract office in
Benton Harbor for a number of
years before she began farming
with her husband on their farm
in Hartford Township. She was an
avid outdoors woman as shown by
her love for camping, fishing
and hunting.
Arlene is survived by her children, Robert (Michelle)
Ziemer of Hartford and Lisa
(James) Sternaman of Coloma; and
grandchildren, Steven Sternaman
of Coloma and Kendall Ziemer and
Olivia Ziemer, both of Hartford.
A memorial service honoring Arlene’s memory will
commence at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec.
19, at Keeler Cemetery. John
Sternaman will serve as
officiant. In lieu of flowers,
the family has asked that
donations in Arlene’s name be
made to Hospice at Home. The
family has entrusted the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, with
handling the arrangements.
|
|
Ircel Slack,
95, of Decatur, passed away on
Monday, Dec. 6, 2010, in Flordia
Hospital Memorial Medical Center
in Daytona Beach, Fla. Ircel was
born June 28, 1915, in Keeler,
Mich., the son of Roy and May
Slack. He was an Army Veteran of
WWII. He was the former owner of
Slack’s Hardware in Decatur for
several years. He was a member
of Decatur Lions Club, Decatur
Lodge No. 99, F.&A.M., VFW
Celery City Post No. 6248 of
Decatur and the sunset Harbor
Yatch Club in Daytona Beach. He
was formerly mayor of Decatur.
He married Olive Sheline, Feb. 18, 1940, in Volinia.
She preceded him in death Feb.
3, 1996. He was also preceded in
death by his parents and an
infant son, Greg Arthur Slack in
1943 and a grandson, David
Sanders.
Survivors include a daughter Marilyn (Greg) Sanders of
Ormond Beach, Fla., and two
grandsons Greg Sanders II and
Tod Sanders; a great
granddaughter Ania Sanders and a
sister Selma Thatcher of
Richmond, Va.
Friends may call Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Newell
Funeral Home, Decatur. Funeral
services will be held 11 a.m.
Saturday in the First
Presbyterian Church, Decatur of
which he was a member, with the
Rev. Brian Hall officiating.
Burial will be in Lakeside Cemetery, Decatur with
military rites conducted by VFW
Celery City Post No. 6248 and
American Legion Post # 309 of
Decatur. Memorials may be made
to the church. |
George E. Edmonds,
82, of Hartford, passed away
Monday, Dec. 6, 2010, at South
Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center.
George was born July 31, 1928,
in Toledo, Ohio, the son of
Glenn and May (Folts) Edmonds,
both of whom preceded him in
passing. Also preceding him in
passing were a son,
Randy Edmonds; his first
wife, Jean; his second wife,
Betty; five infant children
and two sisters, Florence Saline
and Dorothy.
George was formerly employed with Auto Specialties for
25 years and C&O Railroad for 11
years and at Kellogg Hardware
for a number of years. In his
spare time, George loved
hunting, fishing and just
spending time with his family.
George is survived by a daughter, Cathy (Pedro)
Ontiveros of Hartford; three
stepchildren, Linda Olds, David
(Norma) Bulat and Sheryl (Steve)
Ferguson, all of Hartford;
grandchildren, Brian, Peter,
Maria, Jose, Mark, Teresa,
Miguel, Lindsay, Matthew, Jamin,
David, Trent, Konner, Tim and
Taylor; numerous
great-grandchildren and a
special friend and caregiver,
Merle Main of Hartford.
As per George’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A
memorial service to honor his
memory will gather at 5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 10, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, with the
Rev. Wayne Davis of His Place
Cathedral of Faith, Covert,
serving as officiant. In lieu of
flowers, the family requests
memorial donations in George’s
name be made to the
Mark Olds Athletic
Scholarship Fund.
NOTE:
George was with the Hartford
High School Class of 1947.
|
Hermelinda De La
Pena Vela,
56, of Hartford, passed away
suddenly on Wednesday, Dec. 1,
2010, in Watervliet Township as
the result of a car accident.
Hermelinda was born Sept. 19,
1954, in Edinburg, Texas, the
daughter of Jesus and Consuelo
(Garza) De La Pena.
Hermelinda was employed as the food service manager at
Telamon Migrant Head Start in
Watervliet for 15 years. She
took great pride and joy in both
her children and grandchildren.
She had a great sense of humor
and could brighten up any room
she was in.
Hermelinda is survived by her husband, Rene; two
daughters, Irene Vela of
Hartford and Nora (Gerardo)
Aguirre of Watervliet; two sons,
Javier (Amanda) De La Pena and
Rene Vela Jr., both of Pharr,
Texas; 10 grandchildren; her
father, Jesus Hernandez De La
Pena of Pharr, Texas; three
sisters, Juana Recio of Chicago,
Graciela Saldana of Hartford and
Yvette De La Pena of Pharr,
Texas, three brothers, Francisco
De La Pena of Fresno, Calif.,
Ernesto De La Pena and Jesus De
La Pena Jr., both of Pharr.
Hermelinda was preceded in death by her mother,
Consuelo, and a granddaughter
Justice Victoria Cavazos.
There was a service to honor Hermelinda’s memory held
on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010, at
the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford. As to her wishes,
cremation followed the service.
|
Mabel R. Kerr,
age 86, passed away Tuesday,
Nov. 23, 2010, in Yuma, Ariz.
Born in Berrien County on Feb.
24, 1924, she graduated from
Watervliet High School. Her
husband of 60 years, William
Kerr, predeceased her in 2003.
For many years they had lived in Keeler, and then moved
to Hamilton, Ohio, followed by a
move to Tempe, Ariz., in 1962.
In 1972 they relocated to
Chandler, Ariz., where they
owned and operated Kerr’s New
and Used Furniture for a number
of years.
Mabel is survived by her three daughters, Georgia
(James) Merrick of Chandler,
Jean (Jerry) Albrecht of
O’Fallon, Ill., and Judy (Jay)
Irwin of Yuma, Ariz.; seven
grandchildren and 16
great-grandchildren. Her two
sisters, Lucile Richter of
Decatur and Rosella Jean McNair
(Tom) of Punta Gorda, Fla., also
mourn her passing.
Memorial donations may be made to: Hospice of Yuma,
1824 South 8th Ave., Yuma, Ariz.
85364.
|
 Rev.
Donna J. Page,
77, of Paw Paw, formerly of
Hartford, passed away on Friday,
Nov. 26, 2010, at the home of
her daughter.
Donna was born Jan. 29, 1933, in Lepanto, Ark., the
daughter of Lexi and Hazel
Martin, both of whom preceded
her in passing. Donna was also
preceded by a daughter, Donna
Page, and a sister, Shirley.
Donna was formerly employed at Contech Corporation in
Dowagiac. She was a faithful
minister of 45 years. She was a
member of New Beginning
Ministries in Bangor. She loved
her children and grandchildren
very much. She was truly a loved
woman of God.
Donna is survived by two daughters – Debbie (Bobby)
Owens of Paw Paw and Linda
Barber of Hartford; a son,
Richard Page of Benton Harbor;
her grandchildren – Robbie,
Jennifer, Lisa, Cristina, Shawn,
Tabatha and Annette; and her
great-grandchildren – Dylan,
Shaunda, Bradley, Jenna, Brian,
Emaly, Timothy, Kaylynn, Tyler,
Trever, Carsyn, Lainey, Lindsey,
Lilly, Jayden, Aaron, Romero,
Thaleiah and Ashley. Donna is
also survived by three brothers
– David Martin of Benton Harbor,
Kenny Martin of Florida and
Buster Martin; and two sisters,
Jeanette (Larry) Greathouse of
Tennessee and Nancy.
The family will receive friends on Monday, Nov. 29,
from 6 to 8 p.m. at Full Gospel
Assembly Church, Hartford, where
the service to honor her memory
will commence at 11 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 30, with Pastor
Shannon Truelove officiating.
Donna will be laid to rest in
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford.
|
|
Timothy Errol
Nyhuis,
58, of Hartford passed away
suddenly on Saturday, Nov. 20,
2010, at University Hospitals in
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Pastor Tim, as he was known, was
born Dec. 25, 1951, in Grand
Rapids, the son of Elvin and Ann
(Wells) Nyhuis.
Pastor Tim, a servant of God [Pastor of the Hartford
Federated Church], touched many
lives as he lived out the
compassion of Jesus. Every day
his life demonstrated his strong
faith in his Lord and Savior. He
showed a deep love for his
family, his church family, and
his many friends. He will be
remembered and missed as a
faithful husband and loving
father. Always ready with a
smile or hug to share, or a hand
to help any and all in need, he
characteristically put others
before himself. His heart beat
to minister to his community and
to reach the lost.
Tim loved to golf with his wife and best friend, Cindy, and
all his other golfing buddies.
An avid athlete and sports fan,
he enjoyed participating or
cheering on his favorite teams
as well as fishing with friends.
He also loved to travel and
spend time with the many people
who he held dear. He enjoyed his
book discussion group and had a
love for learning.
Pastor Tim was a graduate of River Valley High School,
Grand Rapids Baptist College and
Seminary, and received a Master
of Divinity degree from Trinity
Theological Seminary. Locally,
he was involved in the
following: Hartford Chamber of
Commerce, Grace Christian School
Board, jail ministry, Watervliet
Community Hospital chaplain,
Celebrate Recovery, church
choir, golf league, mission
trips, and much voluntary
coaching.
Pastor Tim will be greatly missed by all who knew and
were touched by him, but we have
blessed assurance that we will
see him again in Heaven. We have
been blessed to know and love
Tim, and will cherish our
memories of times spent with
him.
Pastor Tim married Cindy Kelsey on June 21, 1975, and
she survives along with their
daughter, Jenifer Nyhuis of
Chicago, his parents, Elvin and
Ann Nyhuis of Hartford, his
siblings: Guy (Nancy) Nyhuis of
Otsego, Paul (Sylvia) Nyhuis of
Alto, Margaret (Mark) Baeza of
Liberty Hill TX, Thomas (Jeanie)
Nyhuis of Buchanan and Beth Ann
(Jeff) Rumbaugh of Reisterstown
MD. Tim is also survived by his
father and mother-in-law, George
and Thelma Kelsey of Milan,
brotherin-law, Lee (Dorothy)
Kelsey of Ypsilanti,
sisters-in-law, Linda (Marvin)
Schultz of Milan, Marion Compton
of Ypsilanti, many nieces,
nephews, his church family and
friends.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6
to 8 p.m. today, Nov. 23, at the
Hartford Federated Church. The
service to honor Pastor Tim’s
memory will commence at 1 p.m.
on Wednesday, Nov. 24, at the
Grace Christian School in
Watervliet. Pastor Tim will be
laid to rest in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford. In lieu of
flowers, memorials in Pastor
Tim’s name may be made to the
Hartford Federated Church or to
Grace Christian School.
Even
the youths shall faint and be
weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall;
But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run, and not
be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint.
Isaiah 29, 30
In memory of
Pastor Tim and the young people
from the Hartford Federated
Church Youth Groups who passed
on before him; Ted Perry,
Jamie Wilkens 1986, Wesley
Peterson 1988,
Parnelli Gregory 1997,
Andrew Collins, and Donna
Squires 2006.
Pastor Tim and his wife, Cindy,
ministered 32 years at the
Hartford Federated Church; as
Youth Pastor
1977-1986
and Sr. Pastor 1986-2010.
|
Helen Dunning,
93, of Coloma passed away
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, at the
Community Hospital in
Watervliet.
Funeral services celebrating her
life will be held at 11 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Midway
Baptist Church, 7517 Red Arrow
Highway, in Watervliet, with the
Rev. Mark Cowell officiating.
Burial will follow at the
Watervliet Cemetery. Visitation
will be held Monday from 5 to 8
p.m. at the Davidson Chapel of
Florin Funeral Service, 249 E.
Center St., Coloma. Memorial
donations may be made to either
the North Berrien Senior Center
or to a charity of the donor’s
choice. Those wishing to send
the family a message of
condolence may do so online at
www.florin.net.
Helen was born Feb. 26, 1917, in Hartford. She was the
youngest of 13 children born to
Frank Shafer and Lenora Cook.
Helen married Virgil F. Dunning
on Jan. 8, 1943, and together
had two daughters. She was “93
years young” and still enjoyed
life and adventure. She enjoyed
outdoor activities including
going on scenic car rides,
cardinals, and particularly
bonfires and barbecues, which
included having her family
nearby.
She will be remembered for humor and “always had
something to say to make you
laugh.” She enjoyed watching
classic television programs,
doing word search puzzles, golf
and bowling. Helen was “a giver”
who was willing to help those in
need.
She never forgot dates of interest or anyone’s
birthday. Most of all, Helen
cherished time spent with her
family – especially her
grandchildren,
greatgrandchildren and
greatgreat-grandchildren.
Helen is survived by her daughter, Gloria (Pat) Yore of
Watervliet; grandchildren, Scott
(Sandra) Yore and Kimberly (Tim)
Bartee; great-grandchildren –
Scott, Sean, Dustin, Jonathon,
Timothy, Madison and Sydney; two
greatgreat-grandchildren, Kaylee
and Kayden; and numerous nieces
and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Helen was preceded in death
by her husband, Virgil, in 1997;
a daughter, Maureen Kaye Dunning
in 2001; 12 brothers and
sisters; and a grandson, Shawn
Allen Yore.
NOTE:
Helen was a
1936 graduate of Hartford
High School.
|
 Myrtle
Earlene Sibley,
84, of Coloma, passed away
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, at her
home.
Myrtle was born April 26, 1926, in Bradford, Ark., the
daughter of Floyd and Flossie
(Holmes) Brinsfield, both of
whom preceded her in passing.
Also preceding her in passing
were her husband, Edward Sibley,
in 1984; a son, Randy Sibley;
two sisters, Allene Hamill and
Jewel Fritz; and a brother,
Roy Brinsfield.
Myrtle was a graduate of Hartford High School.
Myrtle is survived by three sons: Larry (Agnes) Sibley,
Timothy Sibley and Anthony
Sibley, all of Coloma; seven
grandchildren: Larry, Roger,
Bonnie, Jane, Jennifer, Samantha
and Stephanie; and fifteen
great-grandchildren: Larry,
Sarah, Randy, Katie, Shanna,
Elyssia, Amanda, Justin, Lynn,
Timothy, Logan, Theresa, James,
Vivian and Leigha.
The family will welcome friends from 11 a.m. to noon
Monday, Nov. 22, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. A
graveside service to honor her
memory will commence at noon
Monday, Nov. 22, at the Maple
Hill Cemetery, Hartford, where
Chaplain Barbara VanEck of
Borgess Visiting Nurse and
Hospice will officiate. In lieu
of flowers, memorial donations
in Myrtle’s name may be made to
the Sibley Family Account,
courtesy of Fifth Third Bank.
|
Richard Alan
O’Neal,
53, of Hartford passed away on
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, at his
home following his valiant
eight-year battle with cancer.
Funeral services will be held at
1 p.m. today at Duffield &
Pastrick Family Funeral Home in
Coloma. Burial will follow in
Keeler Cemetery.
Visitation was held from 5 to 7
p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Those wishing to leave the
family a message of comfort may
do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Memorials may be made to the
family in care of the funeral
home.
Rick was born on Aug. 7, 1957, in Paw Paw to Homer and
Bonita (Bavis) O’Neal. He and
his wife of 34 years, Debra,
were married on Feb. 23, 1976.
Rick began work at Modern
Plastics in Benton Harbor where
he worked his way up to a
supervisory level. He then
worked for Atlantic Automotive
in Benton Harbor for 16 years as
a supervisor until his illness.
He and Debra were also the
former owners and operators of
the Warren Mansion Homes AFC for
many years.
Rick loved to hunt, fish and work on his cars, but his
greatest love was his
grandchildren. Rick was a loving
husband and a fantastic father
who was also like a second dad
to many of his children’s
friends. He was admired by many
and will be greatly missed by
all.
Richard is survived by his wife, Debra; his son,
Richard (fiancée Melissa
Johnson) O’Neal Jr. of Hartford;
his two daughters, Jeanie
(James) Fritz of Hartford and
Jessica O’Neal of Kalamazoo; his
mother, Bonita O’Neal of
Greenbrier, Ark.; 23 brothers
and sisters, Cathy (Mike)
Meagher, Diane Evans, Don
O’Neal, Glen (Sue) O’Neal, Becky
Speck, Jon (Carol) O’Neal, Dale
(Lucy) O’Neal, Laura O’Neal,
Randy (Teresa) O’Neal, H.J.
(Rhonda) O’Neal Jr., MaryAnn (Gip)
Gibson, Doris (David) Swor,
Norma (J.D.) Dupree, Louise
(Joel) White, David (Connie)
O’Neal, Linda (Steve) Crawford,
June Ryan, Helen (Glen) Small,
Ruth Clark, Jeanie O’Neal, Bruce
(Debbie) O’Neal, Joe Absher and
Dorothy (Jeff) Wheeler; Pat
Tarintino-O’Neal who was like a
son to Rick; four grandchildren,
Logan and Connor Fritz and
Taylor and Tristin O’Neal; and
many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Brandy
Nicole, and his father Homer.
|
Charles B. White,
65, Byron Center, Mich.,
formerly of Hartford,
died Nov. 6 at home. Cook
Funeral Home, Byron Center.
616-878-9744.
|
Terrance Fream
Rice,
62, of Hartford passed away
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, at home.
Terry, as he was known by everyone, was born March 4,
1948, in Grand Rapids, the son
of Claude and Arys (Shockey)
Rice.
Terry
served his country proudly in
the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam
War. After his military
duty, Terry was employed at the
Watervliet Paper Mill for 17
years, leaving there to become
the groundskeeper at Blossom
Trails Golf Club in Benton
Township, where he was a
dedicated and loyal employee for
another 17 years. In his spare
time he was a true Tigers, Lions
and Red Wings fan and never
wavered from that, even when
they were not doing so well.
However, his most enjoyable
times were spent with his nieces
and nephews.
Terry is survived by his three children – Shawn
(Natalie Stefani) Rice, Kimberly
(James) Ryan and Tiffany (Jami)
Allmon, all of Hartford. Terry
is also survived by eight
grandchildren – Christopher
Rice, Jacob Rice, Joshua Ryan,
Gage Rice, Jesse Rice, Junior
Rice, Mathew Ryan and Dylan
Rice; one granddaughter, Kelsi
Rice; his mother, Arys Rice of
Hartford; and a brother, Douglas
Shockey, and a sister,
Jacqueline (Michael) Johnson,
both of Hartford.
Terry was preceded in death by his father, Claude, and
a brother, Scott Rice.
The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. Military
rites will commence at 2 p.m.
conducted by VFW Post 1137, VFW
Post 6803, American Legion Post
362 and their auxiliary.
Following the military rites
will be a memorial service to
honor Terry’s memory with Pastor
Wayne Davis of His Place
Cathedral of Faith Church of
Covert officiating. Those
wishing to make a memorial in
Terry’s name may do so with the
family.
|
Bobbi Jo Tidey,
52, of Hartford, passed away on
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, at her
home.
Bobbi was born Aug. 20, 1958, in Watervliet, the
daughter of Barcey (Faith)
Rogers and Shirley
Johnson-Rogers. Bobbi worked at
Quality Assured Plastics in
Lawrence and Coloma Frozen
Foods.
Bobbi is survived by a daughter, Natasha Tidey of Grand
Rapids; a son, Larry (Sarah)
Simpson of Arkansas; her
grandchildren – Daisy, Alaina,
A.J., Austin, Cameron, Ivy,
Jesse and Maygen; her father and
stepmother, Barcey (Faith)
Rogers of Decatur; a sister,
Vera Rogers of Hartford; and
four brothers – Robert
(Michelle) Rogers of Tennessee,
Paul Rogers of Hartford, Richard
Rogers of Bangor and Raymond
(Patricia) Rogers of Elkhart,
Ind.
Bobbi was preceded in death by her mother, Shirley
Rogers, in 2001; and a daughter,
Tiffanny, in 1986.
Bobbi was a very caring mother to her children and her
grandchildren, and they will
dearly miss her.
The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7, at Lake Michigan
Beach Faith Fellowship Community
Church, 3481 Ohio, Hagar
Township, where the service to
honor her memory will commence
at 5 p.m., with Pastor Douglas
Dunn officiating. There will be
no interment as cremation will
follow the service. In lieu of
flowers, memorials in Bobbi’s
name may be made to the church.
Calvin Funeral Home is assisting the family.
|
Jane Freestone,
87, of Lawrence,
away peacefully Sunday
evening, October 17, 2010 at
her home. She was born August
11, 1923 in Paw Paw the
daughter of
 the
late Clarence A. and Faye
Marie (Joy) Brown.
Jane was a
teacher for 29 years, teaching
in Diamondale, Hartford,
Lawrence and Paw Paw.
In 1970 Jane developed the
first all day Kindergarten in
the state of Michigan. She was
a 50 year plus member of the
Lawrence United Methodist
Church and a member of Trinity
United Methodist Church while
living in Sarasota, FL. She
was a life member of the
Lawrence Chapter Order of
Eastern Star and was one of
the original "Hill Toppers"
from Western Michigan
University. Jane's love of God
and love of people had a
profound effect on everyone
she met.
On February 7, 1945 in Norfolk, VA Jane was united in
marriage to Kenneth R.
Freestone who preceded her in
death on October 11, 1991. She
was also preceded in death by
a sister, Willow Brown.
Surviving are a son, David (Christie) Freestone of
Alma, Michigan; 2 daughters,
Diane (Thomas Surprise) of
Lawrence, MI; and Pam (Dick)
Nivala of Kalamazoo; grandson,
Craig Freestone of Tecumseh,
MI.
Family will receive friends Monday (10/25) 9:30 a.m. to
10:30 a.m. at the Adams
Funeral Home, Paw Paw, where a
memorial service will be held
following visitation at 10:30
a.m. with Pastor Jeanne Kucks
officiating. Interment of
Cremains will be in Fort
Custer National Cemetery,
Augusta, MI. Memorial
contributions may be made to
Hospice of Southwest Michigan,
Trinity United Methodist
Church, Sarasota, FL or the
Lawrence United Methodist
Church Food Pantry.
|
Bernardene Velma
Ellis,
84, Keeler, died Oct. 16 at
home. Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, 621-4101. Additional
information will be posted when
available.
|
|
Oralia Garza de
Romero,
81, of Hartford
passed away Saturday, Oct. 16,
2010, at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center, St. Joseph,
after a long and courageous
 battle
with heart disease.
Oralia was born May 8, 1929 (8) in General Teran,
Mexico, to Lorenzo Garza and San
Juanita Montalvo de Garza, both
of whom preceded her in passing.
Also preceding her in passing
are her husband, Manuel Romero,
a daughter, Diana Castillo, a
greatgranddaughter, Jordan
Manciaz and two sisters, Theresa
Garza de Vasquez and Francisca
Garza de Moya.
Oralia married her late husband, Manuel, in 1949 and
together they raised nine
beautiful children. She was a
loving mother and wife for 60
years. She was also known for
her caring and giving spirit to
the community and was devoted to
assisting her husband in his
work and ambitions. Outside of
her family life, her favorite
pastime was watching Major
League Baseball.
Oralia is survived by three daughters, Graciela
(Alfonzo) Chavez of Hartford,
Leticia (Luis) Aranda of
Lawrence and Tabatha Perry of
Mississippi; five sons, Juan
(Sharon) Romero of Illinois,
Gerardo (Luisa) Romero of
Maryland, Aldo Romero and
Lorenzo Romero, both of Hartford
and Rodolfo (Crystal) Romero of
Coloma. She is also survived by
29 grandchildren, 31
greatgrandchildren, two
brothers, Lorenzo Garza and
Rodolfo Garza and two sisters,
Natalia Garza and Dora Garza.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the
Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church, Hartford, where a Mass
of Christian Burial to honor her
memory will be celebrated at
1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21.
Father Fabio Garzon will serve
as celebrant. Burial will follow
in Maple Hill Cemetery,
Hartford. Memorial donations in
Oralia’s name may be made to the
family. The family has entrusted
the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with handling the
arrangements.
|
|
Lupe Eubunce
Reyna,
58, of Grand Junction passed
away Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010, at
his home.
 Lupe
was born July 5, 1952, in
Tyronza, Ark., the son of Bobby
and Dora (Solis) Reyna, both of
whom preceded him in passing.
Also preceding him in passing
are a nephew, Nach Reyna, a
granddaughter, Devon Ryba and a
grandson, A.J. Merritt.
Lupe retired from Perrigo of Allegan in July 2007. He
also was formerly employed at
Fruit Belt Foods of Lawrence,
McLemore Auto and the Main
Tavern of Hartford.
Lupe married the former Kim Lamson on Aug. 10, 2007.
She survives, along with
children and stepchildren,
Rosemary Reyna of Grand
Junction, Larry (Brenda) Merritt
of Hartford, Christina (Glenn)
Pruitt of Louisiana, Ricky
(Linda) Merritt and Mickie
(Richard) Andrews, both of
Hartford, Dale (Teresa) Merritt
of Lawrence, Eubunce (Gina)
Reyna of Hartford, Beverly (Jeromie)
Johnson of Lawrence, Joshua
(Cary) Johnson of Lawton, Lupe
Reyna of Kalamazoo, Vanessa
Stewart of Grand Junction, John
Hewitt of Pennsylvania, Sara
Hewitt of Allegan, Lori Hewitt
of Mattawan and Felina Snider of
Grand Junction. He is also
survived by numerous
grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; eight
brothers, Bobby Reyna of South
Haven, Johnny Reyna of Oregon,
Eddie Reyna of Texas, Pete Reyna
of South Haven, Paul Reyna of
Lawrence, Raymond Reyna of
Texas, Rudy (Becky) Reyna of
Mattawan and Robert Reyna of
Kalamazoo; and a sister, Mary
(Jose) Rodarte of Hartford.
The family will welcome friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct.
21, at the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford. The service to honor
his memory will commence at 11
a.m. Friday, Oct. 22, at the
Hartford Church of God, where
Pastor Eric Jackson will
officiate. Burial will follow in
Breedsville Cemetery. In lieu of
flowers, memorial donations in
Lupe’s name may be made to West
Michigan Cancer Center.
|
Virgil M.
Wessendorf,
90, of Eau
Claire, formerly of Benton
Harbor, passed away Friday, Oct.
15, 2010, in the comfort of her
family.
A Celebration of Life Service
will be held at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Starks &
Menchinger Family Funeral Home,
2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph,
with Pastor Steven Small
officiating. Burial will be held
at a later date at North Shore
Memory Gardens in Hagar Shores.
Friends may visit from 6 to 8
p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the
funeral home. Memorials may be
made to Hospice at Home. Those
wishing to sign the memory book
online may do so at
www.starks-menchinger.com.
Virgil was born Feb. 14, 1920, in Benton Harbor, to
Forrest and Margarite
(Christensen) Shire. She
graduated from St. Joseph High
School in 1937. On Sept. 8,
1939, she married Albert
Wessendorf Jr. in St. Joseph.
Virgil worked for Heath Co. as
an administrative assistant and
retired in 1982. In her spare
time she enjoyed knitting,
boating, golfing, dogs, and
camping, visiting every state
but Alaska and Hawaii. Most of
all she loved spending time with
family and friends.
Virgil is survived by her two daughters, Shirley (John)
Strawbridge of Eau Claire, and
Jean Wessendorf of Hartford;
three sons –
Forrest Wessendorf
of Eau Claire, William
Wessendorf of Niles, and David (Rosellen)
Wessendorf of Rio Rico, Ariz.;
17 grandchildren; 28
great-grandchildren; and sister,
Vera Sluys of Grand Rapids,
Mich.
She was preceded in death by her parents; sister,
Mildred Clark; and the love of
her life, Albert on June 22,
2007.
NOTE:
Virgil formerly resided in
Hartford and all of her children
were Hartford High School
graduates.
|
Marilyn Jean
Hoeckelberg,
68, of Hartford passed away
unexpectedly Friday morning,
Oct. 15, 2010, at Watervliet
Community Hospital.
Cremation has taken place, and the family will host a
memorial service at a later
date. Duffield & Pastrick Family
Funeral Home is assisting in the
arrangements. Those wishing to
leave a message of comfort for
the family may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Memorial donations in Marilyn’s
memory may be made to the Humane
Society of Southwestern Michigan
and sent in care of the funeral
home.
Marilyn was born on July 21, 1942, in Valparaiso, Ind.
She was one of six children of
Henry and Louise (Wright)
Wilson. On July 8, 1962, she
married Bernhard Hoeckelberg,
and the couple raised their
family of four sons and one
daughter. She enjoyed going to
rummage sales and loved to adorn
her yard with her treasures.
Marilyn was also an avid
birdwatcher with feeders placed
throughout her yard. Her
greatest love though was her
children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband, Bernhard; her children
– Bernhard (Jean) Hoeckelberg of
Hartford, Thure (Tracey)
Hoeckelberg of Jacksonville,
Fla., Gene (Patty) Hoeckelberg
of Stevensville, Cassie (John)
Bell of South Haven, and Albert
(Sherri) Hoeckelberg of
Plymouth, Ind.; brothers – Henry
Wilson of Texas, Roy (Sheryl)
Wilson of Westville, Ind., and
Don Wilson of Chesterton, Ind.;
sisters Lilah (Paul) Ling of
Chesterton and Patricia (Kurt)
Thayer of Florida; 11
grandchildren; and one
great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
|
Trinity Nicole
Wolford,
27, of Hartford
died Oct. 11, 2010, from
injuries sustained in an
automobile accident.
Trinity was born in St. Joseph on Dec. 22, 1982, the
daughter of Daniel and Deborah
(Fisher) Wolford. She is
survived by her son, Camden
Wolford; and her mother,
Deborah.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Full Gospel
Apostolic Church, 32560 56th
Ave., Paw Paw. Floral
arrangements may be sent
directly to the church before 2
p.m. Friday, or Saturday morning
until the time of service.
Please visit Trinity’s personal Web page at www.lifestorynet.com,
where you can archive a favorite
memory and sign her online guest
book.
Arrangements by Life Story
Funeral Homes, Betzler &
Thompson – Paw Paw; (800)
822-7594.
NOTE: Trinity was a 2001
Hartford High School graduate.
|
Charles Bryce Engle,
70,
of Bainbridge
Township passed away on Monday,
Oct. 11, 2010. A memorial
service will be held at 11 a.m.
Thursday, Oct. 14, at
 Sarett
Nature Center, 2300 North Benton
Center Road, Benton Township. A
military burial will follow at 1
p.m. at Hartford Maple Hill
Cemetery.
Born in Lawrence, Bryce was the son of the late Kathryn
Louise (Lee) and Charles “Red”
Engle. He was preceded in death
by his wife of 34 years, Sandra
Joann (Drake).
Surviving are two daughters, Tristan (Michael) Engle-Maney
and Meghan Engle; his brothers
Jim (Gail) and Roger (Ann)
Engle; sister, Sarah (Jack)
Rolback; and one granddaughter,
Hannah “J” Maney.
A master gardener, grandfather and avid teacher, Bryce
enjoyed his retirement. He was
passionate about his work with
The Opportunity Center,
Heartland Alliance, Habitat for
Humanity and Benton Harbor
schools ’education-fundraising
through gardening' with emphasis
in McCord Elementary School
Greenhouse.
Bryce, a Navy veteran, served on
the USS Berkeley;
graduated from Western Michigan
University with a B.S. in
history, and was the director of
building and grounds for the
Buchanan and South Haven public
school systems.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made
to Sarett Nature Center, Habitat
for Humanity and the Opportunity
Center. At 11:30 a.m. Saturday,
Oct. 16, the McCord Elementary
Greenhouse will be hosting a
workday for anyone interested in
helping for the day.
The family has entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with handling of
arrangements.
NOTE:
Charles was a
1958 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
Brenda Jo
(McKie) Calloway,
43, of Hartford passed
away Monday, Oct. 11,
2010 at Watervliet
Community Hospital.
Cremation has taken
place. A memorial
service will be held 2
p.m. Friday, Oct. 15 at
Duffield & Pastrick
Family Funeral Home in
Coloma, where the family
will receive friends
from 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday. Burial of her
ashes will be in Fish
Cemetery in Covert.
Those wishing to leave
an online message of
comfort for the family
may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Brenda was born Oct. 20, 1966, in South Haven, to John
and Helen (Martin) McKie.
Brenda was a special
lady who was always
willing to share
whatever she had with
anyone. Coming to visit,
you always left with
something if she thought
you could use it. Brenda
will be greatly missed
by family and friends,
often praying for those
she felt needed it.
Survivors include her parents, Helen and Larry Polashak
of Watervliet; brother,
Adam (Cathi) McKie of
Wabash, Ind.; nieces and
nephews, Jeffery, Nicole
and Lindsey McKie of
Wabash, Ind.; a special
friend, Dave Johnson and
his daughter Heather and
granddaughter Isabella.
Also surviving are her
special dogs, Smoochie
and Earl; and several
aunts, uncles and
cousins.
Brenda was preceded in death by her father, John McKie;
brothers, John and
Jeffery McKie; and
grandparents, John and
Beatrice Martin, John
and Vera McKie and Carl
and June Polashak.
|
Victor Wilkinson, age
75, and Judith
Wilkinson, age 70
- passed away Saturday
October 9, 2010
following injuries
received in an
automobile accident in
 Tennessee.
Victor, born on March 31st 1935 in Beaverton to Irvin
and Alice (Hughes)
Wilkinson, he was
preceded in death by his
brother Vern and sister
Magdalene. He is
survived by brothers,
Dwight, Robert and
sisters Mildred and
Mary.
Mr. Wilkinson graduated
from Hartford HS in 1953
and Michigan Tech
University receiving a
B.S. of Metallurgy.
He also served in the US
Army as an Officer.
He worked in the
Aeronautics Industry for
General Electric and
Howmet Corp. as the
General Manager at
facilities in Plymouth
MI and Exeter, England.
He maintained a thriving
sales business for
several years after
Howmet.
Judith, born on July 2nd 1940 in Alton, IL to Dana D.
and Margaret L. (Englage)
Heter is survived by
brothers Tom, Dana II;
and sisters Betty and
Cynthia.
Both Victor and Judith are survived by children Vicki
(Mike) Yurick, Jennifer
(Paul) Cooper, Bruce
(Tracey) Wilkinson,
Pamela (Greg) Zinn; and
7 grandchildren (Sean,
Colin, Andrea, Sydney,
Bryan, Marissa, and
Cameron). Judith
graduated from Parkview
H.S. Springfield, MO in
1958.
She met and married Victor on November 21st, 1959 while
Victor was stationed at
Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
They made their first
home in Michigan (Royal
Oak, Farmington, and
Northville).
Upon retiring, Victor and Judith continued to make
wonderful memories while
sharing in a Bed and
Breakfast (Macon GA) and
an Antique trading
business.
Visitation for
Victor and Judith is to
be held on Friday,
October 15th from 4-8
pm, and a service on
Saturday at 11:00 A.M.
at Keehn Funeral Home,
706 West Main St.
Brighton, MI.
(810) 229-9871.
A memorial for friends
in TN to be held in
November (details to
follow). In lieu of
flowers the family has
suggested making
contributions to World
Vision International or
to the United Way.
Published in Knoxville
News Sentinel on
October 13, 2010
The driver and passenger
killed in a single-car crash
on Interstate 75 early
Saturday evening have been
identified as a couple from
Loudon.
According to Tennessee
Highway Patrol reports,
Judith Wilkinson, 70, was
driving the PT Cruiser which
was headed northbound on the
Interstate.
The crash occurred about 6
p.m. near mile marker 21.
Her husband, Victor
Wilkinson, 75, was the
passenger in the vehicle.
Trooper Gray Gibson, who is in charge of the
investigation, said Saturday
that the Wilkinsons were
headed northbound on I-75
when they reportedly left
the roadway on the left
side, overcorrected toward
the right and struck an
embankment and rolled
several times before coming
to a stop. Gibson’s
information came from
witness accounts.
Cleveland Fire Department, Tennessee Department of
Transportation, Bradley
County Emergency Medical
Service and Bradley County
Sheriff’s Office deputies
responded to the scene;
however, both occupants of
the vehicle died on the
scene. Both victims were
reportedly wearing their
seat belts. Troopers
were able to get one lane of
the roadway reopened after
about an hour.
Also assisting Gibson at the scene were troopers Thomas
Clower and Sgt. Tim Aslinger.
Published in the Cleveland
Daily Banner.
NOTE: Victor was a
1953 Hartford High School
graduate. He was a member of
the
1953 Basketball team who
lost the State championship by
3 points in overtime on a
couple of referees' decisions.
|
Donna Lee
Cockerel,
76, of Coloma passed away
Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010 at her
residence with her family
present.
A memorial service will be held
at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Full
Gospel Assembly, 510 E. Snow
Road in Berrien Springs.
Visitation with the family will
begin one hour prior to the
service. Memorial donations may
be made to the family or to
Hospice at Home. Duffield &
Pastrick Family Funeral Home in
Coloma is assisting the family
in the arrangements. Those
wishing to leave a message of
comfort for the family may do so
at www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Donna was born on Oct. 14, 1933, in Chicago to George
and Evelyn (Habel) Brady. As a
young girl she grew up in
Chicago prior to moving to
Benton Harbor. She also resided
in the Coloma-Hartford area. As
a young teen she was a talented
roller skater and won many
awards. Donna loved camping and
traveling the countryside, but
her most precious love was her
family and grandchildren, who
will greatly miss her.
Donna is survived by her four sons, Harold (Rose)
Shuck, St. Joseph, Lloyd Glupker,
Darrell Glupker and Rodney
(Jennifer) Cockeral, all of
Coloma; her daughter, Brenda
Glupker, St. Joseph; her brother
Harold Brady, Sister Lakes; and
eight grandchildren, Shelley
Shell, Kristal Shuck, Jeremy,
Brandon, Nicole, and Darrell J.
Glupker, and Celorissa and
Shyanne Cockerel; and three
greatgrandchildren. She will
also be missed by many nieces
and nephews, especially her
loving niece Kathy Hart of
Coloma.
Mrs. Cockerel was preceded in death by her parents; her
son Martin Glupker, and her
sister Georgia Brady Nimtz.
|
Gloria Jean Miller,
66, of Decatur, passed away
suddenly on Friday, Oct. 8,
2010, at home.
Gloria was born Jan. 28, 1944, in Hayti, Mo., the
daughter of Melton and
Hazel (Murphy) Cole, both of
whom precede her in passing. She
was also preceded by her
stepfather, Howard Ward, who
raised her as his own.
Gloria was a graduate of Hartford High School. She was
a deputy with the Cass County
Sheriff’s Office, worked as a
security guard with the Cook
Nuclear Plant and at Midwest
Fastener Co. for 10 years.
In her spare time she enjoyed playing cards, gambling
and doing all kinds of crossword
puzzles.
Gloria was a loving mother to her children, Edwin
(Brenda) Hollenbeck of
Cassopolis, Gary Hollenbeck of
Dowagiac, Melissa Goss of
Hartford and Frank (Tammy)
Miller of Decatur. Her most
precious times were spent with
her grandchildren: Alisha,
Devin, Heather, Kara Beth,
Jordan, Riley, Shelby and Mason;
and her three
great-grandchildren.
Gloria is also survived by: two brothers,
Ray (Beverly) Cole of St.
Joseph and Steve (Bernadette)
Cole of Traverse City; and three
sisters, Sue (Mike) Duffy of
Benton Harbor, Lynne (Tim)
Melvin of Vicksburg and Darlene
(James) Henderson of Hartford.
Her family will welcome friends on Tuesday, Oct. 12,
from 6 to 8 p.m. at Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The
service to honor Gloria’s memory
will commence at 10 a.m.
Wednesday Oct. 13, at the
funeral home.
Gloria will be laid to rest in Keeler Cemetery.
Those wishing to make a memorial in Gloria’s name may
do so with the charity of their
choice.
Note: Gloria was a
1962
Hartford High School graduate.
|
Dorothy Ilowene
Smithley,
77, of Hartford passed away
suddenly on Sunday, Sept. 26,
2010, at Community Hospital,
Watervliet.
Dot, as she was known by all who
knew her, was born April 8,
1933, in Batesville, Ark., the
daughter of David and Deverlan
(Lamb) Downs, both of whom
preceded her in passing. Also
preceding Dot was a sister, Dee
McFall.
Dot graduated from Coloma High School. She married
Ronald Smithley on Aug. 22,
1953, and together they owned
and operated Ron-Dot Floral and
Greenery in Hartford for more
than 25 years. She was a loyal
and faithful member of the
Hartford Federated Church where
she often sang either solos or
duets with Bob Lightner. Dot was
also a gifted painter who did
many paintings for family and
friends.
Dot is survived by her husband, Ron, of 57 years. She
is also survived by their
children, Mark (Donna) Smithley
and Gregg Smithley, both of
Hartford; five grandchildren,
Brandon Smithley of St. Louis,
Mo., Daniel (April) Smithley of
Lakeview, S.C., Toni (Clarence
Ward Jr.) Smithley of Flint,
Tyler Smithley and Brier
Smithley, both of Hartford; nine
great-grandchildren, Khole,
Brooke, Danyelle, Dirk, Alex,
Lily, Alex, Aiden and Katierra;
a brother, Bill (Jeanie) Downs;
and a sister, Valerie “Faye”
Diltz, both of Florida; and
special friends, Mona Praydon
and Irma Gregory.
As to Dot’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A
memorial service to honor her
memory will commence at 5 p.m.
on Thursday, Sept. 30, at the
Hartford Federated Church with
Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Dot’s name may be made
to the church. The family has
entrusted the Calvin Funeral
Home of Hartford with the
arrangements. |
Sue Ellen Munjoy,
62 of Hartford
passed away Saturday, Sept. 25,
2010, at Borgess Medical Center,
Kalamazoo.
Sue was born March 23, 1948, in South Haven, the
daughter of John and Eunice
(Beatty) Munjoy, both of whom
preceded her in passing. She was
also preceded in passing by two
brothers,
David Munjoy
and
John Munjoy.
Sue liked watching old movies, riding her bike and completing puzzles out
of books.
Sue is survived by her daughter, Kathy Munjoy (Martin
Wilcoxson) of Hartford; lifelong
companion, Sherman Sanders of
Hartford; a brother, Brian
Maurig; and a sister, Vicki
Peterson of Kansas.
As per Sue’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a
memorial service to honor her
memory will be held on
Friday, October 15 at 12:00 p.m.
at the
Hartford Federated Church in
Hartford.
The family has entrusted the
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford,
with handling the arrangements.
Note:
Sue was a 1969 Hartford High
School graduate.
|
Raymond C. Bock
Jr.,
79, of Watervliet died
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, at
his residence surrounded by his
family.
A service celebrating his life
will be held 11 a.m. Saturday,
Sept. 25, at Duffield & Pastrick
Family Funeral Home in Coloma.
Visitation will be held from 5
to 8 p.m. today at the funeral
home, with Masonic Rites
conducted at 7 p.m. Burial will
be in Hill Cemetery in Lawrence.
Donations in Ray’s memory may be
made to Hospice at Home of South
Haven or to the Coloma United
Methodist Church. Those wishing
to leave an online message of
comfort for the family may do so
at www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Ray was born June 8, 1931, in Lawrence to Raymond and
Vera (Anders) Bock Sr. He
retired from Whirlpool Corp. in
1987 after 32 years of service.
He was formerly employed part
time by Florin Funeral Service.
Ray was a member of the Coloma
United Methodist Church and
Coloma Masonic Lodge 162. In
addition he was a Past Patron of
Watervliet OES Chapter 232, Past
Master of Watervliet Masonic
Lodge 308 and Past Commander of
Malta Commandre.
Ray is survived his wife, Florence “Bunnie” (Bachman)
whom he married Dec. 17, 1950,
in Coloma; five children, David
(Belinda Farnworth) Bock of
Evart, Mich., Carole (Kevin)
Kanouse of Hartford, Lorrie
(Brad) Reed of Grand Rapids, Deb
(Bruce) Becker of Coloma, Alan
(Samantha) Bock of St. Joseph;
one sister, Carlene (Gerald)
Freier of Benton Harbor. Also
surviving are five
grandchildren, Michelle (Shaun)
Harner, Joe (Jennie) Reed,
Dustin (Ashley) Bock, Jessica
(Matt) Ensing, Christian Clune;
and eight great-grandchildren,
Jeremy, Ryan, Lucas, Ella, Ryan,
Alexis, McKayla and Lauren.
Ray was preceded in death by two sisters, Roslyn Mills
and
Marjorie Johnson, and a
brother, Donald “Bud” Swanson.
NOTE:
Raymond was a
1949 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
Eunice Collins,
61, of Hartford passed away
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, at
her home.
Eunice was born Sept. 3, 1949,
in Fort Worth, Texas, the
daughter of Les and Margie
(Poole) Spradley, both of whom
preceded her in passing. Also
preceding her in passing were a
son, Teddy Hutchinson, a
granddaughter, Nicole Hutchinson
and two brothers; Garfield
Spradley and James Spradley.
Eunice was formerly employed with First of America Bank
and Kalamazoo College, and also
owned and operated her own
business, Bride N’ Formal, when
she lived in Texas. Her most joy
in life, though, were times
spent tidying up her garden and
time spent with her family,
especially the grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Eunice married Ward Collins on Jan. 16, 1981. He
survives, along with two sons,
Jimmy (Laura) Hutchinson and
Charles Hutchinson, both of
Burleson, Texas; a daughter,
Kim (Patrick) Mathewson of Three
Oaks; grandchildren, Nathan,
Matthew, Myke, Joellyn, Leigha,
Taylor and Lanie; three
great-grandchildren; and two
sisters, Martha (Bud) Ward of
Joshua, Texas, and Carol Collier
of Glen Rose, Texas.
The family will welcome friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 25, at the
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford,
where the funeral service to
honor her memory will commence
at 1 p.m. Pastor Seldon Collins
will officiate. Burial will
follow the service in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford.
|
Katherine “Katie”
Stout,
21, of Benton Harbor died
suddenly Sunday, Sept.19, 2010,
in Coloma.
A service celebrating her life
will be held 11 a.m. Friday at
Duffield & Pastrick Family
Funeral Home in Coloma, where
visitation will be from 5 to 8
p.m. Thursday. Cremation will
take place following the
service. Donations in Katie’s
memory may be made to the Humane
Society of Southwestern Michigan
or to the charity of the donor’s
choice. Those wishing to leave
an online message of comfort for
the family may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Katie was born April 6, 1989, in South Haven. She
graduated from Hartford High
School in 2007, where she
lettered in track and cross
country. She was a five-year
member of HIEV, where she played
clarinet, she participated in
Winter Guard and put her sassy
attitude to good use in school
plays and drama, landing the
part of Dorothy in the 2007
production of the Wizard of Oz.
Katie was also a seven-year
member of the Baroda Pigs R Us
4H group, showing goats,
chickens and turkeys at the
Berrien County Youth Fair. She
was currently employed at Hagar
Bar & Grill in Hagar Shores.
Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Shirley
JoAnn Stout and Jim Wheeler;
father and stepmother, Terry
and Roselle Stout; sisters,
Erica Dashner and Sara (Abel)
Apreza, along with a special
nephew, Aiden Apreza. She is
also survived by her
grandparents, Wennonah Stout and
Clate Myers; boyfriend, Aaron
Benitez, and many aunts, uncles
and cousins.
Katie was preceded in death by her grandparents,
Shirley and Ralph “Red” Huggens;
grandfather, Arlo Stout; and
great-grandparents, Lyle and
Doris Norris.
|
James O. French,
90, of Bangor passed away
Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, at his
home.
The family will meet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on
Wednesday at the Bangor Chapel,
D. L. Miller Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be at 11
a.m. on Thursday at the Bangor
Free Methodist Church, with
Pastors David L. Markel and
Daniel Stout officiating.
Interment will follow in
Chambers Cemetery, Geneva
Township. The family suggest
memorials to the Bangor Free
Methodist Church.
www.dlmillerfuneralhome.com.
Jim was born Dec. 14, 1919, in Parchment, the son of
Lloyd and Grace (Vinning)
French, and has lived the
majority of his life in the
Hartford-Bangor areas. He
formerly worked at National
Motors, South Haven, and for
Clark Equipment, Benton Harbor,
and was a member of the Bangor
Free Methodist Church. Jim loved
fishing, gardening and watching
the birds at his bird feeders.
Surviving are his wife, Ruby, whom he married Oct. 25,
1940; five children, Charles
(Norma) French of Bangor, Larry
(Kathy) Johnson of Three Rivers,
Esther Grant of Benton Harbor,
Nancy (Gary) French-Smith of
South Haven and Gary (Dana)
French of Mishawaka, Ind.; 13
grandchildren and many
great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers
and three sisters.
|
Robert Stowers,
90, of Coloma, passed away at
South Haven Community Hospital
on Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, after
a short illness.
Services will be held at 11 a.m.
Tuesday at Duffield & Pastrick
Family Funeral Home in Coloma.
Burial will follow in Coloma
Cemetery. Visitation will be
held at the funeral home Monday
from 6 to 8 p.m.
Memorials may be made to the Coloma Community Schools
(Athletics) or the North Berrien
Senior Center. Those
wishing to leave a message of
comfort for the family may do so
at www.duffieldpastrick. com.
Bob was born on June 21, 1920, in
Keeler Township to Elwin
and Alta Stowers. On Dec. 14,
1949, he married his wife,
Marguerite (Peg). They shared 54
years of marriage prior to her
death on Jan. 6, 2004.
Bob worked for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad for 35
years, retiring in 1981.
Throughout the years, he was a
faithful fan of Coloma sports.
He loved roller skating,
pheasant hunting and listening
to big band music.
Bob is survived by his children – Merikay (Gary) Pope
of Eau Claire, David (Karen)
Stowers of Coloma, Robert
(Peggy) Stowers of Ocean
Springs, Miss., and Timothy
(Marian) Stowers of Kalamazoo;
his grandchildren – Graydon
(Dorothy) Pope, Amy, Becky,
Jonathan (Janene) and Brooke
Stowers, Shelly (Mel) Hatfield
and Evan Conrad; his
great-grandchildren –
Christopher and Nicholas
Hatfield; and a sister-inlaw,
Geri Stowers.
He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; and
his brothers, Bill and Russ.
|
Daisy Marie Baham,
59, of Hartford passed away on
Monday, Sept. 13, 2010, at
Borgess Medical Center,
Kalamazoo.
Daisy was born Sept. 11, 1951, in Dowagiac, the
daughter of Roy and Vina (Craig)
Hann, both of whom preceded her
in passing. Also preceding Daisy
was a granddaughter, Rebecca
Baham; a sister, Velma Ehler;
and four brothers, John Edgerly,
Bill Hann, Paul Edgerly and
James Edgerly.
Daisy was a loving wife to Edward Baham and mother to
Jeffery Baham of Niles, Jimmy
Baham of Hartford, Raymond Baham
of Holden, La., Sallena (Marcus)
Pritchard of Covert, Eddie Baham
of Hartford and Ernie Baham of
Paw Paw. Her most precious times
were spent with her 16
grandchildren. Daisy also
enjoyed camping, where she would
have a cookout for the entire
family.
Daisy is also survived by two brothers, Wells (Connie)
Edgerly of Hartford and Tim
(Judy) Hann of Holland.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 17, at the Keeler
Church of God, where she was a
loyal member. The service to
honor Daisy’s memory will
commence at 2 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 18, at the church, with
pastor Boyd Saylor officiating.
Daisy will be laid to rest at
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford.
Those wishing to make a memorial
in Daisy’s name may do so with
the church. The family has
entrusted the Calvin Funeral
Home of Hartford with the
arrangements.
|
James Zucker II,
56, of Coloma passed away
Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.
A Celebration of Life Service
will be held 10 a.m. Saturday,
Sept. 11, at The Chapel, 4250
Washington Ave., St. Joseph with
Chris Winans officiating.
Burial will follow in North Shore Memory Gardens, Hagar
Township. Friends may visit from
9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the
church. Memorials may be made to
the Zucker Family. Those wishing
to share a memory online may do
so at www.starks-menchinger.com.
James was born March 18, 1954, in San Diego, Calif., to
James and Edith D’Imperial
Zucker. He graduated from
Hartford High School in 1973.
On July 9 1977, he married Julie
Winans in Watervliet. James
worked as an engineer for
Trelleborg in South Haven.
In his spare time he loved to spend time with his
family, watch car racing and
listen to music.
James is survived by his wife, Julie Zucker of Coloma;
two sons, James and Joshua
Zucker of Coloma; and three
sisters, Jane Zucker Ferris,
Jackie Birkhead and Wanda Drake.
James was preceded in death by his parents.
|
Margaret A.
Pomeroy,
77,
of Hartford,
passed away suddenly on Friday,
Sept. 3, 2010, at Community
Hospital, Watervliet.
 Margaret
was born Sept. 20, 1932, in
Detroit, the daughter of George
and Agnes (Ryan) Deckard, both
of whom preceded her in passing.
Also preceding Margaret was her
husband,
Kenneth Davis Pomeroy,
on June 8, 1974; a sister,
Catherine Goers, and a brother,
Charles Deckard.
Margaret leaves behind two daughters – Mary (Carlos)
Harp of Hartford and Teresa
(Jim) Whitney of Garden City,
Mich.; two grandsons – Jacob and
Kyle; a brother, William
(Margaret) Deckard of Waverly,
Iowa; many nieces, nephews,
other family members and
countless dear friends.
Margaret was a devoted member of the Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church in
Hartford, serving as the
secretary for many years and
helping at the church’s Aleman
Center. She was a teacher’s aide
at Woodside Elementary School
in Hartford and a volunteer at
Community Hospital in
Watervliet, the soup kitchen in
Benton Harbor and at St. Julian
Winery in Paw Paw for special
occasions. Margaret’s love and
devotion to others will be truly
missed by all who knew her.
The family will welcome friends from 7 to 9 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 6 at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The
Mass of Christian Burial to
honor Margaret’s memory will
commence at 11 a.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 7, at the Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church,
Hartford. Father Robert Flickinger of St. Basil Church
in South Haven will be the
celebrant. In lieu of flowers,
memorials in Margaret’s name may
be made to either the church or
Community Hospital Auxiliary.
Margaret will be laid to rest
with a private ceremony in Maple
Hill Cemetery, Hartford, at a
later date. |
Angela Gonzalez
- Angela’s life
began on Aug. 10, 1968, in
Watervliet, the daughter of
Thomas Brown and Geraldine
Hicks.
She had been employed by McDonald’s and worked as a
bank teller. Recently, Angela
earned her certification in
relaxation therapy and was
pursuing a career in that field.
She is survived by her mother, Geraldine Hicks of
Hartford; daughter, Sara
Gonzalez of Hartford; son,
Jonathan Casey of Hartford; and
grandson, A Jay Casey.
Angela passed away on Aug. 26, 2010, in Benton Harbor.
Graveside services for Angela will be held at 10 a.m.
Saturday at South Wayne
Cemetery. Memorial contributions
may be directed to the family.
Yazel & Clark Chapel is serving
the family. Please sign her
guest book and leave a memory of
Angela at www.yazel-clark.com.
|
Marjorie E.
Johnson,
83, of Watervliet died Tuesday,
Aug. 24, 2010, at the Willows in
St. Joseph.
Services celebrating her life
will be held at 12 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 2, at the Coloma
United Methodist Church.
Cremation has taken place. The
family will receive friends and
relatives beginning at 11 a.m.
on Thursday, Sept. 2, at the
Coloma United Methodist Church.
Arrangements are by the Davidson
Chapel of Florin Funeral Service
in Coloma. Memorials may be made
to the Sarett Nature Center or
Hospice at Home in St. Joseph.
Marge was born on Oct. 27, 1926, in Chicago to Clarence
and Vera Swanson. She was a
secretary at Whirlpool Corp. for
more than 20 years before she
retired in 1989. Marge was an
avid bowler, liked walking and
enjoyed traveling with the
Sarett Nature Center trips,
especially to the Smoky
Mountains. She was a hard worker
and always kept busy. She
enjoyed her independence but had
a kind heart. Most important to
her was taking care of her
family.
She is survived by her children, Curtis Johnson of
Watervliet, Kathy Kiser of
Coloma and Sandy (David)
Gearhart of Watervliet; her
brother,
Ray (Bunnie) Bock of
Watervliet; her sister, Carlene
(Jerry) Freier of Benton Harbor;
and her two grandchildren,
Philip and Michael Gearhart.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, PFC
Philip Johnson, who was killed
in Vietnam in 1969; her husband,
Charles, in 1994; her
stepfather, Raymond Bock Sr., in
1967; her brother, Don “Bud”
Swanson, in 1998; and her
sister, Roslyn Baker Mills, in
2006.
NOTE:
Marjorie was a
1944 Hartford High School
graduate. |
Verna “Red”
Lowe-Eldridge,
74, of Benton Harbor, formerly
of Hartford, passed away on
Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, at her
home.
Red, as she was known by everyone, was born Sept. 15,
1935, in Lake Township, Greene
County, Ark., the daughter of
Rosevelt and Maude (Jones)
Blackburn, both of whom preceded
her in passing. Also preceding
Red was her first husband,
Earnie Wayne Lowe, on July 3,
1986; a son, Robert Lowe on Aug.
22, 1997; a daughter, Patty Jo
Eldridge; and a brother and two
sisters.
Red married Leon Eldridge on June 18, 1988. Leon
survives along with their
children: Randy (Jill) Lowe, Tom
(Nita) Lowe, Valerie (Marvin
Strong) Lowe, Kenny (Lisa) Lowe,
Sherry (Mark) Miller, Chuck
(Teresa) Eldridge, Jack (Butch)
Eldridge, Randall (Kelly)
Eldridge; numerous grandkids and
greatgrandkids; two brothers,
Ken Blackburn and Dan Blackburn;
and numerous other family
members and friends.
The family will welcome friends from 7 to 9 p.m.
today, Aug. 26, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The
service to honor Red’s memory
will commence at 1 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 27, at the Hartford
Federated Church. Pastor Timothy
Nyhuis will officiate. Red will
be laid to rest at Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford. In lieu of
flowers, memorials in Red’s name
may be made to Hospice at Home,
St. Joseph.
|
Jack E. Phillips,
66, of Hartford passed away
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010, at
Borgess Medical Center,
Kalamazoo.
Jack was born Feb. 28, 1944, in
Lawrence, the son of Ezra and
Helen (Patterson) Phillips, both
of whom preceded him in passing.
Also preceding him were five
siblings, Linda Phillips, Ed
Phillips, Bob Phillips, Joyce
Lewandowski and Betty DeShong.
Jack served his country proudly
in the Army during the Vietnam
War. He was a farmer,
farming his own farm in the area
for many years. He was a loyal
member of the Keeler General
Baptist Church, and he loved his
Lord with all of his heart. Jack
was known for his big heart and
was known for being a friendly
man who would help anyone who
was in need and acted as a
father figure to so many people.
He enjoyed traveling while away
from his farm. But his most
precious times where spent with
his family, as he loved to do
everything he could with them.
Jack married the former Celeste Heffner on Oct. 30,
1965. She survives, along with a
son, Mike (Shannon) Phillips of
Hartford; a daughter, Suzy
(David) Buss of Decatur;
grandchildren, Jonathan and
Joshua Phillips and a
granddaughter to be born in
September, and a sister, Pearl
(Marvin) Lewandowski of
Dowagiac.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 25, at the
Keeler General Baptist Church.
Funeral services to honor his
memory will commence at 11 a.m.
Thursday, Aug. 26, at the church
with Pastor Bill Martin
officiating. Burial will follow
in Keeler Cemetery, where
military rites will be performed
by VFW Post 1137, VFW Post 6803
and American Legion Post 362 and
Auxiliaries. Memorial donations
in Jack’s name may be made to
the Keeler General Baptist
Church. The family has entrusted
the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with handling the
arrangements.
NOTE: Jack
was a member of the class of
1962 from Hartford High School.
|
George M. Morris,
Portage MI, died peacefully on
8-20-2010 at his home with his
family at his side.
George was born on March 15,
1924 in Detroit, Michigan. He
was raised in Hartford, Michigan
by his grandmother, Elizabeth
Roche and
graduated from Hartford High
School in
1942.
George was a
World War II veteran of the
United States Army.
He was wounded in action on
Normandy Beach and earned a
purple heart and two bronze
battle stars. George was in the
banking business for many years,
becoming a branch manager for
the American National Bank
before retiring in 1983.
George
enjoyed football, baseball and
basketball during his high
school years; bowling and
baseball after graduating and
golf for many years since. He
also enjoyed spending winters in
Florida with his wife and
friends. His children and
grandchildren were a special joy
to him.
Surviving are his wife of 62
years, Gloria (Thompson) Morris;
daughters, Karen Massie, Sandra
Ackerman (Rodney), Nancy Ulanski
(Marty); and eight
grandchildren: Amy, Adam,
Allison and Audrey Ackerman,
Anna Rosko (Andy), Michael,
Christopher and Emily Ulanski.
A
private family committal service
has taken place. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be
made to West Michigan Cancer
Center or Hospice Care of
Southwest Michigan. Arrangements
by Langeland Family Funeral
Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 E.
Centre Ave. Please visit
www.langelands.com for online
obituary, register book and
condolences. |
|
Josephine
Angeline Griffith,
63, of Hartford passed away on
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010, at
Lakeland Specialty Hospital,
Berrien Center.
Josie, as she was known by most
everyone, was born Sept. 25,
1946, in Watervliet, the
daughter of Joseph and Alvina
(Alexis) Morsaw, both of whom
preceded her in passing. Also
preceding Josie was a sister,
Betty Castanon, and a brother,
Cardinal Joseph Morsaw.
Josie was a proud member of the Pokagon Band of
Potawatomi Indians.
She was a teacher’s aid for the Hartford School system,
worked for Sill Farms in
Lawrence and loved to cook, knit
and go shopping. As her health
deteriorated, Josie went to live
at Lakeland Specialty Hospital.
She was very active in all their
activities and held numerous
positions such as president,
vice president and so on with
the long-term care facility.
Josie leaves behind her son, Tony (Telisa) Griffith of
Hartford; her daughter, Jerri
Lynn Griffith of Eau Claire; her
grandchildren, Cheryl, Tony Jr.,
Jake and Alexis; a sister,
Evelyn Miller and a brother,
Arthur (Cathy) Morsaw, both of
Hartford; a sister-in-law, Donna
Morsaw; Josie’s companion of
many years, George Mahar; and
numerous nieces, nephews and
other family members.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 20, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where at
7:30 p.m. a Rosary will be
prayed. The Mass of Christian
Burial to honor Josie’s memory
will be celebrated at 10 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 21, at the
Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church, Hartford. Father Bill
Jacobs Jr. of the St. John and
Bernard Parish will be the
celebrant. Josie will be laid to
rest at Rush Lake Indian
Cemetery, Hartford.
NOTE: Josie
was a member of the 1965 Class
of Hartford High School. |
DeYoung, Margaret T.,
Kalamazoo MI. -
Margaret went home to be with
her Lord on Tuesday morning,
August 17, 2010 passing
peacefully in her home of six
years at Park Village Pines. She
was born July 16, 1917 in
Hartford, MI, the daughter of
the late David and Ethel
(Harris) Cronkite.
On June 1, 1939, Margaret was united in marriage to
Henry "Brud" DeYoung in
Kalamazoo, who preceded her in
death on November 16, 1993.
She was a longtime member of Second Christian Reformed
Church, where she served as
custodian and was a member of
the Friendship Guild and Senior
Members Society.
Surviving are three children, Jerry (Mary) DeYoung of
Kalamazoo, Virginia (Louis)
Houseman of Kalamazoo, and Nancy
(James) LaDuke of Palmetto, FL;
ten grandchildren; twenty-six
great-grandchildren; brother,
Neal "Dick" (Lucille) Cronkite
of Kalamazoo; and sister-in-law,
Dorothy DeYoung of Kalamazoo.
Funeral services for Margaret will be at 11:00 AM on
Friday at Second Christian
Reformed Church, 3015 Nichols
Road, with her nephews, Rev.
Wayne DeYoung and Pastor Fred
DeYoung officiating. Friends may
visit with the family on
Thursday from 6-8 PM and on
Friday from 10 AM until the time
of service, both at church.
Private interment will be in Mt.
Ever-Rest Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Second
Christian Reformed Church,
Kalamazoo Christian School
Association, or Park Village
Pines. Arrangements by Langeland
Family Funeral Homes, Memorial
Chapel, 622 S. Burdick Street.
Please visit www.langelands.com
to sign, view, or print
Margaret's online guestbook or
leave a condolence to the
family.
|
 Clinton
“Chink” Stoddard,
90, of Hartford passed away Friday,
Aug. 13, 2010, at his home
surrounded by his family.
Chink, as he was known by everyone, was born Oct. 20,
1919, in Hartford, the son of Jack
and Maude (Shafer) Stoddard, both of
whom preceded him in passing. Chick
was also preceded in passing by four
sisters, Maxine, Esther, Ruth and
Milly, and a brother, Martin.
Chink married Myrtle Ray on Sept. 21, 1940, and for the
next 70 years they enjoyed each
others company. Myrtle survives,
along with their children, William
(Nancy) Stoddard of Holland, Mich.,
Judy (Ed) Downer of Avon Park, Fla.,
and Richard (Jan) Stoddard of
Hamilton, Mich. He is also survived
by his grandchildren, Jeff, Jerry,
Jennifer, Terri, Sandi, Mathew and
Stephanie; two great-grandchildren,
Donovan and Gabrielle; along with
numerous nieces, nephews and other
family members.
After
graduating from Hartford High School
[class of
1938], Chink served his
country proudly in the
U.S. Army during World War II.
Chink was an avid hunter and also
enjoyed fishing, camping, hunting
mushrooms and just about anything
else when it came to being outdoors.
He was a loyal member of the
Hartford Federated Church.
As per Chink’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a
memorial service will be held at 6
p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at the
Hartford Federated Church with
Pastor Timothy Nyhuis officiating.
The family has entrusted Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, with the
arrangements.
|
 Carla
Jo Cummings,
52, of Hartford passed away
Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, at Bronson
Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo.
Carla was
born Nov. 15, 1957, in Watervliet,
the daughter of Austin and Eva (Harbert)
Meagher, both of whom preceded her
in passing. Also preceding her in
passing was a brother, William Lee
Bond.
Carla was employed at Bronson Lake View
Continuing Care Center in Lawton.
She attended the Hartford Federated
Church and was
stationed in Germany during her
service in the U.S. Army. She
was a loving foster mom to many
children, and in her spare time away
from work, she loved playing and
attending local bingo get-togethers.
Carla is survived by two sons, Billy Cummings of
Hamilton, Mass., and Bryan Cummings
of Covert; a sister, Eva (Gerald)
Grimm of Coloma; foster children
Steve Bassett, Sandra Nunez and
Verna Flickinger; her significant
other, Tom Holmes; eight nieces and
nephews – Vicki (Joe) Maxa, Tim
(Diane) Bond, Bradley (wife)
Skirkowski, Nicole (Ethan)
Bond/Koch, Dana (Rick) Payne, Austin
Grimm, Chris Grimm and Lisa Davis;
and nine great-nieces and
greatnephews – Ricky, Chelsea,
Alivia, Amber, Michael (Chase),
Kelsey, Heath, Kelsea and Lauren.
The family will welcome friends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 17, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where the
service to honor her memory will
commence at 1 p.m. After the
service, Carla will be laid to rest
in Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford,
with military rites by VFW Post
1137, VFW Post 6803 and American
Legion Post 362 and their
auxiliaries. Memorial donations in
Carla’s name may be made to the
family.
NOTE: Carla was
a 1975 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
Donald W. “Don”
Mosher,
84, of Hartford passed away Sunday,
Aug. 8, 2010, at South Haven
Community Hospital.
Don was born Jan. 3, 1926, in
Armada, the son of Bruce and
Isabelle (Ward) Mosher, both of whom
preceded him in passing. Also
preceding him in passing were a son,
Derro Mosher; four brothers and two
sisters.
Don was a graduate of Armada High School, where he was
a pitcher on the baseball team
during his high school times.
He served his country proud in the
military during World War II.
He retired from the Michigan
Department of Transportation after
22 years of loyal service.
He was a loyal member of the
Hartford United Methodist Church,
where he immensely enjoyed singing
in the choir and was instrumental in
the building of the cross that hangs
on the front of the church today. He
was a member of the Port Huron DAV.
In his spare time, Donald loved golf, was an avid
bowler, and enjoyed watching the
Detroit Tigers, spending time in the
outdoors, especially doing yard work
and spending time with his family.
Don is survived by his wife of 61 years, Alma, whom he
married Nov. 15, 1948; a daughter,
Janie (Jack) Kuiper of Portage; two
sons, David (Sherry) Mosher of
Hartford and Donald (Paula) Mosher
of Goshen, Ind.; grandchildren,
Jessica (Josh) Danielson, Stephanie
Mosher, Matt Mosher, Becky Mosher
and Derek Mosher; great-grandson,
Logan Danielson; and a sister, Doris
Kelly of Armada.
As per Don’s wishes, cremation has taken place. A
memorial service honoring his memory
will commence at 11 a.m. Saturday,
Aug. 14, at the Hartford United
Methodist Church. The Rev. Ronald
Hansen will serve as officiant. In
lieu of flowers, memorial donations
in Don’s name may be made to the
church.
The family has entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with handling of the
arrangement process.
|
 Roy
C. Mort,
84 of Watervliet died Friday, Aug.
6, 2010, at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center.
Services will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at Duffield &
Pastrick Family Funeral Home in
Coloma where visitation will begin
one hour prior to the service.
Burial will be in North Shore Memory
Gardens. Those wishing to sign the
online guest book and leave a
message of comfort for the family
may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Roy was born May 7, 1926, in Keeler to
Erva and Myrtlebelle (Hughes)
Mort.
He was a member of the Teamsters Union Local 7 for more
than 35 years, retiring as a truck
driver from Yerington Construction
Company. He also was formerly
employed by the City of Watervliet
doing everything from plowing snow
to being chief of police. Roy loved
his family and was a good father. He
left [Hartford]
school at an early age after the
death of his father to help take
over the family feed mill business
in Hartford.
Survivors include three children, Michael (Marsha) Mort
of Grand Rapids, Shirley (Thomas)
Lemon of Grand Haven, and Dennis
(Rhonda) Mort of Covert. Also
surviving is one sister, Florabelle
Adams of Watervliet; four
grandchildren, Myrtle Lemon, and
Sarah, Hannah and Noah Mort.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Frances, in
2003; a brother, J. R. Mort; and a
grandson, Jacob Mort.
|
 Charles
Bernard Skipper,
49, of Hartford passed away suddenly
on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at
Community Hospital, Watervliet.
Charles was born Oct. 25, 1960, in
Chicago, the son of Frank and Waneta
(Wilson) Skipper.
Charles
was a 1978 graduate of Hartford High
School. He loved playing the
guitar for his own pleasure,
listening to music, and lifting
weights with his friends. He enjoyed
riding his bicycle all around,
watching movies and liked getting
together with family. Charles was a
proud member of the Pokagon Band of
the Potawatomi Indians.
Charles leaves behind his mother, Waneta Skipper of
Hartford; a sister, Sarah (Clyde)
Brazie of Hartford; a brother,
Michael (Joan) Skipper of St.
Joseph; three nephews – Clyde Brazie
Jr., Justin Brazie and Adam Skipper;
along with numerous aunts, uncles
and other family members.
Charles was preceded in death by his
father, Frank Skipper.
As per Charles’ wishes, cremation has taken place. The
family will welcome friends from 10
to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the
Hartford Federated Church, where the
service to honor his memory will
commence at 11 a.m. Pastor Timothy
Nyhuis will serve as officiant. The
family has entrusted the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, with
handling of the arrangement process.
|
Michael Jay Moore,
63, of Hartford passed away Tuesday,
Aug. 3, 2010, at Bronson Methodist
Hospital, Kalamazoo.
Mike, as he was known by everyone, was born May 23,
1947 in Coloma, the son of Dave and
Roena (Shafer) Moore, both of whom
preceded him in passing.
Mike married Renee Moore on April 9, 1977. She
survives, along with their children,
Jennifer (Dan) Babcock, Craig (Katie
Morris) Moore and a granddaughter,
Janell Babcock, all of Hartford.
Mike is also survived by three
brothers, Van (Janice) Moore of
Coloma, Ross Moore of St. Joseph and
Gary (Cathy) Moore of Hartford.
After graduating from
Hartford High School in 1965,
Mike served his country proudly in
the
U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Mike then went to work at Whirlpool
Corp., where he retired after many
years of faithful employment. Mike
was a longtime member of the Van
Buren Sportsman’s Club, a member of
the National Rifle Association and
an avid outdoorsman, often seen
sitting around a campfire in his
back yard. He enjoyed reading books,
and many of his most precious times
were spent with his granddaughter
going to garage sales. Mike was a
very devoted husband, father, “papa”
and friend. He will be greatly
missed by all who knew and loved
him.
As per Mike’s wishes, cremation has taken place. The
family will receive friends from 2
to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at the
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, where
at 3:30 p.m. memorial service to
honor him will commence. Pastor
Shannon Truelove of the Full Gospel
Assembly, Hartford, will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, the family has
requested memorials in Mike’s name
be made to the Hartford Public
Library.
|
|
 Robert
John “Rod” Kuehnle,
92,
of Hartford passed away on Saturday,
July 31, 2010, at Countryside
Nursing and Rehabilitation
Community, South Haven.
Rod, as he was known by most everyone, was born May 1,
1918, in Chicago to Robert and Ann (DeKoker)
Kuehnle, both of whom preceded him
in passing. Also preceding him in
passing was his wife of 62 years,
Betty, on Feb. 8, 2004; a brother,
Roy Kuehnle; and a sister, Betty
Jane Kuehnle.
Rod owned his own egg and produce business in Chicago
before moving here to Michigan and
hence, beginning his life in farming
both in Hartford and Bangor
townships. He loved his wife, family
and his Lord with all his heart. Rod
was an active member of the Hartford
United Methodist Church and was
well-known for his ability to make
canes out of tree limbs.
Rod enjoyed spending time with all of his family, which
consists of a son, Rod and Jackie
Kuehnle, their children, Doug and
Osena Kuehnle and children Jason and
Alex; Mike and Valerie Pearce and
children, Olivia, Evan and Eric; a
son, James and Anne Kuehnle, and
their children, Jim and Brooke
Kuehnle and children, Jimmy III,
Ella and Owen; Ryan and Jill
Hennessey and children, Jack,
Callie, Alexandra and J.J.; Tom and
Regan Cronin and children, Caroline,
Anne Claire, Jilly, Tamsen, Tommy
Jr., Rory, Regan Mary, Marshall,
Tess and Patrick; and a son, Robert
and Lisa Kuehnle and their children;
Jason and Elizabeth Kuehnle and
children, Alexie and Nicolas; Kurt
and Auna Kuehnle and children,
Gillian, Dylan and Kameron, and
Chris and Holly Langstaff and child,
Kenley; and a sister, Bertha Ann
Flynn.
The family welcomed friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 3 at
the Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford.
The service to honor Rod's memory
will commence at 10 a.m. today, Aug.
4, at the Hartford United Methodist
Church with the Rev. Ronald W.
Hansen officiating. Rod will be laid
to rest in Maple Hill Cemetery,
Hartford. The family has asked that
memorial donations in Rod's name be
made to the church.
|
Thelma Ilene Rowe,
83, of Hartford passed away on
Tuesday, July 20, 2010, at Bronson
Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo.
Thelma was born June 21, 1927, in Pocahontas, Ark., to
Albert and Edna (Lambert) Nettles,
both of whom preceded her in
passing. Also preceding her was her
husband, Otha, on Feb. 16, 1985; her
stepmother, Gladys Nettles; a
brother, Louis Nettles; and two
sisters, Rita Fay Sitzer and Carolyn
Kay Nettles.
Thelma retired from Burnett Foods of Keeler after 25
years of loyal employment. She also
worked and was a member of the Van
Buren Sportsman’s Club Auxiliary.
Thelma was a people person and
enjoyed cooking for all of her
neighbors.
Thelma loved her family which consists of her son,
Charles (Carole) Bennett of
Constantine; her daughter, Bonnie
Hanna of Greer, S.C.; a grandson,
John Bennett and a granddaughter,
Dana Bennett, both of Missouri. She
is also survived by four sisters,
Violet Wilson and Dorothey Utley,
both of Jonesboro, Ark., Doris Bibb
of St. Louis, Mo., and Reba Haynes
of Truman, Ark.; and two brothers,
Dale Nettles of Olympia, Wash., and
Wayne Nettles of Dallas.
The family will welcome friends from 12 to 2 p.m. July
23 at the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, where at 2 p.m. the
service to honor Thelma’s memory
will commence. Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
of the Hartford Federated Church
will officiate. Thelma will be laid
to rest in Reames and Norton
Cemetery, Cassopolis. The family has
asked that memorial donations in
Thelma’s name be made to ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s Disease) research.
|
 Michael
John Burnette
passed into His gracious Light on
July 20, 2010. Mike touched
the hearts of everyone he met and
never knew a stranger.
Mike was born Feb. 15, 1953, in Watervliet, to Bill and
Edna (Bahm) Burnette. He grew up in
Keeler and attended the first school
(Arlington) and workshop in Van
Buren County for children with
learning disabilities, which his
parents helped found. He lived in
St. Joseph and worked at Gateway
before retiring. He was very active
in Milestone programs, Special Art
Programs and Area 17 Special
Olympics. He enjoyed fishing,
dancing, bowling and “Duh Cubs.”
Mike is survived by his siblings – Pat, St. Joseph,
Carl, Seattle, and Judy (Homer)
Sales, Fairview, N.C.; his niece,
Amy Muth, Atlanta; his nephews,
Grant (Kristen) Root, St. Joseph,
and Chris (Deborah) Winans,
Richmond, Va.; his special
great-nieces and nephews – Alex,
Brian, Carter, Derek and Elizabeth
Root, St. Joseph; Benjamin, Rebekah
and Ana Winans, Richmond, Va.
He will be remembered by his dearest friends – Jim and
Joyce Bunk, Krin Jurgensen, Marie
(Al) Hartline, Bryce (Sandy),
Tristan and Meghan Engle, Renata
Hartman, Peg and Ron Davis, Cindy
(Rick) Jones, Deanna (Loyall)
Bennett, Jolene and Doug VonKoenig,
Magda and Bruce Zoschke, Sandy and
Dennis Hafer, The Birthday Group,
his Hidey Ho Neighbors, all his
Canadian friends, all his Special
“Buddies” at Milestones, Gateway,
Special Olympics, and Spiritual
Frontiers, they were all like family
to Mike.
Donations may be made to Hospice at Home of St. Joseph.
There will be a private Celebration
of Life for Michael.
|
 James
Naumann,
77, of Hartford died
Tuesday, July 20, 2010, at Lakeland
Regional Medical Center in St.
Joseph.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, July
23, followed by a service at 4 p.m.
at Duffield & Pastrick Family
Funeral Home in Coloma. Cremation
will take place following the
service with the interment of ashes
being in North Shore Memory Gardens.
Memorial donations in memory of Jim
may be made to Lakeland Hospice of
St. Joseph or to one’s favorite
charity. Those wishing to sign the
online guest book and leave a
message of comfort for the family
may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Jim was born Aug. 30, 1932, in Benton Harbor to Max and
Katherine (Wurtz). He served in the
Army during the Korean War. He owned
and operated Jim’s Standard Service
Station in Benton Harbor before
going to work for Amoco as a truck
driver. He eventually retired from
Chet Nichols in Benton Harbor as a
store manager.
Survivors include his wife, Delores (Rupchock), whom he
married April 14, 1956, in Benton
Harbor; one son, David (Debbie)
Naumann of Watervliet; a daughter,
Nancy (Roger) Heldt of Lansing;
seven grandchildren, John and Jeff
Naumann and Joe, Ray, Ed, Fran and
Louis Heldt; four stepgrandchildren;
and eight stepgreat-grandchildren.
Also surviving are two brothers, Ben
and Ed Naumann, and three sisters,
Alice Franslau, Dorothy Pierson and
Jane Rose.
Jim was preceded in death by sisters Ida Woggon and
Gert McRoy, and brothers Paul, Fred,
Vic and Art Naumann.
|
Betty Louise Wagner,
74, of Keeler Township passed away
on Friday, July 16, 2010, at Bronson
Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo.
Betty was born Nov. 27, 1935, in Comstock Township to
Roy and Frances (Hoadley) Cornell,
both of whom preceded her in
passing. Also preceding her were
three brothers and two sisters.
Betty’s life centered around her husband, William
“Bill” Wagner, and all of her
children, whom she loved spending
time with, each and every one of
them. Besides Bill, her family
consists of her children – Terry
Stanfill of Texas, Preston (Sue)
LePert of Mendon, Debra (Mark)
Mangoni of Bangor, Linda (John) May
of Three Rivers, Lori (Michael)
Johnson of Decatur, Bonnie (Paul)
Speece of Kalamazoo, Billy (Tara)
Wagner of Lawrence, Connie (Cory)
Gritzmaker of Edwardsburg, Cathy
(David) Hornbarger of Hartford, Loyd
“Allen” Wagner of Decatur and Brian
(Nicole) Wagner of Mattawan. She is
also survived by 28 grandchildren;
32 great-grandchildren; two
brothers, David (Sharon) Cornell of
Pontiac and John (Linda) Cornell of
Gobles; and two sisters, Donna
(Butch) Arntz of Tennessee and Pat
(Billy) Watt of Texas.
The family will welcome friends from noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, July 21, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where at 1
p.m. the service to honor Betty’s
memory will commence. The Rev.
William Chapman of the Full Gospel
Assembly of Paw Paw will officiate.
Betty will be laid to rest in Keeler
Cemetery. The family has asked that
in lieu of flowers, memorial
donations in Betty’s name be made to
the American Cancer Society.
|
Douglas P. Orr,
87, of Hartford, formerly of Decatur
and Lovells, Mich., passed away on
Friday, July 16, 2010, at Caretel
Inns, St. Joseph.
Douglas was born April 15, 1923, in Decatur, the son of
Robert E. and Ethel (Parker) Orr. He
was previously employed as a farmer,
truck driver for Standard Oil,
custodian for Decatur High School,
and retired in 1986 as head of
maintenance at SMC in Dowagiac. He
was a life member of the Elks Lodge
889 in Dowagiac.
He married Ella (Feenstra) Vliek on Feb. 15, 1997, in
Lawrence, and she survives. Also
surviving are: a daughter, Sue Ann
Krall; sons, Harold D. (Martha) Orr
and Bill (Sandra) Orr, all of
Decatur; seven stepchildren; eight
grandchildren; 18 step
grandchildren; 16
great-grandchildren; and numerous
step-great-grandchildren and
great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Dorothy,
of 49 years; brother, Marshall Orr;
and son-in-law, Andrew Krall.
Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Newell
Funeral Home, Decatur, where funeral
services will be held at 11 a.m.
Monday with Mr. James Abshagen
officiating. Burial will be in
Lovells Cemetery at a later date.
Memorials may be made to the
Alzheimer’s Association, Lakeland
Hospice or a charity of the donor’s
choice.
|
 Johanna
Rose Martens,
85, of Hartford passed away
Thursday, July 15, 2010, at Bronson
Nursing and Rehabilitation Center,
Lawton.
Johanna was born Aug. 2, 1924, in Springfield, Ill.,
the daughter of Stephen and Johanna
(Ushman) Gregurich, both of whom
precede her in passing. Also
preceding her in passing were her
husband, Maynard Martens, on July 9,
1995; two sisters, Helen and Mary;
and a brother, Edward Gregurich.
Johanna retired from Du-Wel Co.
after many years of loyal
employment. She was a member of the
American Legion Post 362 Auxiliary
and a lifelong member of the Van
Buren Sportsman’s Club Auxiliary.
But her most enjoyable times were
spent with her loving family and
friends.
Johanna is survived by a daughter, Marge (Bill) Weeden
of Hartford; a son, Steve (Penny)
Martens of Decatur; two grandsons,
Charlie (Laura) and Bill Jr. (Tina),
both of Hartford; three special
great-granddaughters – Lindsay,
Annabelle and Alyssa; and several
nieces and nephews.
The family will welcome friends from 1 to 2 p.m.
Monday, July 19, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where the
service to honor her memory will
commence at 2 p.m. The Rev. Ronald
Hansen of Hartford United Methodist
Church will serve as officiant.
Burial will follow the service in
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford. The
family requests memorial donations
in Johanna’s name be made to the
Hartford Public Schools Foundation
for Quality Education or Hospice
Care of Southwest Michigan of Paw
Paw.
NOTE: Johanna was a
1942 Hartford High School
Graduate.
|
|
Eugene V. (Gene)
Winans,
77, of Watervliet passed away
Saturday, July 10, 2010, at home. A
Celebration of Life Service will be
held at 3 p.m. Wednesday,
 July
14, at The Chapel, 4250 Washington
Ave., St. Joseph, with the Rev.
Philip Bubar officiating. Burial
will follow in North Shore Memory
Gardens.
Friends may visit from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Starks and
Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650
Niles Road, St. Joseph. Memorials
may be made to the Berrien County
Cancer Service. Those wishing to
sign the memory book online may do
so at www.
starks-menchinger.com.
Gene was born Dec. 2, 1932, in Sodus to Fred and
Loretta (Parshall) Winans. Gene
served his country for the 5th
Regimental Combat Team in the
U.S. Army during the Korean War.
On Aug. 16, 1955, he married
Mary Jo Dienes at St. Joseph
Catholic Church in Watervliet. Gene
worked as a welder for Clark
Equipment and B&B Trucking for many
years. In his spare time he enjoyed
hummingbirds, his dog, Daisy, and
spending time at his cabin in
Baldwin, Mich. But most of all he
loved spending time with family and
friends, especially his
grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Gene is survived by his children – Wayne E. Winans,
Julie A. (James) Zucker, Daniel L.
Winans, Gregory M. (Linda) Winans,
Patrick G. (Amy) Winans;
grandchildren – Kimberly (Troy)
Nelson, Andrew (Julie) Winans, Sara
Mellinger, James Zucker, Tiffany
(Danny Simpson) Winans, Jordan
(Olivia) Winans, Analyse Winans,
Joshua Zucker, Tabitha Winans, Jacob
Winans, Lindsey Winans, Emilea
Winans, Lucas Winans, Tina (Steve)
Ramsey and Nicholas Jaeger;
great-grandchildren – Brendan
Nelson, Austin Nelson, Megan Nelson,
Hailie Tarantino, Hannah Mellinger,
Carter Boyer, Claire Winans, Jacob
McKinney, Jackson Winans, Colin
Simpson, Drew Winans, Kiera Ramsey
and Kyle Ramsey; brothers – Fred
(Barbara) Winans and Don (Mattie)
Winans; sisters – Darlene (Don)
Horton and Phyllis Kling.
Eugene was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and
brothers, Larry and Duane Winans.
Note:
Gene lived between
Hartford-Watervliet. All of his
children attended and graduated from
Hartford Public Schools. He was an
avid Hartford Indians sports fan.
|
Gene Ludwin Larsson,
86, of Hartford passed away Friday,
July 9, 2010, at his home.
The service to honor Gene’s memory
will be held at 2 p.m. at the
Hartford United Methodist Church, of
which he was a member, on Tuesday,
July 14, with the Rev. Ronald Hansen
officiating. Gene will be laid to
rest in Maple Hill Cemetery with
military rites being conducted by
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1137,
VFW Post 6803, American Legion Post
362 and their auxiliary.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Gene’s name may be
made to the Hartford United
Methodist Church memorial fund. The
family will welcome friends from 6
to 8 p.m. on Monday, July 13, at the
church, where a Masonic service will
be held at 7:30 p.m. by the
Peninsular 10 Lodge of Dowagiac.
Mr. Larsson was born Dec. 25, 1923, in Dows, Iowa. He
finished high school in Clarion,
Iowa, in May of 1941. He enlisted in
the
Army Air Force on Nov. 1, 1942.
He flew for over 2,000 hours in the
European Theater as a radio operator
and gunner. He obtained the rank of
staff sergeant before he was
discharged on Jan. 6, 1946. He then
spent his working life in the dairy
and food industry, working at
Cassopolis Dairy, Producers
Creamery, Duffy Motts, and then
retired as superintendent of aseptic
operations from Michigan Fruit
Canners in June 1987.
Mr. Larsson was a past Master and life member of the
Cassopolis Masonic Lodge and a 32nd
degree Mason. He was also a life
member of the Hartford Lions Club, a
Hartford City Councilman, member of
the Hartford board of review and the
Hartford planning commission.
Survivors include: his wife, Nancy; daughter, Susan
Larsson of St. Joseph; daughter,
Deborah (Jim) Whitney of Watervliet;
daughter, Martha Moore of Decatur;
son, Brian (Rose) Larsson of Rio
Rancho Estates, N.M.; seven
grandchildren; and 12
greatgrandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife of 50 years,
Marjorie, in 1994;
greatgranddaughter, Marissa Monroe;
his parents, Harry and Iris (Tuel)
Larsson; two brothers, Harry and
Craig Larsson; and son-in-law, Bill
Moore. |
|
Leslie J. (Les)
Scherer,
86, of St. Joseph passed away
Friday, July 9, 2010, at Lakeland
Regional Medical Center in St.
Joseph.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 6
p.m., with services at 6 p.m., and
military rites to follow, Wednesday,
July 14, at Starks & Menchinger
Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles
Road, St. Joseph, with pastor Jim
Gray officiating. Memorials may be
made to the Berrien County Cancer
Service. Those wishing to sign the
memory book online may do so at
www.starks-menchinger.com.
Les was born Dec. 17, 1923, in Keeler Township, Mich.,
to William and Minnie (McKinley)
Scherer.
Les came from a family of five boys
and three girls. He attended Gregory
grade school in Keeler Township and
in 1942 graduated from Dowagiac High
School. He then joined the
Army Air Force in December of 1942.
Les attended various technical
schools throughout the U.S. and
ended up in the 20th Air Force bomb
group on the Island of Guam in the
Marianas Island group as a radar
communications specialist with a
rank of technical sergeant. His
squadron was a very heavy
bombardment unit of B-29 Super
Fortresses that carried out missions
on the Japanese mainland, and many
other islands including Iwo Jima,
Truk and Okinawo. He also spent
brief periods on other Pacific
islands such as Kwajalein, Johnston
Atoll, Saipan, Tinian, and Oahu in
the Hawaiian Islands. Before being
sent to the Pacific he had a brief
assignment in Puerto Rico at
Bourinkin Army Air Force Base. Les
met the love of his life, Anna
(Annie) V. Twyford of Russell, Ark.
They married Oct. 20, 1946, and
lived their entire life in the area.
He worked at Montgomery Ward in St.
Joseph as a TV serviceman for seven
years; for V.M. Corp. of Benton
Harbor for 17 years; and for Leco
Corp. in St. Joseph for 15 years; he
retired in 1989. In his spare time
he enjoyed flying, fishing, hunting,
rummage sales and loved fixing
things.
Les is survived by his four sons – David L. (Sharon)
Scherer of St. Joseph, Dennis L.
(Diane) Scherer of Aiken, S.C.,
Richard K. Scherer of St. Joseph,
and Kevin Scherer of St. Joseph; six
grandchildren – Shelly (Kevin)
Langston of Stevensville, Dennis
Scherer Jr. of Aiken, S.C., Bryan
(Toni) Scherer of Livonia, Mich.,
and Jesse Scherer, Rachel Scherer,
and Scott Scherer, all of Atlanta,
Ga.; and three great-grandchildren,
Drew, Trevor and Ella.
Les was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters
– Helen, Virginia and Mary Lou; and
four brothers – John, Chester, Louis
and Lawrence.
|
Carmon Lewis West,
69, of Keeler Township passed away
on Sunday, July 4, 2010, at his
home.
“Lewis,” as he was known to most everyone, was born
Dec. 23, 1940, in Livonia, Ark., to
Carmon and Georgia (Gray) West, both
of whom preceded him in passing.
Also preceding him was a son, Kevin
Carmon West, on Feb. 13, 2006; a
grandson, Thomas Schrimser; and two
brothers – James and Robert West.
Lewis was formerly employed at Yerington Construction
of Benton Harbor for a number of
years and with Klett Construction of
Keeler for over 20 years. In his
spare time, Lewis’ hobbies were
making birdhouses and other projects
with wood, working on cars of all
makes, watching westerns, working on
puzzles and just being outdoors,
especially when it came to fishing.
Lewis loved spending time with his family, which
consists of his wife, Mila; four
daughters – Katrina (Tom) Schrimser
of Elkhart, Ind., Rose (Roy) Smith
of Galien, Shelly (Terry) Polashak
of Sister Lakes and Stacey (Chris)
Oxley of Lawton; and five sons –
Louis West of Niles, Robert
(Michelle) West of Cassopolis, Todd
West of Florida, Leonard (Cindy)
Cameron of Niles and Eddie Yeager of
Tennessee. Lewis also enjoyed the
times he spent with his numerous
grandchildren, greatgrandchildren
and his two sisters – Connie (Jim)
Tanner of Bangor and Arbella of
Florida.
The family will welcome friends from 1 to 2 p.m.
Thursday, July 8, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where at 2
p.m., a memorial service to honor
Lewis’ memory will commence. Father
Dan Scheid of Hospice at Home will
officiate. Lewis will be laid to
rest in Keeler Cemetery. The family
has asked that memorial donations in
Lewis’ name be made to the family.
|
Karen Sue Jarvis Pendleton,
49, of Hartford passed away at home
on July 3, 2010.
Karen was born Jan. 2, 1961, to Charles and Mary Jarvis
of Dowagiac. She enjoyed drag
racing, fishing and spending time
with her grandkids. She is survived
by her sons – Jim Pendleton of
Hartford and Scott Pendleton of
Florida; daughter, Ashley Pendleton
of Hartford; brothers – Richard
(Michele) Jarvis and Kevin (Nanci)
Jarvis, both of Benton Harbor; two
grandchildren; and longtime friend
Dave Dewey of Niles.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at St.
Paul’s United Church of Christ, with
burial at St. Paul’s cemetery. The
Rev. Mairyan Hammond will officiate.
Friends may call from 1 to 3 p.m.
Tuesday at St. Paul’s United Church
of Christ. Memorials may be made to
Hospice at Home. Funeral
arrangements have been entrusted to
Hoven Funeral Home, 414 E. Front
St., Buchanan.
|
John
Edward Munjoy
passed away July 1, 2010 at his home
in Chino Valley Arizona.
John was a heart recipient in 2000 and
was given almost ten more years of
love and enjoyment with his family and
friends. John was born December 14,
1940 in Coloma Michigan to John David
and Eunice Catherine (Beatty) Munjoy.
John moved to
Arizona in 1960 and worked as a
Service Writer for a couple Ford
Dealerships. He relocated to Arkansas
for a short time and worked in
construction. He moved back to Phoenix
in 1980 and in 1985 went to Prescott
to work at Emmanuel Pines Camp. After
twenty two years at Emmanuel Pines
Camp he moved to Chino Valley to live
out his retirement.
He is
survived by his loving wife Evelyn,
brother Brian Maurig, Sisters, Vicki
Peterson and Sue Munjoy, daughters
Starr West, Michelle Harlan and
Melissa Bonneau, sons John A. Munjoy
and Mark Harlan, six grandchildren and
two great grandchildren, many nieces
and nephews. John was dearly loved and
will be missed greatly.
He was
preceded in death by his parents and
brothers Tommy and
David
Munjoy.
A Memorial Service in honor of John's
life will be held Thursday August 26
at 11:00 A.M. at Emmanuel Pines Camp
in Prescott AZ.
NOTE: John was a
1959 Hartford High School
Graduate.
|
|
Ronald W. Fuller,
71, passed on July 1, 2010 in Tucson,
AZ. He was born April 30, 1939 in
Harford, Michigan, where he resided
until moving to his family to
 Sierra
Vista, AZ in 1984.
Ron worked
for many years at the Fruit Exchange
before moving to Arizona. He never
missed a July when he didn't travel
back "home" to Hartford to visit
his family and many friends.
He was a
wonderful man and human being, who
was loved beyond words by his family
and friends, and he loved them back
just the same. His heart and his smile
were big and beautiful. He loved his
life, his roses and his beautiful
green lawn. His other passions were
swap meets, wrestling, old westerns
and seeing his buddies Jim and the
officers from the Huachuca City PD.
Ron is already missed by all who knew
and loved him.
Ron is
survived by Gail, his wife of 50
years, daughters: Judy of Tucson, AZ,
Shelley (John) Barnes, sons: Ronald,
Stanley (Jennifer), Steven (Christine)
and Rob all of Sierra Vista, AZ, 11
grandkids and 1 great-grandchild,
brothers: Jack, Junior, Richard,
David, and Nick, sisters: Tonya and
Sharon all of Hartford, MI. and Dixie
of FL. He is preceded by his parents
John and Beatrice.
Services and a Huachuca
City Police Dept. escorted burial was
at Cochise Memorial Gardens on July 8,
2010.
Note: Ron attended Hartford High
School.
|
Vivian Pauline Davis,
of Keeler Township, passed away on
Wednesday, June 30, 2010, at
Tendercare Kalamazoo with her family
at her side.
Vivian, as she was known to most everyone, was born on
Feb. 13, 1918, in Hartford to Arlo and
Esther Myers, both of whom preceded
her in passing. Also preceding her was
her husband of 54 years, Jeerson James
Davis.
Vivian was formerly employed at Burnette Canning
Factory of Keeler, retiring in the
late 1970s after 20 years of work. In
her spare time, she enjoyed making
quilts; she made several for her
daughters and daughters-inlaw. She
was a member of the Keeler United
Methodist Church for more than 57
years and belonged to Prayers &
Squares and the Thursday Club.
Vivian is survived by her two daughters, Alice
Tollefson of Scottsdale, Ariz., and
Kay (Jim) Drake of Paw Paw; and four
sons, Donald (Marsha) of Decatur,
James (Doris) of Dowagiac, Fred (Tempa)
of Union and Carl of Keeler. She has
five grandchildren, Kevin, Pam, Dawn,
Aimee and Jack; and eight
great-grandchildren, Annika, Eric,
Kilee, Michael, Dustin, Landonn,
Parker and Chelsie.
A memorial service will be held at 12 p.m. Aug. 14 at
the Keeler United Methodist Church.
The family invites all her relatives
and friends to come and celebrate the
memorial service. As her wishes,
cremation has taken place and the
family will have a private burial at a
later date. Memorial contributions can
be made to the Keeler United Methodist
Church, 84085 CR 687, Hartford, MI
49057.
NOTE: Vivian was
a
1936 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
James Franklin Williams,
88, of Bangor passed away Saturday,
June 26, 2010, at University Hospital,
Ann Arbor. James was born Sept. 11,
1921, in Hartford to Frank and Lucille
(Drake) Williams, both of whom
preceded him in passing. Also
preceding him are his wife, Violet
Rose Williams; a son, Patrick
Williams; two daughters, Linda Marie
Clouse and Marsha Slayton; three
grandchildren; and a brother, Burton
Williams.
James retired from the Watervliet Paper Mill after 27
years of faithful employment. He owned
his own blueberry farm and was a life
member of the Coloma Masonic Lodge
162, where he earned his 60 year badge
four years ago. James served his
country proudly in the
U.S. Army during World War II and
was a member of the VFW Celery City
Post 6248 in Decatur.
James loved spending time with his family which
consists of a son, Michael Williams,
and a daughter, Carolyn (Gordon)
Prince, both of Bangor; and his six
stepchildren, Thomas (Gaytha) Bennett
of Hartford, William (Sharon) Bennett
of Vicksburg, Patricia (Daniel) Everts
of Bangor, Karen (Roy) Skinner of
Scott, Ark., Frances (Thomas) Collins
of Bangor and Vern (Deb) Bennett of
Battle Creek. James also cherished the
times he had with his 15
grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren
and three great-great-grandchildren;
his brother, Louis (Helen) Williams
and his sister, Helen Norden, both of
Hartford.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where a 7:30
p.m. Masonic service will be conducted
by Coloma Masonic Lodge 162. The
service to honor James’ memory will
commence at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 1,
at the funeral home with Pastor
Timothy Nyhuis of the Hartford
Federated Church officiating. James
will be laid to rest in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford, with military
rites being conducted by the VFW Post
1137, VFW Post 6803 and American
Legion Post 362 and their auxiliary.
NOTE: James was a member of the
1941 class of Hartford High
School.
|
John Nolan Grissom,
79 of Keeler passed away suddenly
Thursday, June 24, 2010, at his home.
John was born Sept. 24, 1930, in Lexington, Tenn., the
son of William and Mandy (Barker)
Grissom, both of whom preceded him in
passing. Also preceding him in passing
were a brother, Bud Grissom, and two
sisters, Edith Albertson and Excel
Taylor.
John was formerly employed with the City of Benton
Harbor and Modar Electronics for a
number of years. He owned and operated
the concession stand at Lonnie’s
Auction in Benton Heights and also
owned Country Touch Nurseries in
Keeler Township.
John is survived by three children – Esther Sotelo of
Knoxville, Tenn., John Grissom of
Decatur and Hope (Kirk) Davis of Canal
Winchester, Ohio; his former wife,
Hannah Grissom of Stevensville; 11
grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren;
and a sister, Inel Taylor of Missouri.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 27, at the Calvin Funeral
Home, Hartford, where the service to
honor his memory will commence at 7:30
p.m. Following the services, cremation
will take place. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations in John’s name may
be made to the American Heart
Association or American Cancer
Society.
|
 Ethel
Thelma Varga
passed from this life on Sunday
morning, June 20, 2010 at the UpJohn
Care Center in Kalamazoo. She
was the eighth of nine children born
to Paul and Esther (Boros) Varga, who
emigrated to Canada from Budapest,
Hungary about 1910.
She was born August 17, 1917 in Diamond City, Alberta
Canada. The family then emigrated to
the United States when she was nine
years old. They became U.S. Citizens
shortly thereafter.
Ethel was a graduate of Covert High School and retired
in 1979 from Heath Company in Benton
Harbor after 31 years of service.
She lived in the Hartford area since
the 1940s. She had some good friends
that knew her as friendly and
generous.
She was preceded in death by four infant brothers, her
parents and brother, Paul Jr., and
three sisters, Helen (Fells), Margaret
(Hellinga), and Irene (Mrs. George)
Swift of Hartford.
Ethel is survived by 3 nieces and 3 nephews and 11
great-nieces and great-nephews and
their families.
Being a healthy, independent woman,
she lived in her own home until this
past March when she became a resident
of UpJohn Care Center in Kalamazoo.
Her faith sustained her in all things
in life and we are confident she is
peaceful with her Heavenly Father and
family that were waiting for her to
join them.
As per Ethel's wishes, cremation has
taken place. Her memory will be
honored at a graveside service at 2
p.m. Saturday, June 26, in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford, with Pastor
Timothy Nyhuis officiating. Ethel was
devoted to the Hartford Federated
Church and it is asked that any
memorials be given to that church.
|
 Merle
R. Baldwin,
80, of Big Rapids
passed away Monday, June 14, 2010. He
was born Oct. 10, 1929, in Lawton, the
only child of Frank and Anna Belle
(Grace) Baldwin.
Merle graduated
from Hartford High School in
1948. During high school he
joined the Navy reserves and was
honorably discharged in 1951. He
married the former Betty Wilson on
Oct. 1, 1948. Merle held various jobs
during his working career. He had
worked for Du-Wel Metal Products in
Bangor, and when the family moved to
Big Rapids in 1968, Merle worked for
Root Archery and at Sears as a service
repair man; he also established
Baldwin Heating and Cooling in Big
Rapids. In 1975, Merle and Betty went
west for a new career opportunity.
Merle joined the I.B.E.W. and worked
as an electrician on coal-fired and
nuclear power plants. He retired in
1990 from the Savannah River site in
South Carolina and returned to Big
Rapids to live.
Merle was a life member of the Masonic Lodge; he joined
the Hartford Lodge and later
transferred his membership to Lodge
171 in Big Rapids.
He is survived by his beloved wife of
more than 61 years, Betty Baldwin of
Big Rapids; three children, David
Baldwin of Big Rapids, Deborah (Walt)
Obert of Big Rapids and Doreen (Che’rie)
Baldwin of Lake Odessa; four
grandchildren; and seven
great-grandchildren.
Besides his parents, Merle was preceded in death by a
son, Douglas Alan Baldwin, in 2004,
and a daughter-in-law, Tina Baldwin,
in February 2010.
A memorial service is being planned
for July and a service announcement
will be printed in a later edition of
the Pioneer. In lieu of flowers,
the family requests memorial
contributions be given to Masonic
Lodge 171 in Big Rapids.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Daggett-Gilbert
Funeral Home in Big Rapids, and those
wishing to leave a condolence for the
family or sign the online guest book
may do so at
www.daggettgilbertfuneralhome.com.
|
JB Spruell,
75, of Hartford passed away in the
presence of his family at home on
Friday, June 11, 2010.
Funeral services will be held at 1
p.m. Wednesday at Duffield & Pastrick
Family Funeral Home in Coloma. The
Rev. Richard Kiser will preside.
Burial will follow in Keeler Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday. Memorials may be made to
Hospice at Home or the Red Arrow
Baptist Church. Those wishing to leave
a message of comfort for the family
may do so at www.duffieldpastrick.com.
JB was born
Jan. 19, 1935, in Marktree, Ark., the
second of five children of Raymond and
Myrtle (Williams) Spruell. He
graduated from Benton Harbor High
School in 1955, where he had won a
number of awards for his artwork. His
love of drawing continued throughout
his life. He and the former Thelma
Grayam were married on Sept. 4, 1970,
and later renewed their vows on Aug.
28, 1993. JB worked as a conductor and
loved his work on the railroad. He
also enjoyed bowling.
Mr. Spruell is survived by his wife, Thelma; daughter,
Jamie (Jon) Weber of St. Joseph; sons,
Price (Judy) Bradshaw of Keeler and
Andrew (Tammy) Bradshaw of Hartford;
three sisters, Mary Coulter of
Henderson, Nev., Georgia Thomas of
Benton Harbor and Nita (Clete) Brummel
of St. Joseph; brother-in-law, Price
Grayam; eight grandchildren; one
greatgrandchild; and two
great-grandchildren who are on their
way.
He was
preceded in death by his parents and
his brother, RC Spruell.
|
Peggy Ann Johnson,
67, of Hartford passed away on
Thursday, June 10, 2010, at South
Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation
Community, where she had been
 living
for the past five years.
Peggy was born on
Nov. 24, 1942, in Hartford, the
daughter of Melvin and Agnes (Harreld)
Smithley. She was united in marriage
to Allen Dean Johnson on Dec. 21,
1961. She worked
for a number of years at Hartford
Warehouse Services and was a member of
the Hartford Federated Church, where
she helped with the funeral lunches
and any other projects that she could.
Peggy is
survived by her son, James (Tracy)
Johnson, a grandson, Kevin (Courtney)
McGrew, a granddaughter, Erica
Johnson, and a great-grandson, Braeden
McGrew, all of Hartford. Peggy is also
survived by two brothers, Ronald
(Dorothy) Smithley of Hartford and Roy
(Kaye) Smithley of Benton Harbor; a
sister, Jane (Larry) Wetzel of
Hartford; numerous nieces, nephews and
other family members and the many
Hospice at Home nurses with whom Peggy
became such good friends.
Peggy was
preceded in death by her husband,
Allen, who passed away on Sept. 27,
1990, her parents, a sister, Louise
Glidden, and four brothers, Charles
Smithley, Robert Smithley, Edward
Smithley and James Smithley.
As to Peggy’s
wishes, cremation has taken place. A
memorial to honor Peggy’s memory will
be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June
15, at the Hartford Federated Church
with Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
officiating. In lieu of flowers,
memorials in Peggy’s name may be made
to the church, Hartford Fire
Department or to the family. The
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, has
been entrusted with handling the
arrangements.
NOTE: Peggy attended Hartford
High School.
|
John
Joseph Pradon,
Gobles MI, passed away on June 8,
2010. He was born on February 5,
1952.
 John
was
preceded in death by his brother,
Michael Pradon, in 2007.
NOTE:
John was a 1970 Hartford High
School graduate.
|
Mary Louise Griffin,
92, of Lawrence passed away peacefully
on Monday, June 7, 2010, at Bronson
LakeView Hospital, Paw Paw. Mary was
born July 18, 1917, in Hickman, Ky.,
to James and Lilly (Burney) Wallace,
both of whom preceded her in passing.
Also preceding her were her husband,
Robert, on May 28, 1985, three
brothers and two sisters.
Mary was a 1936 graduate of East Prairie High School in
Missouri. She was united in marriage
to Robert Spencer Griffin on Christmas
Eve of 1937. She was formerly employed
at the Watervliet Paper Mill until she
retired in 1977, after 21 years of
employment. Mary spent many years in
Watervliet, Hartford and Lawrence
until she spent the last few years at
Bronson LakeView Continuing Care
Center in Lawton.
Mary loved spending time with her family, which
consists of two daughters, Barbara
Lumley of Los Angeles and Patricia
(Charles) Edwards of Lawrence; and a
son, Ray (Lynn) Griffin of Watervliet.
Mary is also survived by 11
grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren;
six great-great-grandchildren; and a
brother, Robert Wallace of St. Louis,
Mo.
The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 p.m. today,
June 10, at the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford. The service to honor Mary’s
life will commence at 1 p.m. Friday,
June 11, at the funeral home with
Pastor Steven Bisbee officiating.
Anyone wishing to make a memorial in
Mary’s name may do so to the Humane
Society of your choice.
|
Robert C. Kendzior,
67, of Hartford died Sunday, June 6,
2010 at Borgess Medical Center in
Kalamazoo.
Cremation has taken place. Those wishing to sign the online
guest book or leave a message of
comfort for the family may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
Robert was born Aug 26, 1942 in
Hartford, MI to John and Mary (Walker)
Kendzior. He retired from General
Telephone with over 25 years of
service. In addition to hunting Robert
also took an interest in archery.
Survivors include his wife Gloria (Lambrecht) whom he
married Oct 27, 1962. Three children
Jean (Bernhard Jr ) Hoeckleberg,
Robert (Yvonne) Kendzior Jr, and Jerry
Kendzior all of Hartford; two brothers
Thomas Kendzior of Arizona and William
Kendzior of Hartford. Also surviving
is his mother Mary Kendzior of
Hartford, 10 grandchildren and 2 great
grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his father.
NOTE: Bob was a
1961 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
James A. Edgerly,
71, of Hartford passed away Saturday,
May 29, 2010, at Borgess-Pipp
Hospital, Plainwell, Mich.
“Jim,” as he was known by most, was born Nov. 13, 1938,
in Dowagiac, the son of Everett and
Vina (Craig) Edgerly, both of whom
precede him in passing. He was also
preceded by his stepfather, “Dad” Roy
Hann; three brothers – John Edgerly,
Bill Hann and Paul Edgerly; and a
sister, Velma Ehler.
Jim was the owner and operator of the B&E Clothing
Store in Hartford for many years. He
was also employed at the jewelry
stores in Hartford (until its closing)
and Dowagiac, as well as with James
Heddon Sons in Dowagiac. Outside of
the workplace, Jim enjoyed flying and
had built his own ultralight aircraft
and was a member of the AOPA (Aircraft
Owners and Pilots Association). He
also loved to hunt, fish, and ride
snowmobiles and motorcycles.
Jim is survived by his three siblings – Wells (Connie)
Edgerly of Hartford and Daisy (Glen)
Baham, both of Hartford, and Tim
(Judy) Hann of Holland; along with
numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces
and great-nephews.
Jim has been cremated. Family and friends are invited
to a celebration of Jim’s life on
Tuesday, June 8. The celebration will
take place from 4 to 8 p.m. at the
Sister Lakes Lions Club. The family
has entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with the handling of
arrangements.
|
Charles "Tim" Deckard
-
On Saturday, May 29,
2010, Tim's assignment with us ended,
We can only guess why God chose Tim
for the job here with us. We know that
it was not an easy job, so God must
have chosen wisely for this. Maybe he
was here to teach us humility, he
certainly set a splendid example.
Maybe he was sent to teach us humor
and to show us how to deal with life's
adversities, again he showed the way.
Maybe God wanted us to be grateful
that we didn't have all the health
issues that Tim smiled his way
through, “there, but through the grace
of God, go I”. Again, we can only
speculate how the world appeared to
Tim, he was never able to fully
explain it to us. Did he dream
in his sleep of being normal? Did he
plan for tomorrow? Did he hope for a
better future?
Why, we ask, was Tim denied a normal life? I
don't think we will ever understand,
we can only be grateful for the time
spent with us and the lessons learned
from his life.
God speed, Tim, and
job well done.
Born Charles Timothy Deckard November 6, 1960
to Jean and Charles Deckard at his
home in Hartford Township. At the age
of 6 months a heart valve
malfunctioned and caused damage to the
brain resulting in severe mental
handicap. Known as Tim to his family
and Charley to his friends, he spent
most of his life in community
rehabilitation homes. For the last 12
years, he has made his home at Rose's
Adult Care in Bangor. Tim lived his
life with humor and good spirits and
developed a close bond with his
grandpa George Deckard. His sweet
tooth was well known by everyone
around him and he would consume any
and all drinks close to him. No matter
where he was or what he did he smiled
his way through life.
Tim is survived by; His mother Jean Burlingham,
Stepfather Daniel Burlingham and 6
siblings; Katrina (Terry) Johnson
(Hartford), Stephen (Nicole) Deckard
(Lawrence), Gary “Joe” (Becky) Deckard
(Hartford) and Felicia (Brian
Reafsnyder) Scott (Hartford).
stepbrother and sister, Danny
Burlingham (Hartford) and Shawntell
(Jeff) Adler (Las Vegas, NV). He
had many caring nieces and nephews.
His special friends and care givers
Kathy, Debbie, and other caring people
at the adult home.
Tim was proceeded in death by his; father, Charles
Deckard; paternal grandparents, Agnes
and George Deckard; maternal
grandparents, Guy Estes; Edna and Bill
Woodall.
Services to honor Tim's life will be held Saturday,
June 5th at the Calvin's
Funeral Home, Hartford. Visitations
will start at 9:30 a.m. and the
service at 11:00 a.m. The
service will be conducted by Reverend
Steven Bisbee. Burial will be at
the Maple hill Cemetery.
The family requests that memorials be made to the
Hartford Public Library in Tim's
memory.
|
Leane (Roper) Kellogg,
49, of Hartford, passed away Wednesday
morning, May 26, 2010, at her home
surrounded by her family.
She was born to Bill and Joan (Empson)
Roper on Nov. 6, 1960, in Watervliet.
She was a
graduate of Hartford High School,
class of 1979. For 25 years,
she was an employee of Liebenthal
Dentistry (formerly Laman), where she
greeted everyone with a friendly
smile. She was a member of the Girls
Birthday Club, Hartford Recreation
Council and coached high school
varsity cheerleading. Leane was
notably known as an accomplished metal
artist and craftswoman. For leisure,
she enjoyed traveling to warm places
such as Las Vegas, Hawaii and most of
all Cancun, Mexico.
On June 27, 2009, she was united in marriage to Mark
Kellogg, who survives. Also surviving
are two sons – Joseph (Lindsay) Quigno
of Paw Paw and Justin Quigno of
Hartford; stepson, Norman Kellogg of
Hartford; stepdaughter, Gina Kellogg
of Hartford; mother, Joan (John)
Duncan of Lawrence; grandmother,
Maxine (Steve) Ziemek of Paw Paw;
brother, Tim (Tena) Roper of Paw Paw;
niece, Christine Roper and nephew,
Erik Roper, both of Paw Paw; father of
her sons, Joseph P. Quigno of
Hartford; and many aunts, uncles and
cousins.
She was preceded in death by her father, Bill Roper.
Leane was a very happy and optimistic person,
influencing and touching so many lives
and gracing everyone with her radiant
smile. Most of all, she loved life no
matter the obstacles thrown at her.
Her positive phrases, “Every day is a
great day!” or “Life is good!” will
resonate in those she touched the
most. She took great pride and found
strength through her family,
especially with her two sons. She was
an avid follower of her sons’ sports
and a proud mother to all of their
accomplishments.
A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday,
June 2, at the Adams Funeral Home in
Paw Paw, with Dr. Ed Liebenthal
officiating. A celebration of her life
will follow the service at John and
Lisa Johnson’s at 447 North Center
St., Hartford. A private ceremony for
interment of cremains will be held in
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford. In lieu
of flowers, memorial contributions may
be made to Hospice of Southwest
Michigan or West Michigan Cancer
Center. Friends and family may share a
memory or condolence online at:
www.timeformemory.com/adams.
|
Vida Tomi (Stennecke)
Dockter,
62, Hartford, lost her
valiant
 battle
against cancer on May 26, 2010, at
home surrounded by her family.
Per her wishes, cremation has taken place. Please join
the family in celebrating Vida’s life
on Wednesday, June 2, at the First
Congregational Church of Kalamazoo,129
S. Park St., Kalamazoo, Mich.
Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. and
the service at 6 p.m., with fellowship
to follow. In lieu of flowers,
memorials are warmly appreciated to
Hospice at Home, P.O. Box 990, South
Haven, MI 49090.
Vida grew up in Watervliet, the second daughter of Tom
and Violet Stennecke, a well known and
popular couple in business (Watervliet
Phillips 66 Station) and social
circles. The family lived on Red Arrow
Highway, which was a popular “second
home” for Vida’s multitude of friends
from the class of 1965 Watervliet High
School. Vida and her sister, Marsha,
brought a dose of glamour to
Watervliet with their award-winning
roles in the high school bands and
choirs, most specially their unique
high tossed batons as they led the
marching bands and many parades.
After a Watervliet education, Vida then advanced to
Bronson School of Nursing, where she
graduated in 1967. While studying, she
married Bill Fizzell. Together, yet
apart, with dignity and respect, they
raised three children in New Jersey –
Deane Fizzell, now of Watervliet,
Ashley Fleming of Florence, S.C., and
Dana Goetter of Germantown, Wis.
In high school, Vida met Frank Dockter, a “hot rod”
from Hartford. Though their romance
ended as teenagers, they were
fortunate enough to reconnect and
marry as adults. A story worthy of a
novel, they lived in Kalamazoo before
retiring to Hartford in 2006.
Vida enjoyed her home, garden, church life and friends.
She had a wicked sense of humor, great
wit and a laugh you had to join in on.
Her 30-year nursing career undoubtedly
touched and changed many lives. A
strong woman with class and integrity,
Vida never wavered on her beliefs.
There was no gray area in her life, as
was the same for her beloved father,
whom she adored and lost too early.
She is survived by her sister, Marsha Cole of
Watervliet; her children; and three
grandchildren – Tyler, Melanie and
Chelsea.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Arrangements are by Duffield & Pastrick Family Funeral
Home and Cremation Services in Coloma.
Those wishing to sign the online guest
book or leave a message of comfort for
the family may do so at
www.duffieldpastrick.com.
|
Charles Sylvester Long
Jr.,
83 of Keeler left his loving earthly
family to enter his eternal home on
Saturday, May 15, 2010, at home
surrounded by his loving family.
Charles was born Sept. 24, 1926, in
New Madrid, Mo., to Charles and Delia
(Sharkey) Long Sr., both of whom
preceded him in passing. Charles was
also preceded in passing by a
grandson, Michael Mattner, a brother,
Charles Everette Long, and three
sisters, Alfreda Baumgardner, Geneva
Webb and Anna Marie Absher.
Charles served his country proudly for more than 30
years in the United States Army,
during both
World War II
and the
Korean War.
He received the Purple Heart. After
his military duties, Charles worked
for Sundstrand of Dowagiac until his
retirement in 1989.
Charles married Wanda Lee Teeters on June 16, 1947, and
for the last 63 years they enjoyed
each other’s company. Charles and
Wanda loved spending time with their
family, which consists of four
daughters, Carolyn (Gerald) Ulrich of
Eau Claire, Sherry (Almon) Dixon of
Dowagiac, Debra (Cecil Paul) Bridges
of Bragg City, Mo., Charity Long of
Lansing; and a son, Brian Long of
Keeler. Charles cherished his seven
grandchildren and 20
great-grandchildren, along with his
lone surviving sibling, Wanda Johnson
of Kalamazoo.
The service to honor Charles’ memory will commence at 1
p.m. Tuesday, May 18, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The family
will receive friends beginning at
noon. Pastor Steven Bisbee of the
Keeler General Baptist Church will
officiate. Charles will be laid to
rest in Keeler Cemetery with military
rites by VFW Post 1137, VFW Post 6803,
American Legion Post 362 and their
auxiliary. In lieu of flowers,
memorials in Charles’ name may be made
to Hospice at Home, Stevensville.
|
Miroslaw (Mike) Dolezan,
82, of Hartford passed away Wednesday,
May 5, 2010, at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center, St. Joseph, from a
lengthy illness.
Mike was born July 28, 1927, in
Poland, to Stanley and Valerie Dolezan,
both of whom preceded him in passing.
While working at the Watervliet Paper Co., he obtained
his degree at Lake Michigan College,
and later retired from Whirlpool
Corp., Benton Harbor, after 29 years
of service. Mike served on the
Hartford City Council, coached
baseball, and was a leader for the Boy
Scouts of America.
Survivors include his wife, Myra Dolezan; one sister,
Julia (Dolezan) Pawlak of Chicago; two
sons, Steve Dolezan and Chris Dolezan,
both of Hartford; one daughter, Monica
(Dolezan) Skidmore of Benton Harbor;
and two grandchildren, Kevin Dolezan
and Domanik Skidmore.
Cremation has taken place and to honor Mike’s wishes,
there will be no funeral services.
|
Russell Alfred Richmond,
87, of Hartford passed away Saturday,
May 8, 2010.
Russell was born July 14, 1922, in
Keeler Township, the son of Deane and
Adaline (Russell) Richmond, both of
whom preceded him in passing. He was a
graduate of Hartford High School and
received an agricultural certificate
from Michigan State College, now known
as Michigan State University.
He was a veteran who served in the
United States Navy in the Pacific in
World War II. He was a 4-H leader
in Van Buren County for more than 40
years.
He also served on the board of the Watervliet Fruit
Exchange and was a member of the
Hartford Federated Church, where he
served in multiple capacities. He
enjoyed fruit and livestock farming,
as well as woodworking and gardening.
But his most special times were spent
with his family, especially his
children, grandchildren and
great-granddaughter.
Russell married the former Esther Ballard in Eaton
Rapids on June 13, 1953. She survives,
along with four children: Gary (Mary)
Richmond of Hartford, Lee (Randy)
Richmond of Shoreview, Minn., Ann
(Keith) Fisher of Toledo, Ohio, and
Amy (Rob) Pohutski of Livonia, Mich.
Also surviving are 10 grandchildren,
Clint (Shawna) Richmond, Connie
(Sanjay) Biswas, Kenneth (Jessica)
Richmond, Robert (Karolyn) Richmond,
Elizabeth Richmond, Michelle Richmond,
Bryce Fisher, Betsy Fisher, Kelsie
Pohutski, Kyle Pohutski; one
great-granddaughter, Savannah; a
brother-in-law and sister-in-law,
James (Carolyn) Ballard of Florida and
Eaton Rapids, as well as several
nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family will welcome friends from 5 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday, May 11, at the Hartford
Federated Church, where funeral
services to honor his memory will
commence at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 12.
Friends may also call one hour before
the service. Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
will officiate.
Burial will follow in Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford.
Memorial donations in Russell’s name
may be made to the Hartford Federated
Church or Hospice at Home. The family
has entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford, with handling the
arrangements.
NOTE:
Russell was a
1940 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
Jean
Boyer Beckwith
- On
May 5th, 2010 we grieve the loss of
our beloved wife, mother, sister,
grandmother and great-grandmother Jean
Boyer Beckwith. Jean
 was
born July 25th, 1925 in Watervliet, MI
to Theodore Lloyd Boyer and Olive Lila
(Simpson) Boyer.
Jean and (Ret.) Lt. Col Bick Beckwith married in
October 1943 before he enlisted in
WWII. They were high school
sweethearts and kept that love true
until her last day.
Jean and Bick spent many years traveling as Bick’s
service in the Air Force from 1945 to
1972, serving in Japan, Korea,
Vietnam, the Air Force Academy, and
finally retiring at the Pentagon.
Jean was very honored and proud to be a military man’s
wife, homemaker and mother to her two
sons Ted and Jim. She was
extremely proud of her two boys and
loved them with all her heart.
After Bick’s retirement they made their final home in
Carlsbad [CA] where Jean was quite
active with the YMCA and the Gaviota
Circle Community where she was known
as the neighborhood GG (grandmother).
Jean was very special to so many people, she was the
most caring individual you could ever
know, loved cooking, and enjoyed
traveling while spending time visiting
with family and friends all across the
U.S.
Jean is survived by her husband (Ret.) Lt. Col Bick
Beckwith, and her sisters Betty
DiMiceli (Carlsbad), Fran Mills
(Seattle), and Connie Dushek
(Michigan).
NOTE:
A graduate of Watervliet High School
(1943), Jean is from the Simpson family
lineage mentioned throughout the early
history of Hartford. Jean and
Bick have both contributed much for
the History of Hartford website
www.hartfordmichigan.com and our
lives are all a little richer for
their tidbits from the past.
|
 Erwin
Kesterke,
83, of Finchville, Ky., and a longtime
area resident, died peacefully in his
sleep after a short illness Tuesday,
May 4, 2010, at Jewish Hospital,
Shelbyville, Ky.
“Sonny,” as he was known by all who knew him, was born
Aug. 31, 1926, in South Haven to Erwin
and Helen (Gould) Kesterke, both of
whom preceded him in passing. Also
preceding Sonny in passing were his
wife, Jacqueline (Calvin) Kesterke and
a daughter, Nicki Lu Rapp.
Sonny was a
1945 graduate of Hartford High
School, where he had a
swing band called “Swing and Sway
with Sonny K.”
He was a
veteran, serving in the United
States Air Force and its reserves.
Sonny was a retired real estate
broker, president and owner of the
Florida Store Inc. He retired to
Lecanto, Fla., until his most recent
move to Finchville, Ky., to be closer
to his family. In addition to being a
local resident for many years, he
formerly resided in Glenview, Ill.,
for more than 35 years. In his spare
time, he was a model train enthusiast
and loved traveling, highlighted by
climbing to the summit of the Sydney
Harbour Bridge in Australia at the age
of 80.
Sonny is survived by his children: Linda (Tom) Harkness,
Charles Rapp, Penny (Michael) Lauer
and Tracy Bauer; grandchildren: Brooke
Hudson, Christopher Condotti, Jason
Harkness,
Amy (Paul) Micari, David (Shannon)
Rapp, Kevin Rapp, Danny Rapp,
Elizabeth Lauer, Sara Lauer and Abby
Lauer; greatgrandchildren: Vincent
Condotti, Preston Rapp, Riley Rapp and
Quinn Rapp, and his ever faithful
canine companion, Pepper.
Family and friends will gather from 12 to 1 p.m.
Saturday, May, 8 at the Calvin Funeral
Home, Hartford, where a procession
will commence to Maple Hill Cemetery,
Hartford, for graveside committal
services. Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
of the Hartford Federated Church will
serve as officiant. In lieu of
flowers, the family has requested that
memorial donations in Sonny’s name be
made to the Covert Resort Association.
|
Laurie Laman-Burke
Roberts
- 55,
of Ceresco, Mich, went into the arms
of Jesus April 30, 2010, in Battle
Creek, Mich.
She was born in University of Michigan
Hospital in Ann Arbor on Nov. 14,
1954, and
grew up in Hartford, where she
attended high school. Laurie then
attended Hope College and later
graduated from Nazareth College.
She was a 29-year employee of Pfizer and the former
Upjohn and Pharmacia Corp. Laurie
enjoyed music and performed often on
piano, guitar and as a vocal soloist
as a member of several choirs. She
also was a private piano instructor in
Kalamazoo.
Laurie was a member of the Hartford UMC, Westwood UMC
and was currently a member of Fulton
Christian Church, where her husband is
the pastor. Laurie was an avid
University of Michigan football and
basketball fan and recently became a
fan of the Detroit Tigers. She enjoyed
swimming, reading, water skiing and
gardening.
Members of her family include: her husband, Pastor
James Roberts; her parents, Dr. John
and Venetia Laman; a son, Matthew
Burke; twin step-daughters, Rebecca
(Eric) Ivany and Reneé (Andy) Miller;
a sister, Kerry (Rick) Samulak; a
brother, John (Cathie) Laman; her
grandmother, Rose Laman; two aunts,
Nancy VanderSalm and Becky Laman-Hynes;
three nieces and three nephews; five
great-nieces and nephews; five
cousins; and her special friend,
Penny, her dog.
Spend time with her family and friends, view her life
story film and share light
refreshments 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at the
Life Story Funeral Home, 5975 Lovers
Lane, Portage. Funeral services will
be held 4 p.m. Tuesday at the First
United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo.
Visit Laurie’s memory page at
www.lifestorynet.com, where you can
read her life story, archive a
favorite memory or photo, or sign her
guestbook online before coming to the
funeral home or church, or make a
memorial donation to either the ALS
Foundation or the Fulton Christian
Church.
Laurie will long be remembered for her beautiful smile
and her kind heart.
NOTE: Laurie was a 1973 Hartford
High School graduate.
|
 Wilma
E. (Pletcher) Penwell
began her heavenly journey on April
25, 2010. Wilma was born on
April 16, 1912, in Minden City, Mich.
She was the third of seven children
born to William Jackson and Kathryn
(Wilson) Pletcher. Her parents and
five siblings, Genevieve, Alice, Edna,
Bernie and Jack, preceded her in
passing. She married Harve L. Penwell
in September 1932. They had four
children. Her children, grandchildren
and great-grandchildren were her pride
and joy. She was active in the
Maccabees, Methodist Church Women’s
Guild and Sewing Circle. She was one
of the early “working moms,” and she
enjoyed cooking, sewing and other
handcraft activities. When she retired
from J.C. Penney Co. in Niles, she
became a foster grandparent, sharing
her “grandma wisdom” with youngsters
at the Berrien County Juvenile Center.
Later on, she also spent time “rocking
and loving” babies at Pawating
Hospital in Niles. For family
gatherings, a favorite request was
apple pie slices, and she always had
time for that treat. She will be
greatly missed by her family and many
friends, knowing she’s finally “home.”
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harve;
daughters,
Kathleen (Kay) Bodjack and Brenda
(Ann) Martin; and grandson
James (Jamey) Wilkens.
She is survived by her brother, William (Bill and wife
Jean) Pletcher; her children, Dale
(Kathy) Penwell, Chambersburg, Pa.,
and Ruth Ellen Wilkens, Portage, Mich.
Also surviving are grandchildren,
Nicki Jo Wingaert, Toni Kay (Fred)
Bruegmann, Amy (Jesse) Yaloff, Linda
(Jordan) Celkupa, Michael Penwell,
Kathryn (Scott) Picchiottino, Deborah
(Michael) Fleetwood, Kirk (Kim)
Martin, Matthew (Theresa) Martin,
Joseph (Yvonne) Wilkens and Jonathan
(Bonnie) Wilkens. Wilma is also
survived by many nieces and nephews.
Those who love and miss her are 14
great-grandchildren and one expected
great-great-grandchild.
Family will receive friends at 12 p.m. Saturday, May 1,
at the Bloomingdale Chapel, D. L.
Miller Funeral Home,
www.dlmillerfuneralhome. com, for
visitation, with service to follow at
2 p.m. Burial will be in Evergreen
Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the
American Cancer Society, American
Heart Association or the Activities
Department at Meadow Woods Nursing and
Rehab Center.
NOTE:
Wilma and Harve lived in Hartford for
many years, where he was a Village
Mail Carrier and Justice of the Peace.
Most of their children were Hartford
High School graduates from 1954-1962.
|
|
Robert Barlow
was born August 20, 1947 in South
Haven, Michigan and died April 22,
2010 while in the Hospice of the
Valley, Sun City, AZ.
Prior to his death he was living with his mother, Ms.
Loretta (Rhinehart) Treadwell in Sun
City, Arizona. He was preceded
in death by his father, Retired CWO
Merle Barlow, a long time resident of
Hartford, Michigan. He graduated
from High School in Reno, NV.
Bobby is survived by his mother and two sisters, Dixie
Lerch residing in Fennville, Michigan
and Sandra Miller, residing in New
Carlisle, Indiana.
Although living in Hartford in his youth, being an Army
brat, he saw a lot of this world and
learned a great deal more about it
through his stamp collection. When not
working on it, he was busy on his
computer. Bobby was a kind and
considerate individual who had many
friends who, along with his family,
will miss him sorely.
Bobby’s remains will be interned in Maple Hill Cemetery
in Hartford, Michigan.
|
Edward Groth,
born
April 15, 1921 to Charles and Johanna
Groth in Hartford Michigan, passed
away April 17, 2010.
Lived in Kalamazoo Michigan most of his life. Edward
was with the Army Military Police in
World War II in occupied Japan, and
received three medals. He was employed
at Burroughs Manufacturing for 22
years. His passion was gardening.
Married Donna J. Gibbs September 27,
1947.
Preceding him in death are his parents and all of his
siblings. Survivors are daughter, Dawn
(Byron) Morrison; granddaughter,
Valorie (Garry) Veld; and grandson,
Scott (Kelli) Morrison; great
grandsons, Andrew and Matthew Veld and
Brandon Morrison; several nieces and
nephews.
A Memorial Service will be held May 2, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Sunnyside Methodist Church, 2800 Gull
Rd., with Pastor Matt Weiler
officiating. Contributions may be made
to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.
|
Naomi Juk,
of Spring Lake, formerly of Paw Paw,
passed
away unexpectedly Friday, April 16,
2010 at her home. She was born January
18, 1927 in Arvilla, WV,
 the
daughter of Cloyd and Mamie Wells.
Naomi received her degree in education from Western
Michigan University and
was a teacher at Hartford Public
Schools. She also taught for
Paw Paw Community Education, was
treasurer for Women's Coterie Club of
Paw Paw, was a member of First
Presbyterian Church, Paw Paw, also
serving on several committees for the
Lake Michigan Presbytery.
On October 20, 1951 in Grand Haven, Naomi was united in
marriage to Carl T. Juk who preceded
her in death November 12, 2008. She
was also preceded in death by a
brother, Bernard Wells. She is
survived by two sons, Steven
(Kristina) Juk of Shelbyville, TN and
Paul Juk of St. Joseph; daughter, Lisa
(Steve) Overacker of Spring Lake;
foster daughter, Elaine Emmert of
Mesquite, TX; grandchildren, Kristina
(Jeff) Simpson, Daniel Juk, Sarah and
Jill Overacker; foster grandson, Bryan
Rodriquez; great grandchildren, Gordon
and Olivia Simpson; four siblings,
Louise (Fred) Myland of Kalamazoo,
Betty (Neal) Barnhart of New
Cumberland, WV, Dean (Diana) Wells of
Paw Paw and Lola Wells of Pittsburgh,
PA.
Family will receive friends 6-8 PM Monday, (April 19)
at Adams Funeral Home, Paw Paw.
Committal services will take place
10:30 AM Tuesday at Prospect Hill
Cemetery, Paw Paw. A memorial service
will follow at 11:30 AM at First
Presbyterian Church, Paw Paw, Pastor
Tom Abbott officiating. Memorials may
be directed to First Presbyterian
Church, Paw Paw. Share a memory or
condolence online at
www.timeformemory.com/adams.
|
Martin Klyver
Cadwell,
83, of Hartford passed away Tuesday,
April 13, 2010, at home following a
brief terminal illness.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m.
Friday, April 16, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. Burial will
follow in North Shore Memory Gardens,
Hagar Shores. Visitation will be held
from 6 to 8 p.m. today, April 15, at
the funeral home. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations in Martin’s name
may be made to the family.
Martin was born May 21, 1926, in Benton Harbor to Leo
and Bessie Cadwell. He joined the
Army and fought in World War II.
He received the Purple Heart and the
Bronze Star medals for his service. He
met and married the love of his life,
Mina “Peggy” Wycoff, on July 19, 1952.
They spent 56 glorious years together.
He devoted his life to his family. He
was a wonderful husband, father,
brother, uncle and grandfather. He
worked for Barentsen Candy Co. and
Rudy Manufacturing. He retired from
Benton Harbor Engineering after
working there for 25 years. Martin was
also a dedicated fireman for the
Keeler Fire Department for 25 years.
Martin is survived by his children, Ann (Bobby) Wade
and Paul (Lisa) Cadwell; sister, Inez
Berndt; grandchildren, Amber (Ramon)
Beltran, Julia (Mike) Wade, Bryan
(Ashley) Wade, Ashley Jackson and
Jeremy Cadwell; great-grandchildren,
Dakota, Gabriella, Marcus, Deidre,
Isabella, Aiden and Melissa. Also
surviving are brother and
sisters-in-law, Al and Sue Faultersack,
Larry and Diann Wycoff, Lloyd and
Connie Wycoff, John and Pat Wycoff and
Jerry Wycoff; and two very special
nieces, Ruby (Dave) Karsen and Darlene
(Tom) Hess.
Besides his parents, Martin was preceded in death by
his wife, Peggy; brothers, Leo “Bud”
and Gene; his sister, Betty; a
granddaughter, Marie and
great-grandson, Alexx.
|
Daniel Dotson Thomas,
73, of Hartford passed away Saturday,
April 10, 2010, at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center, St. Joseph.
Daniel was born May 25, 1936, in
Manila, Ark., to Don and Mary (Kincade)
Thomas, both of whom preceded him in
passing. Daniel was also preceded by
his siblings – Georgia, Ida, Drewcilla,
Charles, John, Andrew and James
Thomas.
After moving to Michigan, Daniel lived and was raised
on Danneffel Road, Watervliet. He was
formerly employed at Bartz Pontiac in
Benton Harbor and for many years
enjoyed being a blueberry farmer.
Daniel was an avid hunter, enjoyed
reading numerous books about history
and always looked forward to the
camping trips with his family. He
loved to eat fish, even though he
really didn’t care about catching the
fish himself.
Daniel married Marie Jestine Manning on July 19, 1954,
and for the last 55 years they enjoyed
each other’s company. Together they
raised a family, which consists of
their three children: Don (Laura)
Thomas, Teresa (Sam) Babb and Darrell
(Tammy Menear) Thomas, all of
Hartford, and his loving dog, Buddy.
Daniel is also survived by
grandchildren – Amy, Sara, John, Adam,
Ashley, Jennie, Matthew, Maria and
Paul; two great-grandsons, Michael and
Max; and a sister, Jannie (John) Morse
of Keeler.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Monday, April 12, at the Hartford
Church of God. The service to honor
Daniel’s memory will commence at 2
p.m. Tuesday, April 13, at the church.
Pastor Eric Jackson, along with
Brother Ray Manning, will officiate.
Daniel will be laid to rest in
Fairview Memorial Cemetery, Watervliet
Township. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests memorial donations in
Daniel’s name be made to the Hartford
Church of God.
|
Peggy Ann Clayton,
64, of Hartford, went to be with her
Lord Jesus Christ and joined her
loving husband in Heaven on Saturday,
April 3, 2010, at her home.
 Peggy
was born March 30, 1946, in Poplar
Bluff, Mo., the daughter of Denver and
Betty (Douglas) Brawley.
She enjoyed crocheting, NASCAR and NCIS. Most of all,
she loved spending time with her
family and serving the Lord at New
Life Christian Center.
Family will receive visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. at the
New Life Christian Center, 6674 Paw
Paw Ave., Coloma, on Monday, April 5,
where funeral services will take place
at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, with
Pastor Larry Nail serving as officiant.
She will be laid to rest in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford. In lieu of
flowers, memorial donations in Peggy’s
name may be made to the family.
Peggy was preceded in death by her husband, the Rev.
Samuel F. Clayton, in 2007, whom she
married on Aug. 3, 1968; and her
father, Denver L. Brawley, in 1997.
She is survived by her mother,
Betty Brawley; one son,
Greg Campbell of Benton Harbor; one
daughter, Dianna (Joe) Buzzank of San
Antonio, Texas; as well as
grandchildren – Christine (Paul)
Irwin, Melissa (Anthony) Graves, Greg
Campbell Jr., Samuel Campbell and
Nichole Campbell, all of Coloma, and
Brandon Buzzank of San Antonio, the
joy of her life; her
greatgrandchildren – Alex, Paige and
Katlyn Irwin; one sister, Sherry
(George) Nail; and many nieces and
nephews.
The family has entrusted Calvin Funeral Home with
Peggy’s services.
|
 Douglas
Kabel - Watervliet.
Doug’s life began June
11, 1945, in Watervliet.
He spent his lifetime in Watervliet, where he graduated
high school. Doug enjoyed singing
karaoke and spending time with his
family.
Doug’s loving family includes: two sons, Tom (Stacie)
Kabel of Rochester Hills, Mich., and
Tim (Theresa) Kabel of Fort Myers,
Fla.; three grandchildren; a brother,
Don (Lynda) Kabel of Watervliet; and a
sister, Sara (Jack) Goss of Bangor.
Doug died Friday, April 2, 2010, at Lakeland Regional
Medical Center in St. Joseph. His
parents, Jerald and Nona (Blanchan)
Kabel, preceded him in death.
Doug’s family is gathering with friends from 4 to 8
p.m. Thursday, April 8, at the Half
Pint in Millburg for fellowship and
karaoke. Memorials may be made in
Doug’s memory to Area Agency on Aging.
Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet is
assisting Doug’s family with
arrangements.
NOTE: Douglas was
a
1963 Hartford High School
graduate, where he was Vice President
of his class.
|
Susan Ann Cade,
64, of Hartford went to be with our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on
March 31, 2010, at home.
A memorial service is planned for
10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 17, at
the Hartford Federated Church just
west of Hartford on Red Arrow Highway
with Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
officiating. Memorials may be made to
Hartford Federated Church or Grace
Christian School in Watervliet, where
Susan taught for many years.
Susan was born in San Antonio, Texas, to Verl and
Arline Taylor on April 21, 1945. She
attended many schools across the
country while her father was in the
Air Force, ending up back in Hartford
for her senior year of high school.
She went on to complete education
degrees from Western Michigan
University and her master’s from
Pensacola Christian College. She had
primarily lived in the Hartford area
since marrying David in 1966.
Susan is survived by her loving husband of more than 40
years, David E. Cade; mother, Arline
Taylor; brothers Verl (Bernice) and
William Taylor of Woodland, Calif.; a
sister, Diane Pawling of Portage; an
aunt, Irene Leach of Hartford;
brothers-in-law, Michael (Janice) Cade
of Coloma, Chris (Lisa) Cade of
Glenwood Springs, Colo., and
sister-in-law, Cindy Cade Munro of
Colorado Springs; as well as numerous
nieces and nephews.
Susan was preceded in death by her father, Verl Taylor.
NOTE: Susan was a
1963 Hartford High School
graduate. |
 John
Baldwin,
St. Joseph, began his
life June 12, 1948, in Benton Harbor.
He spent his lifetime in the area.
John worked as a police officer in
Benton Harbor, Michiana and
Hartford, and most recently, he
was a building contractor.
John’s loving family includes: a son, John (Sara) Baldwin Jr. of
Grand Junction; four daughters, Karen
(Jay) Ashley of Coloma, Autumn Baldwin
of South Haven, Rebecca (William)
Johnston of Tucson, Ariz., and Amber
Baldwin of Chicago; 14 grandchildren;
his mother, Gertrude Baldwin of St.
Joseph; a brother, Thomas (Lauren)
Baldwin of Benton Harbor; a sister,
Gayle Nelson of Springfield, Ill.; and
many nieces and nephews.
John died Wednesday, March 24,
2010, at Lakeland Regional Medical
Center, St. Joseph, surrounded by his
loving family. His father, Charles
Baldwin, and a sister, Mary Brown,
preceded John in death.
Friends may visit with John’s
family from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, March 27, at Hutchins
Funeral Home in Watervliet, where his
life will be celebrated following
visitation at 1 p.m. Burial will
follow in Fairview Memorial Cemetery
in Watervliet. Memorials may be made
to John’s family.
|
Daniel R. Wolford,
51, of Hartford, formerly of South
Haven, died Wednesday, March 24 at his
home.
He was born September 13, 1958 in
South Haven, Michigan to William RH
and Marcella (Boshell) Wolford. Daniel
married Debbie Fisher on March 25.
1982.
Daniel worked in farming, at Palisades Nuclear Power
Plant, Twin City Glass and also for
ICG in Dowagiac. Daniel enjoyed
hunting, fishing, NASCAR racing and
gardening. Daniel’s life was his wife
Deb and his daughter Trin, his little
man Camden and his dog – baby girl.
He is preceded in death by his mother – Marcella
Wolford, brother – Gary Wolford,
sister – Penny Corday Wolford,
grandparents – grandma & grandpa
Zillman, grandma & grandpa Wolford and
brother-in-law – Billy Fisher. He is
survived by his wife – Debbie Wolford
of Hartford, Michigan. One daughter –
Trinity Wolford, one amazing grandson
– Camden Daniel Wolford (the light of
his life) of Hartford, Michigan, his
father – William (Cathy) Wolford of
South Haven, Michigan, one sister –
Terri (Chris) Craft of Kalamazoo,
Michigan, brothers - Billy Wolford of
Jackson, Michigan, Tim (Stacy) Wolford
of Ohio, Uncle Carl Wolford of
Kalamazoo, Michigan, step-sister –
Nicole (John) Brill of South Haven,
Michigan, mother-in-law – Pearl Fisher
of Hartford Michigan, brother-in-laws
- Charles Fisher of Hartford,
Michigan, Jerry Fisher of Alabama,
Roger Fisher of Hartford, Michigan,
sister-in-laws – Doris (James) Davis
of Dowagiac, Michigan, Judy (Larry)
Nalepa of St. Joseph, Michigan, many
nieces, nephews and cousins survive.
Paul Pleyer has always been a brother
to Daniel.
Visitation will be from 12 - 2 on Monday, March 29 at
the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home.
Funeral services will begin at 2:00
P.M. at the funeral home with Pastor
William Chapman officiating. Memorial
contributions can be made to Debbie
Wolford. Kindly share your thoughts
and memories on the family’s online
guest book at www.FilbrandtFFH.com.
The family is being helped by the
Filbrandt Family Funeral Home of South
Haven 637-0333.
|
 Thomas
Lombardo,
72, of Hartford passed away Monday,
March 15, 2010, at Bronson Hospital in
Kalamazoo. Tommy lived at Woodside
Apartments for many years but had
recently resided at Countryside
Nursing Home in South Haven.
Tommy, who was born with cerebral palsy on May 16, 1937, was
placed in a state hospital when he was
3 weeks old. He spent 16 years in
Lapeer and 19 years in Coldwater state
homes and then lived in a series of
foster homes in Covert, Bangor and
Hartford. In 1995, Tommy was able to
move into his own apartment and
enjoyed his new life with the help of
assistants, who did his cooking,
cleaning and shopping.
Tommy was employed at a workshop operated by Van Buren
County Mental Health for many years
and loved getting out and being
productive. He was a proud member of
the Hartford United Methodist Church
and the Hartford Lions Club.
Country music, collecting baseball cards and the
Detroit Tigers were Tommy’s passions.
He loved music and had an extensive
collection of tapes and CDs. Attending
Sunday church service was very
important to Tommy; he loved greeting
each person and was phenomenal at
remembering each person’s name. His
cheerful disposition and appreciation
for life was very inspirational for
those who knew him.
His life is remembered at 7:30 p.m. today, March 17, at
the Hartford United Methodist Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations
may be made to the church for the
future purchase of a monument. The
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, has
been entrusted with handling the
arrangements.
|
K enneth
Lyle Phillips,
48, of Coloma, passed away suddenly on
Friday, March 12, 2010, at his home.
Kenny, as he was known to most everyone, was born April
17, 1961, in Watervliet to George and
Mary (Southard) Phillips.
After graduating
from Hartford High School in 1979,
Kenny became an exceptional carpenter.
He never met anyone he didn’t like and
was very generous to those who needed
help. He was an avid gardener who
enjoyed growing flowers of all kinds.
He enjoyed listening to the ’60s and
’70s music, especially the Beatles,
and playing the guitar.
Kenny is survived by his mother, Mary, of Coloma; a
sister, Diana Phillips of Hartford;
three brothers — Michael (Ruth Ann)
Phillips and Daniel Phillips, both of
Hagar Township, and Kevin Phillips of
Decatur; his longtime companion,
Beverly Wesaw of Coloma; and numerous
loving nieces and nephews.
Kenny was preceded in passing by his father, George, on
Jan. 13, 1999; and a brother, Gary
Phillips.
The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to noon,
Tuesday, March 16, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford, where the
service to honor his memory will
commence at noon. Kenny will be laid
to rest in Maple Hill Cemetery,
Hartford. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests memorial donations in
Kenny’s name be made to either the
Humane Society or Animal Aid.
|
 Ricky
Joe
Spangler,
54, of Hartford, passed away suddenly
on Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at home.
Rick, as he was known, was born Nov. 11, 1955, in
Watervliet, the son of Walter and Reva
(Nash) Spangler, both of whom preceded
him in passing. Also preceding him in
death were two sisters,
Janet Morris
and Donna Beaman; and three brothers –
Charles Spangler, Barry Spangler and
Frankie Spangler.
Rick is survived by his children – Ricky Spangler Jr.
of Mattawan, Joe Spangler and Amber
Howell, both of Paw Paw, and a
stepson, James Howell of Coloma. He
also leaves behind grandchildren
Karina and Johanna Solis;
step-grandchildren – Katrina, Amber
and Hailey Howell; and his siblings –
Ronald Spangler of Lawrence, Gerald
(Wanda) Spangler of Georgia, Judy
(Larry) Thompson of Plainwell and Nina
Richardson of Allegan.
Rick was formerly employed at Midwest Aluminum. He was
a kindhearted man dedicated to his
family and friends. His greatest joys
were going camping with his family and
friends, fishing, hunting, singing
karaoke, playing pool and
shuffleboard. Rick was a proud member
of the Sons of the American Legion.
As per Ricky’s wishes, cremation has taken place. There
will be a memorial service at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 16, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The family
will receive friends from 6 until the
time of service. Pastor Eric Jackson
of the Hartford Church of God will
officiate.
|
Duane Roger Winans,
71, of Hartford passed
away on Monday, March 1, 2010, at
home.
Duane was born Oct. 20, 1938, in Watervliet, the son of
Fred and Loretta (Parshall) Winans,
both of whom preceded him in passing.
Also preceding Duane in death was a
sister, Karen Winans, and a brother,
Lawrence Winans.
Duane was a 1957 graduate of Watervliet High School. He
was united in marriage to Peggy Bunn
on Nov. 17, 1959, and for the next 50
years they enjoyed each other’s
company. He was a truck driver by
trade and retired from U.S.F. Holland
Corporation. His brightest joy was
spending time with all of his
grandkids and great-grandkids. He
loved working in the yard – as a
matter of fact it could be anyone’s
yard – and during the winter you’d
often find him snow blowing the
driveway.
Duane is survived by his wife, Peggy, and his four
children, Roger Winans of
Jacksonville, Fla.,Tamara (Dustin)
Sirrine of Paw Paw, Charles (Rhonda)
Winans of El Reno, Okla., and James
(Lisa) Winans of Hartford. He is also
survived by 10 grandchildren; nine
great-grandchildren; three brothers,
Fred (Barbara) Winans, Don (Mattie)
Winans, both of Alabama, and Gene
Winans of Watervliet; two sisters,
Phyllis Kling and Darlene (Don)
Horton, both of Hartford; and a
special sister-in-law, Gloria Winans
of Hartford.
The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 4, at the Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The service to
honor Duane’s memory will commence at
11 a.m. Friday, March 5, at the
funeral home. Pastor Robert J.
Linstrom of the Peace Lutheran Church
of South Haven will officiate. Duane
will be laid to rest in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford. In lieu of
flowers, memorials may be made to the
West Michigan Cancer Center in
Kalamazoo.
|
Ruth E. Selters,
85, of Hartford was called home by her
Savior to be with the rest of her
family on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010.
Ruth’s life began on March 30, 1924, in Hartford. Her
parents were George and Ester (Wise)
Kime, who preceded her in death. Also
preceding her in death was her husband
of 65 years, Gerald Lee Selters, on
May 11, 2007; one sister, three
brothers and seven half-siblings.
Ruth and Jerry loved to travel across the country
together and spending time at their
cabin in Walhalla, Mich. Ruth
was also an avid reader and loved to
do crosswords. She also enjoyed many
years of Bunko Club with her friends,
and going to luncheons at the Hartford
school.
Ruth was a loving mother to all of her seven children:
Susan Williams, Jeryl Stair, Linda
Nydam, James Selters, Jane Yeider,
Jordan Selters and Jill Hunter. Ruth
also cherished all of her 10
grandchildren: Tim Oldham, Chris
Oldham, James Williams, Greg Stair,
Gina Kosten, Vicky Skinner, Daryl
Nydam, Heather Martinez, Lisa Selters
and Cory Wynans. She is also survived
by 14 great-grandchildren, four
nieces, a nephew and two cousins.
Ruth’s wisdom and love will be missed
by everyone.
The family will welcome friends from 7 to 9 p.m. today,
Feb. 26, at the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford. The funeral to honor her
memory will commence at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27, at the funeral
home. Pastor Timothy Nyhuis of the
Hartford Federated Church will
officiate. Ruth will be laid to rest
beside her husband in Maple Hill
Cemetery, Hartford Township. In lieu
of flowers, memorials in Ruth’s name
may be made to the West Michigan
Cancer Center at 200 North Park St.;
Kalamazoo, MI 49007.
NOTE:
Ruth was from the 1942 class of
Hartford High School. |
Janet Kucharski,
45, of Hartford, formerly of
Decatur, died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010,
at home.
Janet was born July 5, 1964, in Detroit, the daughter
of Robert and Martha (Waterlander)
Teisan. She graduated from Michigan
State University with a B.A. in
accounting and was a CPA formerly
employed by Plante & Moran in St.
Joseph. She formerly was the office
manager for Grace Christian School in
Watervliet. She attended the First
Baptist Church in Lawton.
She married Tony Kucharski Sept. 19, 1989, in Decatur,
and he survives. Also surviving: a
daughter, Holly Kucharski, and two
sons, Anthony and Andrew Kucharski,
all at home; her mother, Martha Teisan
of Decatur; four sisters, Martha
(Lance) Lambert of Glen Ellyn, Ill.,
Leah (Roy) Wendt of Parchment, Mich.,
Carolyn Schnur of Byron Center, Mich.,
and Barbara (John) Robbins of Goshen,
Ind.; and mother-in-law and
father-in-law, Frank and Annette
Kucharski of Decatur.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the
Decatur Bible Church with Pastor Lonny
Carpenter officiating. Burial will be
in Harrison Cemetery, Decatur. Friends
may call after 12 p.m. Thursday at the
church. Arrangements by Newell Funeral
Home, Decatur.
|
 Marvin
Edgar Stow,
son of Samuel Lee and Myrta Grigsby
Stow, was born October 11, 1945, in
Dyess, Arkansas. He departed this life
Monday, February 15, 2010, in
Christian Health Care South, in
Lebanon, Missouri, at the age of
sixty-four years, four months, and
four days.
On May 3,
1973, he was united in marriage to
Nola Bell Chambers, and they shared
the last thirty-six years. He was
preceded in death by his parents; and
two sisters, Novelyn Hopper, and Donna
Callahan.
Marvin is survived by his loving wife, Nola Bell, of
the home; a daughter, Angelia Crane,
and her husband, Anthony, of Bolivar,
Missouri; two sons, Troy Stow, and his
wife, Kathy, of Chisago, Minnesota,
and Marvin Stow, II, and his wife,
Mary, of Fort Belvoir, Virginia; eight
grandchildren; four sisters, Rita Bell
Clay, of Watervliet, Michigan, Jane
McCarty, of Hartford, Michigan, Thelma
Hindman, of Clio, Michigan, and Diane
Mabus, of St. Louis, Missouri; a
number of nieces and nephews; as well
as a host of other relatives and
friends.
He was born in Arkansas, and was raised in Hartford,
Michigan, where he graduated from
Hartford High School. He served his
country faithfully in the
United States Army from June 10, 1964,
until June 9, 1967, during the Vietnam
War. He completed clerical school
at Fort Knox, Kentucky, while serving
in the Army. Upon being discharged
from the Army, Marvin returned to
Hartford, Michigan, for a few years.
Soon after he and Nola Bell were
married, they made their home in
Buffalo, Missouri, where Marvin worked
for Wood Super Market for seventeen
years. For one year, he and Nola Bell
were house parents at Tupelo
Children’s Mansion, in Tupelo,
Mississippi. They then moved to
Lebanon, and Marvin worked for the
Lebanon Housing Authority for fourteen
years before retiring.
Marvin was an active member of Harvest Tabernacle –
United Pentecostal Church in Lebanon
and had served on the Trustee Board
and on the church board. He had also
been church treasurer for seventeen
years.
He enjoyed music and had played the coronet since the
age of eleven. In his spare time he
liked being outdoors where his
favorite activities were playing golf,
fishing, hunting, and gardening. He
also did volunteer work at the
American Red Cross office.
His family was very important to him and he especially
enjoyed his grandchildren.
Marvin was a loving husband, father,
grandfather, brother and uncle, and
was a caring neighbor and friend. We
celebrate his life and will remember
him as a devoted family man, a
dedicated worker, a patriotic citizen
and a good friend.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday
February 17, 2010 at the Harvest
Tabernacle Church in Lebanon. Burial
will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday
February 18, 2010 at the Missouri
veterans Cemetery in Springfield,
Missouri. Visitation is Tuesday
evening 6-7:30 p.m. at the funeral
home under the direction of the
Holman-Howe Funeral Home Lebanon,
Missouri. A memorial has been
established and donations may be made
through the funeral home.
NOTE:
Marvin was a
1964 Hartford High School
graduate.
|
|
Elaine Troike,
72, of Hartford was called home by her
Savior on Feb. 15, 2010. Elaine’s life
began on July 20, 1937, in Bridgman.
She was born to Albert and
 Rose
(Scorvac) Marshall.
A celebration of life service will be held at 1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20, at Hoven Funeral
Home, 414 E. Front St., Buchanan.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 19, at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the family.
Elaine worked at Voice of Music in Benton Harbor for 19
years and worked at Pemco Die Cast for
20-plus years before retiring in 1999.
Elaine enjoyed gardening, spending
time with her family and going to
antique car shows with her husband,
especially during the fall season.
Elaine avidly collected beach stones
and collectable rocks from exotic
nations. She also enriched her life
and others by displaying her extensive
collection of owls, knick-knacks and
unique collectables.
Elaine was united in marriage to Robert Troike on June
10, 1995. Elaine was a loving and
caring mother to her children, Bonnie
Freehling of Galesburg, Ill., and
Michael Freehling of Hartford, and
also to Bob’s children, Melanie Troike
of Coloma, Vicki Clark of Hartford,
Rob Troike of Daytona Beach, Fla., and
Jennifer (Alan) Sill of Watervliet.
Elaine cherished all her grandchildren: Shawna
Freehling of Madison, Wis.; William
Ernst Dickens of Illinois; Aaron
Robert Freehling of Canton, Mich.; and
Zachary Freehling, who is a private
first class and is currently stationed
at Aberdine, Md. He currently is
awaiting deployment to South Korea.
Elaine was very proud of her grandson
for serving our country and protecting
our nation. She also was grandmother
to Bob’s grandchildren, Trisha Troike,
Jacob Clark, Aaron and Kirsten Sill.
She also adored her greatgrandson,
Ryan Hoppings. She was sister to Al
(Cindy) Marshall of Sawyer, and
sister- in-law, Carol Marshall. She
was especially close to her Freehling
family, which includes many
sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and
many nieces and nephews.
Elaine was preceded in death by her parents; her first
husband, Donald Richard Freehling; and
her brother, Robert Marshall.
Elaine will be greatly missed by her
family and friends.
|
David Gary
Munjoy
was born
April
28, 1942
in South Haven, Michigan to John David
and Eunice Catherine (Beatty) Munjoy.
He lived a full and exciting life
until
 he
was taken home January 30, 2010.
David had the honor of passing away on the farm that he
had nurtured and loved for many years
with his loving wife, Susan, by his
side. David wore many hats through out
his life. He worked for Whirlpool
Corporation for several years, crafted
jewelry and touched the lives of many
children as a Pre-school Teacher's
Assistant in the Pullman School
District. Today, he continues to touch
lives and teach as he has donated his
body to Michigan State University for
research.
David spent the last nine years in a wheelchair but he
was far from wheelchair bound. He
consistently invented and created
mechanisms and contraptions that made
farming and life easier for him. His
ingenuity eventually led to Purdue
University and Michigan AgrAbility
consulting with David to share his
inventions with others who refuse to
be wheelchair bound.
David is survived by his wife, Susan; brothers, Brian
Maurig and
John
(Evelyn) Munjoy; sisters, Vicki
Peterson and Sue Munjoy; daughter,
Elizabeth C. Munjoy; son, David K.
(Shelly Jo) Munjoy; step-sons, David
J. and Robert D. Cartwright; 6
grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren;
many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Tommy
Munjoy and brother-in-law, James
Peterson. To quote a wise woman,
He fought a difficult battle and won.
There will be a celebration of his life May 1, 2010,
The River Church, 1652 Lincoln Rd
(M40), Allegan at 1:00 p.m.
NOTE: David was a
1960 graduate of Hartford High
School.
|
Mary S. Griffin,
80, passed away Friday, Jan. 29, 2010,
at Silverbrook Manor in Niles.
Funeral services celebrating her life
will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday,
Feb. 3, at the Davidson Chapel of
Florin Service, 249 E. Center St.,
Coloma, with Pastor Mark Slabaugh
officiating. Burial will follow in
Hagar Lakeshore Cemetery. Visitation
will be held from 10 a.m. until the
time of service Wednesday at the
funeral home. Memorials may be made to
Hospice at Home.
Mary was born Dec. 3, 1929, in Monette, Ark. She was
the daughter of Bill and Pearl
Cheatham. On May 28, 1954, she married
James O. Griffin in Hartford. Together
they had five children. Mary enjoyed
fishing and camping. Both she and her
husband enjoyed traveling to
Galveston, Texas, in the winter. She
was fond of both farm life and the
Southern lifestyle. Most of all, Mary
cherished her family - particularly
her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Mary is survived by her children, James L. Griffin of
St. Joseph, Mary Ann (James) Jaynes of
Niles, David J. (Pam) Griffin of
Decatur and Janice (David) Colcord of
Niles; grandchildren, Charish, Jamie,
Joe, Juston, Tony, Alan, Justin,
Arielle and Sarah; seven
great-grandchildren; stepmother, Edna
Cheatham of Missouri; and by her
siblings, Betty, Annie, Virginia,
Shirley, Theresa, Jean, Tiny, Calvin,
Tom, and Ronnie.
In addition to her parents, Mary was
preceded in death by her husband of 47
years, James O. Griffin, in 2002; her
son, Ralph; and by her brother, Voyce.
|
On Jan. 27, 2010,
Brenda Joyce Smith,
48, of Hartford was welcomed into the
Lord’s presence after a long bout with
cancer.
Brenda was born Oct. 25, 1961, in
Watervliet to John and Betty (Vaughn)
Smith. She was raised in Coloma and
enjoyed going to the Fun Factory and
concerts. She enjoyed spending time
with her family, friends and her loyal
dogs, Sasha and Sassy. She enjoyed
traveling, shopping and going to the
casino.
Brenda is survived by the love of her life, Bruce
Little; five sons – Michael Smith,
David Deckert, Kevin Little, Bruce
Little and Mark Little; and 14
grandchildren. She is also survived by
her mother, Betty Joe Smith of Coloma;
sisters – JoAnn Vaughn of St. Joseph;
Shirley (Terrance) Buckley of Coloma;
LouAnne (Vernon) Holcomb of Keeler;
Sandra (William) Wilcoxsin, Debra
Smith and Nancy (Carroll) Bailey, all
of Coloma; and Lisa (Joe) Sikes of
Keeler; one brother, Dana Smith of
South Bend; many nieces and nephews;
and special friends – Starla Cooper,
Gerry Oglesby, Don Mc-New, Rhonda
Bassett and Tina and Art MacGirvin.
Brenda was preceded in passing by her dad, John Smith,
and a daughter, Storie Smith.
The family will welcome friends from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Calvin Funeral
Home, Hartford, where the service to
honor her memory will commence at
7:30. Pastor William Hughes of the
First Free Will Baptist Church of
Benton Harbor will serve as officiant.
After the services, cremation will
take place. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests memorial donations in
Brenda’s name be made to Borgess
Visiting Nurse and Hospice.
|
|
 Kathryn
E. “Katie” Miller,
78, of Claypool, Indiana passed away
Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 12:50 PM
in Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Born in Paw Paw, Michigan on September
28, 1931 to Walter S. and Mina Louise
(Anderson) Hartman,
Kathryn was a
1949
graduate of Hartford High School
in Hartford, Michigan.
On June 8, 1973 Kathryn and Ronald E.
Miller were married in Columbia City,
Indiana. In 1982 they moved to
Claypool. Katie was a homemaker, clerk
and waitress. She was a member of
Silver Lake Wesleyan Church in Silver
Lake, Indiana.
Those left behind with treasured
memories are her husband, Ron, of
Claypool; 2 sons and daughters-in-law:
Rev. Karl W. and Marcia Ruetz, Fort
Wayne and Henry A. and Linda Ruetz of
New Brighton, Minnesota; daughter and
son-in-law: Robin and Terry Ashburn,
Waynesville, Ohio; step daughter and
step son-in-law: Amy and Todd Dean of
Columbia City, Indiana; 2 step sons:
Kent A. (and Patty) Miller, Warsaw,
Indiana and Kurt E. Miller of
Kendallville, Indiana; sister:
Frances Cade of South Haven,
Michigan; 23 grandchildren; 17 great
grandchildren; and 16 nieces and
nephews.
Katie’s parents, Walter S. and Mina
Louise Hartman preceded her death as
did her 2 brothers: Michael Hartman
and Walter Hartman; 2 sisters: Helen
Dorstewitz and Waive Fisk; and her
grandson, Tobin Fry.
A memorial service celebrating the
life of Kathryn E. “Katie” Miller will
take place Saturday, January 23, 2010
at 10:30 AM in Titus Funeral Home,
Warsaw, with Pastor Jonathan Light of
the Silver Lake Wesleyan Church
officiating. A time of sharing with
the family will begin 1 hour prior to
the service. Those wising to
give a gift in memory of Kathryn may
make a donation to either the Lions
Speech and Hearing, c/o PDG David
Court, 18681 Osborne Road, Lakeville,
Indiana 46536 or Claypool
Volunteer Fire Department, 101
North Main Street, Claypool, Indiana
46510.
|
David W.
Bigelow,
67, of Wilkes- Barre, Pa., died
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, at home. Born
April 22, 1942, in Lawrence, he was
the son of the late Walter and Ann
Bailey Bigelow.
David was a
1960 graduate of Hartford High
School. He served in the
U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1968.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Agnes
Demchishin Bigelow. Surviving are
sons: David Peter of Wilkes-Barre,
Gregory of Ashley, Pa., Mark of
Wilkes-Barre; grandchildren, Brittany,
Teagan and Tristan; brother, Jan of
San Antonio, Texas, and nieces and
nephews.
Relatives and friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today,
Jan. 20, at the Yeosock Funeral Home,
40 S. Main St., Plains, Pa. Memorial
donations may be made to The Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals.
|
Florine Gladys Quade,
88, of St. Joseph, entered into
eternal life to be with her lord and
savior on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at
Lakeland Regional Medical Center
 in
St. Joseph.
A Mass of Celebration will be held at 10 a.m. Monday,
Jan. 18, at St. John’s Catholic
Church, 600 Columbus, Benton Harbor.
Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.
Friends may visit with the family on
from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17,
(prayer services at 5 p.m.) at Starks
& Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650
Niles Road, St. Joseph. In lieu of
flowers, memorials may be made to the
Readiness Center. Florine was born on
June 16, 1921, in Keeler Township to
DeLloyd and Lena (Kietzer) Peters. She
worked many years as a waitress at the
Captain’s Table, Brass Rail and Benton
Harbor Holiday Inn. On Nov. 16, 1959,
she married Herb Quade in St. Joseph.
Florine enjoyed being a member and financial assistant
for the Coast Guard Auxillary.
Additionally, she loved preparing
meals and hosting family gatherings.
She also enjoyed collecting all
varieties of cookbooks. Florine
enjoyed a good laugh and a rousing
card game. Finally, Florine was an
avid animal lover and leaves behind
her special pet, “Boots.”
Florine is survived by her daughter, Mary (Michael
Krieger) Ikola of Stevensville, and
three sons – Thomas (Thelma) Pugh of
Orlando, Fla., Richard (Zoja) Blocker
of Schaumburg, Ill., and Jim (Carol)
Bocker of Berrien Springs. She is also
survived by her sister, Maxine Kreiger
of St. Joseph; her brother, Kenneth
Peters of Coloma; eight grandchildren
– Craig, Kathleen, Sarah, Michael,
Jennifer, Jason, Jeff and Whitney; and
six greatgrandchildren.
Florine was preceded in death by her parents; her
husbands, Herb Q, Jeff Blocker and W.J.
Pugh Jr.; a son, John Pugh; a
granddaughter, Dawn Reed; and a
great-grandson, Zachary Ikola.
Those wishing to share a memory or sign the memory book
online may do so at
www.starks-menchinger.com.
|
Alice Jean Richardson
- Alice’s life began
Nov. 15, 1929, in Ohio. Alice married
William Richardson on April 28, 1974.
She was a member of the Moose Lodge in
Michigan City.
Her loving family includes her husband, William; four
children — Chuck Bessenfielder of
Ohio, Lynda Fentress of Coloma, JoAnn
Yurku of Plainfield, Ill., and Janet
Purtian of Wisconsin; 30
grandchildren; 13 greatgrandchildren;
and two sisters, Dorothy and Nancy.
Alice died Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at her home.
Her parents, Elmer and Alice Gran,
preceded her in death.
Per Alice’s wishes cremation has taken place. Hutchins
Funeral Home in Watervliet is
assisting Alice’s family with
arrangements.
|
Mabel Rehfeld Bailey Liebers,
87, of Lawrence [formerly of Hartford]
went home to be with her Lord on
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.
Mabel was born Aug. 28, 1922, in Keeler, the daughter
of Norman and Laura (Robinson) Rehfeld.
Mabel leaves behind three children - Sharon Overhiser
of South Haven, F. Charles (Nancy)
Bailey of Arizona and Nancy (Junior)
Cheek of Lawrence, with whom Mabel
resided with since the passing of her
beloved husband, Frederick, in August
of 2000. Mabel also leaves behind
numerous grandchildren,
great-grandchildren, and one
great-great-grandchild. She loved them
all and truly enjoyed the time she
spent with them. When she wasn't with
her family, Mabel would spend numerous
hours working in her flower garden.
As to Mabel's wishes, cremation has taken place and
there will be no services. Those
wishing to make a memorial in Mabel's
name may do so to either the American
Cancer Society or the American
Diabetes Association. The family has
entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home,
Hartford with handling the
arrangements.
NOTE: Mabel lived in Hartford
while her children attended Hartford
Public School during the 1960s.
|
|
 Dorothy
L. Bourner (Minshall),
Kalamazoo,
passed
away January 20, 2010.
Dorothy was
born May 4, 1929 in Hartford the
daughter of John and Florance
(Charles) Minshall. Surviving is her
son, Thomas Bourner of Kalamazoo.
At her request cremation has taken place. There will be
no visitation or services at this
time.
The family would like to thank the staff and friends at
Heritage Community for all there help
and care.
Arrangements by Avink Funeral Home, Schoolcraft
www.avinkcremation.com
NOTE: Dorothy was a
1946 Hartford High School
graduate. |
Doris A. Hetherington,
87, of St. Joseph passed away at home
on Sunday, Jan.10, 2010.
A Celebration of Life Service will be
held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13,
2010, at Starks & Menchinger Family
Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St.
Joseph, with the Rev. Marlo Fritzke
officiating. Burial will follow in
North Shore Memory Gardens, Hagar
Shores. Visitation will be held from 5
to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the
funeral home. Memorials may be made to
Hospice at Home or to the St. Joseph
United Methodist Church. Those wishing
to send a memory online may do so at
www.starks-menchinger.com.
Doris was born on Feb. 4, 1922, to Carl and Hazel
(Avery) Polmanteer in Keeler Township.
She married Ralph W. Hetherington in
Las Vegas on July 19, 1942. Doris was
employed at the former Remington Rand
Company in Benton Harbor and Shepherd
Casters in St. Joseph. She was a
member of the St. Joseph United
Methodist Church.
Doris enjoyed reading, baking, and sewing. She was
devoted to her family and enjoyed
traveling with them. She also enjoyed
her luncheons with the “39ers,” her
classmates from high school.
She is survived by a daughter, Mary Jane Johnson of St.
Joseph; grandchildren, David (Karli)
Johnson of Atlanta, Michael (Heather)
Johnson, of Holt, Mich., Daniela
(Ronnie) Ferrell of Winter Garden,
Fla., and Marco (Michelle) Guarniere
of Richmond, Va.; great-grandchildren,
Madison and Benjamin of Atlanta,
Sarah, Mitchell and Evan of Holt,
Dominic and Andrew of Winter Garden;
and by her nieces and nephews. Doris
was preceded in death by her parents;
husband, Ralph; daughter, Diana
Guarniere; brothers, Merle Polmanteer,
Virgil Polmanteer, Ted Polmanteer,
Allan Polmanteer; and by a sister,
Bernie Seils.
|
 Doyle
“Bossy” Trudell III,
37, of Bangor, formerly of Hartford,
passed away Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, at
his home.
The family will meet friends on Thursday from 12 to 2
p.m. at Central Assembly of God
Church, Coloma, with funeral services
at 2 p.m. with Pastor Dwayne Goodale
officiating. Interment will be in
Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford
Township.
Arrangements by Bangor Chapel, D. L. Miller Funeral
Home. Doyle was born Aug. 9, 1972, in
Watervliet, the son of
Doyle Trudell II and Patsy
Peninger, and was a longtime resident
of Hartford. He was a kindhearted
person who had many friends, would do
anything for anyone, and was a friend
to all. He attended Central Assembly
of God Church of Coloma.
Surviving are his brother, Randy Trudell; several
aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews,
cousins; special friends, Dee and Joe
Osborne; and a very special friend,
Anna Rivard.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Heidi Trudell,
Missy Trudell; and two brothers,
Robert Meyers, Dale Meyers.
NOTE: Doyle was a 1993 Hartford
High School graduate.
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