Mary Westra, 78

MARY LOUISE WESTRA, 78, of Marcellus, Michigan and a former longtime
Sturgis resident passed away Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at Bronson
Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

She was born March 25, 1932 in Nashville, Tennessee a daughter of
Charles Fredrick and Bertha (Bleible) Miller.

Louise was raised in a devout Catholic home by her grandparents Theodore
and Bertha Bleible. Following the death of her grandmother and the
discovery by her grandfather that he had a short time to live he was
forced to place Louise and her older sister Margurite in a Catholic
children’s orphanage where she lived from the age of 5 to 15 at which
time she left the orphanage to live with her sister Margurite and her
husband JC Terrell in Jacksonville, Florida, where she met her husband
John H. Westra. Following their marriage she and John relocated to
Sturgis where she continued to live until 1997 when she moved to
Marcellus to be closer to her family.

Louise retired from the Sturgis Hospital following 18 years of dedicated
employment.

Louise enjoyed country western music, going out for dinner and loved
time spent with her husband.

She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Coker of Marcellus and
Patricia (Joseph Retired Command Master Chief USN) Johnson of Valley
Lee, Maryland, four grandchildren, Curt Coker, Seth (Tammy) Keeslar,
Dylan Bell and April Johnson, one great granddaughter, Jersey Keeslar,
one sister, Margurite Terrell of Jacksonville, Florida, one niece,
Regina Antoinette (Joey) Merritt and two nephews, Johnny Terrell and
Ronnie Terrell.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two grandsons, Jeremy Keeslar
and Johnnie Ray Jent, Jr., twin brother, Charlie Miller and brother,
George Thomas Miller.

The family will receive friends from 11:00 A.M. – 12:45 P.M. Tuesday at
the Hackman Family Funeral Homes – Rosenberg Chapel, 807 E. Chicago
Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091, 269-651-3284. Funeral services celebrating the
life of Louise Westra will be held at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday. A graveside
service will be held at 3:00 P.M. Tuesday at the Marcellus Cemetery in
Marcellus.

The family suggests those wishing to make a memorial donation in Mrs.
Westra’s memory consider the charity of one’s choice.

The obituary is also at www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhome.com
<http://www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhome.com/> where personal messages of
support may be left for the family.