WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Marian E. Eldridge, age 83, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday afternoon, July 3, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis.
She was born April 16, 1928, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Raymond and Elsie (Loetz) Long.
Marian was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1946.
On June 11, 1949, she married Marvin Eldridge in Sturgis. He died Jan. 17, 1981.
She had been employed by the Kirsch Company and Sturgis Public Schools, and for several years she worked in retail and worked at Sigrist Furniture Store, Paper & More and Les Fraez Gift Shop, all in Sturgis.
Marian was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, where she attended the Saturday morning ladies’ Bible study group.
She was a former member of the Sturgis Junior Women’s League and enjoyed flower gardening, shopping, feeding the birds and her many dogs. She truly loved time spent with her three granddaughters.
She is survived by a daughter, Jayne (Fred) Henricks of Sturgis; a son, Steven (Lisa) Eldridge of Burr Oak; three granddaughters, Mollie Henricks, Anna Henricks and Addison Eldridge; sisters-in-law Pat Eldridge of Sturgis and Kay Hockingsmith of Fort Wayne, Ind.; four nephews, James Eldridge, Dr. Eugene John Eldridge, David Long and Daniel Long; and two cousins, Max Engler and Norma Lou Robinson.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and a brother, William Long.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Hackman Family Funeral Homes — Rosenberg Chapel, 807 E. Chicago Road, Sturgis. Funeral services celebrating the life of Marian Eldridge will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. The Rev. Michael Klafehn of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sturgis will officiate. Entombment will follow the service at the Oak Lawn Cemetery mausoleum in Sturgis.
The family suggests those wishing to make a memorial donation in Mrs. Eldridge’s memory consider Pet Haven, P.O. Box 853, Sturgis, MI 49091 or Animal Rescue Fund, P.O. Box 593, Centreville, MI 49032.
Her obituary is also at www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhome.com, where personal messages of support may be left for the family.
