WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Avis Genese Brothers, age 92, of Sturgis, passed away early Friday morning, Oct. 7, 2011, at Maple Creek Lodge in Grand Rapids.
She was born Aug. 28, 1919, at the family home on U.S. 12 near Klinger Lake in Sturgis.
Mrs. Brothers had resided in St. Joseph County and for a short time in Detroit returning to Burr Oak, where she graduated from Burr Oak High School with the class of 1937. She furthered her education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she received her teaching certificate.
On May 22, 1941, she married Victor Kane Brothers at the Holy Angels Catholic Church rectory in Sturgis. He died April 7, 1990.
She was a school teacher for 27 years, and 23 of those years were teaching in the Centreville Community Schools Elementary Education.
Mrs. Brothers was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Sturgis, the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel and Adventures in Lifelong Learning. She enjoyed traveling and playing cards, especially bridge and euchre.
She is survived by three daughters, Patricia Louise Brothers of Centreville, Victoria Cicchinelli of Sturgis and Julietta Brothers of Grand Rapids; a son, Michael (Cynthia) Brothers of Sturgis; two grandchildren, Ann (Duncan Williams) Brothers of Ypsilanti and Jenny (Joseph Peters) Brothers of Denver, Colo.; a sister, Barbara Dalrymple of Goshen, Ind.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a sister, Phyllis Eaton; and a brother, Richard Clemens.
The family will receive friends from 2-5 p.m. Sunday at Hackman Family Funeral Homes — Rosenberg Chapel, 807 E. Chicago Road, Sturgis.
Funeral services celebrating the life of Avis G. Brothers will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at First United Methodist Church in Sturgis. The Rev. Deb Johnson and the Rev. Robert Keim will officiate. A graveside committal will follow the service at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Burr Oak.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations in Mrs. Brothers’ memory be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2300 Portage St., Suite 341, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, or the American Heart Association, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674.
Her obituary is also at www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhome.com, where personal messages of support may be left for the family.
