Richard Buys, age 54, of Three Rivers passed away at home on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. He was born in Sturgis on December 3, 1966, the son of the late Albert and Stella (Kanouse) Buys. He remained a life long resident of Michigan living in different parts throughout his life. He had a wonderful smile and great sense of humor. …

Mary Ann Gratkowski (Piekarczyk), age 103, of Marcellus, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. She was born in East Chicago, Indiana on January 21, 1918, the daughter of Andrew and Mary (Koscielniak) Piekarczyk. She is the last living sibling out of 10. On October 11, 1941 in East Chicago, Indiana she married Frank J. …

Marie A. St. Louis, age 82, of Sturgis, went home to be with our Lord and Savior late Wednesday evening, April 7, 2021, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born April 20, 1938, in Cheboygan, a daughter of the late Steven and Elizabeth (Warner) Grawey. Mrs. St. Louis resided in Sturgis since 1959, coming from Detroit. On Dec. …

Personal-finance company MoneyGeek has released statistics related to the most dangerous roads in Michigan, as well as identifying the most-dangerous roads in every county in the state. The data was based on analysis of 2,751 fatal crashes over a three-year period beginning in 2017. Nearly one-third of the fatalities were related to drunken driving. Seven of the 10 roads identified …

St. Joseph County commissioners have approved a request from county clerk Lindsay Oswald for an exemption to the county’s hiring freeze. During Tuesday’s board meeting, commissioners gave Oswald the green light to hire a deputy clerk. Commissioners acknowledged Oswald has been short-staffed for a year and that funding to accommodate the request was included in the county’s 2021 fiscal-year budget. …

Officials from the St. Joseph County Conservation District said the period to make an order through its annual spring seedling tree sale ends next week. Agency director Carolyn Grace said orders will be taken through April 15. Pick-up date for fruit trees is April 23; all others will be available in May. Grace said there will be a drive-thru pick-up …

A White Pigeon community activist plans to lead a door-to-door campaign to raise money toward fixing a Depot Park play structure. Lifelong village resident Shireen Cline said she decided to take action after noticing a slide component of a structure at the south end of Depot Park has been missing for two years. She said the corrugated plastic slide, which …

Robin Lynne Tilden, age 64, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday evening, April 7, 2021, at her home. She was born Dec. 17, 1956, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Maurice M. and Sharon Lou (Brown) Pippinger. Robin resided most of her life in Sturgis and was graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1975. She furthered her …

Brian (Bic) Keith Johnson, age 60, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at home. He was born Sept. 4, 1960, in Breckenridge, Minn. He was a son of the late Omer and Phyllis (Blouin) Johnson. Brian graduated from Wyndmere High School in 1978. He served in the United States Army as a radio operator and was stationed in …

John G. “The Bug” Kasner, age 70, of Constantine, died Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at his home. He was born March 20, 1951 in Highland Park, MI a son of Gerald and Edna (Phelps) Kasner. He graduated from Lapeer High School and went on to serve in the United States Army from 1981 to 1983. On May 3, 1980 he …