Tina Marie Barnett, age 52, of Sturgis, passed away early Friday evening, September 24, 2021 at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born September 16, 1969 in Sturgis. Her parents were Gale Lynn (McDonald) Ashbrook and Robert Swan. Tina resided most of her life in Sturgis. She was currently employed by Morgan Olson in Sturgis and had also worked …

The St. Joe County Fair was not held last year due to Covid-19. It did happen this year with a few changes. Parking was FREE and the admission gates were changed a bit. With Covid still on everyone’s mind, most people took necessary cautions. I did see a lot of patrons wearing masks. It was a little difficult to maintain …

Kenneth Gene Hargett, Jr., age 57, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday evening September 23, 2021 at his home with his mother at his side. He was born July 30, 1964 in Richmond, Indiana son of Kenneth Gene and Ruthann (Pierce) Hargett. Kenneth resided in Sturgis since 1968. Most of his working life was involved in the restaurant industry. He had …

Gerald (Jerry) Lee Peeke, age 90, of LaGrande, Oregon and a longtime former Sturgis resident, passed away peacefully Thursday, September 23, 2021 at Grande Ronde Retirement Residence in La Grande, after suffering a short battle with pneumonia and COVID-19. Jerry was born on July 15, 1931 in Sturgis, the first child of John and Roma (Ziglear) Peeke. He attended Sturgis …

Loretta A. Bowlby, age 78, of Mendon, passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior,  on Friday, September 24, 2021 at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo. She was born in Vicksburg on July 17, 1943. She was the fifth child of seven born to Ivan and Louise (Cook) Evans. On September 3, 1966 she was united in marriage …

Roger D. Knepple, Sr., age 87, died on Friday, September 24, 2021 at Life Care Center in Ft. Wayne. He was born on October 3, 1933 in Nappanee, a son of Keith and Ethel (Killian) Knepple. Roger attended school in Cassopolis. He married Gatha Caseman on March 28, 1953 in Constantine. She preceded him in death on May 15, 2011. …

Melody Dawn Rohrer, age 64, originally of Three Rivers, passed away following a tragic accident Monday, September 20, 2021. She was born August 22, 1957 in Three Rivers, the daughter of Durwood & Betty (Ash) Bertch. She graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1975. Melody (Mel) married Richard (Rick) Rohrer on June 12, 1976. After retirement they became full …

Randall R. Painter passed away on Monday, September 20, 2021, at his home in Gilbert, Arizona. Randall was born on September 22, 1929 in Mineola, NY to Chester and Edith Randall Painter, and over the years has called many different places “home,” the most significant being Three Rivers. When Randall was a freshman at Lafayette College in 1947, he decided …

A White Pigeon man, accused of hiding a woman’s body after she was struck by a vehicle he was driving, was arraigned Thursday. Authorities said 29-year-old Colby Martin was driving a car that struck Decatur-area resident Melody Rohrer, age 64, Monday in Van Buren County’s Hamilton Township. Martin is charged with manslaughter with a motor vehicle, failure to stop at …

Michigan has recorded more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the health department said Wednesday. The state crossed that threshold by reporting 6,079 new cases over the last two days. There have been at least 20,781 deaths in Michigan linked to COVID-19. “After more than 18 months fighting this pandemic, it is sobering to reach …