Laura Felch, age 98, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at Three Rivers Health. She was born in Mishawaka on Oct. 8, 1921 one of eight children born to Orville and Evelyn (Emmans) Shirk. After graduation from Constantine High School, Laura attended Western Michigan University where she received her Master’s Degree in education. She specialized in special needs …

Beverly Jeanne (Van Drunen) Zuidema went home to be with her Savior on May 31, 2020 in her home, surrounded by loving family. She was born November 12, 1934 in her family home on Ridge Road that is still in the family. Beverly had an unconditional love for her family. She was also very passionate in her 46 year teaching …

JaNean Elaine Houck, age 88, of LaGrange, passed away Wednesday morning June 3, 2020 at Miller’s Merry Manor Nursing Home in LaGrange. She was born September 7, 1931 in Sturgis, daughter of the late Allison Neil and Beulah Ann (Roe) Mizner. JaNean resided in the Sturgis and LaGrange County area most of her life and was a graduate of LaGrange …

Susan M. Webb, age 98, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday morning June 4, 2020 at her home. She was born December 10, 1921 in Strasburg, Missouri daughter of the late Hans Ferdinand and Eva (Owen) Christensen. Mrs. Webb resided most of her life in Sturgis and was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class or 1939. On January …

Eugene A. “Pete” Lehman, age 81, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, June 4, 2020 at his home. He was born Sept. 4, 1938 in Akron, OH a son to the late Carter and Welcome (Foster) Lehman. As a young child the family moved from Rogers, OH to White Pigeon, where Eugene attended White Pigeon High School. On June 15, 1957 …

Sharon Kay Longacre, age 81, of Middlebury, and formerly of Burr Oak, passed away at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, at her home, following a brief battle with cancer. She was born Aug. 8, 1938, in Sturgis, to Merle and Lorena (Garman) Kesslar. Surviving are a daughter, Lorrie Krontz, and a son, Lonnie Longacre, both of Middlebury; six grandchildren, Eric, …

Robert “Lynn” Wagner, age 70, of Colon, passed away peacefully May 27, 2020, at his home in his sleep. He was born March 23, 1950, a son of Robert and Velma Wagner. Robert enjoyed entertaining friends and family on his pontoon boat with his beloved dog, Jesse. He loved fishing and hunting and mushroom hunting. He enjoyed gardening and canning. …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that barbershops and other personal-care businesses can reopen across Michigan on June 15, while those businesses and places like gyms and movie theaters that were shut down for months to curb the coronavirus can restart in northern Michigan next week. Also, the state health department for the first time began reporting probable COVID-19 cases and deaths, not …

Eduardo Rubio Almanza, age 75, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2020, at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born April 23, 1945, in Zinapecuaro, Michoacan, Mexico, a son of the late Jose Maria Rubio and Mariede Jesus Almanza. Eduardo resided in the Sturgis area since 1995, coming from Michoacan. On March 25, 1965, he married Gracia …

Fire damaged or destroyed at least five homes in Kalamazoo, including one where an 84-year-old woman had lived for more than four decades, authorities said Wednesday. The woman was not injured, the Department of Public Safety said. The other properties were vacant. The fires were reported around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Kalamazoo, which was under a 7 p.m. curfew, has been …