Sherman Dunafin, Jr., age 95 of Sturgis, passed away peacefully after an extended illness on December 12, 2018 at his home surrounded by his loving family.  He was born on January 4, 1923 in the Mongo-Stroh area in Indiana. Sherman is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marilyn (Smoll) Dunafin, of Sturgis.  He had 4 children: Gaylord (Cheryl) Dunafin …

Kenneth Lee Balk, age 84, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born Nov. 6, 1934, in Sturgis, a son of the late Elmer Carl and Erma Pearl (Falkenstein) Balk. Ken had resided at Omena Lake in Sturgis since 1991, coming from Centreville. He was a 1953 graduate of Centreville …

Four Kalamazoo residents were arrested after their involvement in two armed robberies Sunday, including an incident at the Marathon station in Mendon. The suspects are: Davontey Sander, 18, and D’Andre Beowa, Peter Yates and Jaquayvion Garrett, all 17 years of age. They are suspects in connection with an armed robbery at Marathon on West Main Street in Mendon. The incident …

A Centreville man died last week following an accident on the Indiana Toll Road in LaPorte County. Investigators with Indiana State Police said Mahlon Tucker, 77, died after the semi he was driving was involved in a two-vehicle accident at 2 a.m. Friday. The incident occurred west of South Bend in LaPorte County and involved Tucker’s semi and a car. …

Three Rivers police officers are continuing their investigation into what appears to be a drive-by shooting earlier this week in the 800 block of 8th Street. A department media release indicated the incident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses told authorities they noticed a speeding vehicle in the area with its headlights off. It appears someone inside the vehicle …

Michigan Department of Transportation started a highway resurfacing project Tuesday in Kalamazoo County. According to MDOT spokesman Nick Schirripa, the resurfacing will cover more than 11 miles of U.S. 131 from Milham Avenue in Portage to north of M-43/West Main Street in Kalamazoo. The $5.8 million investment includes full-depth joint repairs, concrete removal, aggregate shoulders and pavement markings. As a …

Estella Marie Holtz, age 91, of Sturgis, passed away early Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019, at her home. She was born Dec. 5, 1927, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Clarence and Maize (Dunker) Hahn. Estella was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1945. On Dec. 30, 1950, she married …

Mr. Gale Lamont Thompson, age 79, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at his home.  He was born in Gratiot Township, Lansing, MI the son of the late Lester and Una (Litwiller) Thompson. Mr. Thompson has been a long time resident of Three Rivers where he was employed as a shipping clerk for Johnson Corporation …

Susan J. Kantauskas, agde 79, of White Pigeon, passed away on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Ascension Borgess Hospital, Kalamazoo.  She was born in Elkhart on January 13, 1940, a daughter of George and Ruth (Williams) Bale.  She graduated from Elkhart Schools. Sue previously worked in sales at Coachman Industries of Middlebury, Guardian Components of Middlebury, Bob Sampers Windows, and …

Janet Kathryn (Southworth) Parker, age 82, of Marcellus, passed away early Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019. Janet was born in Kalamazoo on January 12, 1937, the daughter of Maynard N. and Marie R. (Mitchell) Southworth. On June 26, 1955, Janet married Ralph W. Parker in Schoolcraft at the First Presbyterian Church. Together, they had nine children: Beth (Robert) Dyer of …