Frances Emma Shively, age 93, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at the Bowman House where she resided. She was born on March 15, 1921 in Three Rivers the daughter of the late Elmer E. and Emma C. (White) Brown. Mrs. Shively attended school both in Beloit, WI., and Three Rivers where she graduated. On …

Jack D. Rupert, age 80, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Saturday evening, March 22, 2014, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. He was born Nov. 30, 1933, in Delphos, Ohio, son of the late Cloyd and Madeline (Holden) Rupert. Jack resided in Sturgis since 1967 coming from Detroit. On Oct. 1, 1951, he married Julie Coleman in Detroit. He was …

Carry F. “Duffy” Dearduff, age 68, of Howe, Ind., passed away Friday, March 21, 2014, at his home. He was born June 22, 1945 in Muncie, Ind., a son to the late Carry and Golden Jewel (Mays) Dearduff. Carry had lived most of his life in Howe, Ind., and had been employed by the Harter Corp. for 20 years and …

The victim in a semi/freight-train collision last week has been identified by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department. Bobby Abell, 77, of Quincy, Ill., was the driver of a southbound semi that collided with an eastbound freight train consisting of an engine and two rail cars. The incident occurred Thursday evening at the railroad crossing on U.S. 131 in Mottville …

Three Rivers Fire Chief Dan Tomlinson has announced he is resigning from the position later this summer. In a prepared statement, Tomlinson said he will step down around Aug. 1, but a firm date will be set once a replacement has been hired and adequately trained. Tomlinson, who has spent nearly 30 years in the industry, said philosophical differences over …

Crews from two departments spent Wednesday morning battling a fire at an apartment building at 121 N. Lincoln Ave. in Three Rivers. The blaze was reported by a passer-by around 6:45 a.m. The site is just east of the BP gas station. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire on the first floor. The interior fire was brought under …

Results of a needs-assessment questionnaire, distributed jointly by Sturgis Hospital and Three Rivers Health, have been released. The third of five fields focuses on chronic diseases. According to the St. Joseph County 2012 Community Health Needs Assessment, 29 percent of the population surveyed suffers from chronic lower back pain and 28 percent reported having high blood pressure. In addition, as …

Lois J. Hickok, 80, of Indianapolis, died March 19 2014. She was born May 29, 1933, in Marion, Ill., to Orville and Nola (Turner) Goley. She was a finance clerk at teh Ft. Benjamin Harrison Finance Center. She is survived by her daughter, Amy (Bob) Hoffmeyer; and grandson, Drew. She was preceded in death by her parents; and husband, Purdy Allen Hickok. …

Martha Pauline Peebles, 86, of Three Rivers, passed away on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at the Three Rivers Health. She was born on March 12, 1928 in Three Rivers, the daughter of the late Roy and Lolita (Lawrence) Heckelman. Martha has been a lifelong resident of Three Rivers. She graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of 1945. …

Dorothy June Davis, 75, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, March 19, 2014 at her home. She was born June 26, 1938 in St. Joseph County, daughter of the late Howard and Dorothy (Menbeck) Bell. June lived most of her life in Sturgis. She married Alan D. Davis in Centreville. She retired from the Holiday Inn in Sturgis following 20 …