Dickey A. Carper, 76, of Osceola, Ind., passed away on Friday, April 20, 2012 at his residence with his family at his bedside. Dick was born on May 8, 1935 in Constantine to the late Payson and Bessie (Bowman) Carper. Dick married the former Mary Mix on April 19, 1965 in Olympia, Wash. Dick and Mary just celebrated their 47th …

John F. “Jack” Ashby, age 94, of Three Rivers, died Saturday April 21, 2012 at his home. He was born in Springfield, Ohio on March 31, 1918 the son of Elmer I. and Emma (Harrison) Ashby. Following high school Jack joined the Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Before going overseas, he was married …

Phyllis A. Barr, 80, of Bronson, passed away Friday, April 20, 2012, at The Community Health Center of Branch County. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at Dutcher-Kolcz Funeral Home in Bronson with Pastor Kurt Kuhlmann of St. John’s Lutheran Church officiating. Interment will follow at Bronson Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-7 …

Saturday’s collection of household hazardous waste and a number of recyclable materials was declared a success by event organizers. Sponsored by the St. Joseph County Solid Waste Management Planning Committee, the twice-a-year collection at the county fairgrounds resulted in an accumulation of 454 tires, 12,000 pounds of household hazardous waste items and 27,000 pounds of electronics – enough to fill …

The annual clean-up day at Camp Fort Hill kept about two dozen people busy throughout the day Saturday. Volunteers at the 228-acre camp, at the border of White Pigeon and Sherman townships, cleared paths of brush and downed trees, raked leaves and performed general tasks at the camp’s seven cottages. Dave Ludders, camp director, said Camp Fort Hill doesn’t have …

The Kalamazoo Wings, proud member of the ECHL, two-time defending North Division Champions, reigning Eastern Conference Champions and National Hockey League affiliate to the Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils and American Hockey League’s Albany Devils, announce the times and dates of 2012 Kelly Cup Playoff Eastern Conference Finals match-up against the Florida Everblades.  The K-Wings and Everblades will square …

Led by a stifling 4-for-5 power-play performance, the Kalamazoo Wings defeated the South Carolina Stingrays 5-1 in game five of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals and will advance to the conference finals after knocking out the Stingrays four games to one. Special teams led to both team’s first goals in the first period. Stopping a shorthanded odd-man rush by Kalamazoo, South …

Joanne Holden, 84, of Three Rivers, died April 17, 2012. She was known to many as the lady who operated the Long Lake Food and Book Shop from 1968 until her retirement in 2011. Born in Michigan City, Ind., on Oct. 26, 1927, to Ruth and Kenneth Holden, she grew up in Harbert, Mich., on the shore of Lake Michigan. …

Dorothy J. Townsend, age 84, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Thursday afternoon, April 19, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born February 9, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan daughter of Fred and Alice (Nichols) Stites. Mrs. Townsend had resided in Sturgis since 1964, coming from the Adrian area. Her early life was lived in Detroit and she was a graduate of …

Greta (Webb) Johnson, 50, of Northport, Ala., and a former Sturgis resident, died unexpectedly Thursday, April 12, 2012, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.  She was born Nov. 24, 1961, in Arkansas.  Greta had resided in Alabama since 1993. Her early life was lived in Sturgis and she was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1980, where she excelled in …