Sheila J. Haring, 75, of Three Rivers, died on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. She was born June 1, 1936 in Three Rivers, the daughter of Ophir L. and Margaret Lucile (Shafer) Haring. Sheila graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1954, from Stephens College in 1956, and from Ohio University in 1958. Thereafter, she joined Amoco Corporation (formerly Standard Oil …

Anna (Betty) Sadler, age 85, of Three Rivers, went to be with the Lord on December 24, 2011, with her family by her side. She was born in Pontiac, MI on October 1, 1926, the daughter of the late Hugh and Pearl (Hamilton) Milton. Anna was a loving woman, whose strong faith made her a joy to be around. She …

James Theodore Holm, age 50, of Three Rivers passed away Monday, December 26, 2011 following a hereditary illness. Jim was born in Three Rivers, Mi June 2, 1961 the son of Walter Franklin and Wanda Lorrane(Hurst)Holm. Jim was born and raised in Three Rivers. He was employed for many years upon retiring from Parkland Plastics , Inc. Jim, from a …

A pedestrian was killed in a traffic accident in Sturgis early Tuesday evening. When police arrived on scene in the 1100 block of North Nottawa Street, they found the victim, 64-year-old Gary Kryzaniak, lying unresponsive in the roadway. Witnesses were unable to revive the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Further details are pending.

This will be my final column of 2011. I’m taking the rest of the year off and gathering my thoughts. It shouldn’t take me too long. As a matter of fact, I’ll have another column ready by next Tuesday. Last Thursday was a special day for me. After my annual physical, my wife and I went out to celebrate the …

A funding issue has forced Planned Parenthood to close its offices in St. Joseph and Branch counties. The impending closure of the Three Rivers and Coldwater sites will follow the same course of action already taken in Sturgis and Hillsdale. Recipients of Planned Parenthood’s offerings will have to travel to Kalamazoo or Battle Creek to continue receiving services. The agency …

So-called Layaway Angels have made their mark at the Kmart store in Sturgis. John Brubaker, layaway manager, said three anonymous donors paid a total of $500 toward items that were reserved on layaway and about to be returned to store shelves for non-payment. He said one of the benefactors of the gestures was a single mother of three children. The …

Bell ringers with the Salvation Army have been given a one-week extension to continue collecting change from people outside Kroger grocery stores, including the Sturgis location. Salvation Army bell ringers will be on site until Dec. 31, a full week later than the agency’s traditional bell-ringing conclusion on Dec. 24. The Sturgis Kroger is at 811 S. Centerville Road.

Organizers of last week’s Firefighters for Santa program in Three Rivers called the gift- and food-distribution event a success. Over a five-hour period Friday, members of the Three Rivers Fire Department for the fourth year in a row delivered food and gifts to area families in need. This year, 50 families received food donations and children of the household received …

A toy- and food-collection effort led by the Michigan State Police at White Pigeon netted about 1,100 food items and nearly 1,050 toys. Det.-Sgt. Todd Petersen said a one-day collection effort at Wal-Mart stores in Three Rivers and Sturgis Dec. 3 helped off-duty state police personnel collect an ample quantity of items stuffed inside a State Police patrol car. For …