Ruth Ann Lucas, age 53, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at her home.  She was born July 21, 1957, a daughter of the late George C. and Sarah J. (Pancake) Lucas.  Funeral services celebrating the life of Ruth Ann Lucas will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Hackman Family Funeral Homes — Hackman Chapel, 114 …

Betty J. Sites, age 90, of Sturgis, passed away Monday morning, May 16, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis.  She was born June 6, 1920, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Albert and Sarah (Foster) Maxwell.  Betty was a life long Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1938.  On Aug. 31, …

Gatha Marie Knepple, age 77, of Vandalia, MI, passed away Sunday, May 15th, 2011 at Bronson Methodist Hospital. She was born in Constantine, on March 23, 1934,  a daughter of Frank and Fannie (Hall) Caseman.  On March 28, 1953 she married Roger Knepple in Constantine. Gatha enjoyed fishing, crochet and sewing quilts, playing Bingo and going to garage sales. She …

Betty Jane Lewis, age 69, of 245 Memorial Drive, Sturgis, died at 7:05 p.m. Thursday May 12, 2011, at her home.  She was born May 13, 1941, in Temple, to Vernon and Dorothy M. Northrup. She had lived in LaGrange, Ind., prior to moving to Sturgis, and had been employed at Mastercraft.  She is survived by a son, Bruce and …

Ira E. Clark, age 79, of Colon, passed away May 15, 2011, at Bickford Cottage Assisted Living Home in Portage.  Ira was born July 25, 1931, in Fremont, Ind., a son of the late Ira P. and Ruby (Thompson) Clark.  Ira grew up in Fremont, Ind., graduating from Fremont High School with the class of 1949. He then continued his …

Ruth F. Neaman, age 87, of Burr Oak, passed away Sunday morning, May 15, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. Ruth was born Jan. 11, 1924, in Sturgis, a daughter to the late John and Marie (Wascher) Tappero. Ruth graduated from Sturgis High School with the Class of 1942, and had made her home at her present address since …

Carol G. Roberts, 73, of Constantine, died Saturday, May 14, 2011, at her home following an extended illness. She was born Oct. 3, 1937, in Holly, Mich., a child of John and Dorothy (O’Niel) Armstrong. On Sept. 20, 1954, she married Richard Roberts in Holly, Mich. They later divorced. She had lived in the Constantine area since 1985 and was a …

Robert T. Trigg, 86, of Mottville Township, died Friday, May 13, 2011, at his home following an extended illness. There will be no visitation. Graveside services are at 11 a.m. Friday, May 20, 2011, at Prairie Street Cemetery in Elkhart, Ind. Arrangements were handled by the Farrand Funeral Home of White Pigeon.

Randal Jay Hudson, 25, passed away Wednesday morning, May 11, 2011, at his residence. He was born on May 23, 1985, in Muncie, Ind., a son of Michael and Tammy (Koons) Hudson, moved as an infant to White Pigeon, graduated from Constantine High School in Constantine, attended Farris State University in Big Rapids and moved back to Muncie in February …

The community theatre world has lost a very dedicated thespian. Last week, Karen Ruhlig was killed in an auto accident near Kalamazoo. A lot of the details were made public, but I thought I’d add a few more facts that most people may not know. Karen was a rather private person; there were only a few who knew her really …