Gregory Lee Sears, age 54, of Burr Oak, passed away Tuesday morning, Dec. 18, 2012, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born June 14, 1958, in Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., a son of John and Janice (Westphal) Sears. Greg resided in the Sturgis and Burr Oak area most of his life. He was currently employed by Parma …

John Edwyn Clutter, age 84, of Three Rivers, and formerly of White Pigeon, passed away on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, at his home. He was born May 10, 1928, in White Pigeon, a son of Max and Grace (Hagerty) Clutter. John had been a lifetime resident of this area. He served his country honorably during World War II in the …

Two members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners were honored Tuesday for their dedication to the seven-member board. Larry Walton and Jerry Ware were recognized with proclamations, as Tuesday was the last meeting for the pair before the commission shrinks to five members starting Jan. 1. Walton joined the board in July and Ware has been a member …

Hohner Funeral Home and its staff are hosting a vigil and prayer service to remember victims of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre. The hour-long program starts at 6 tonight and takes place at Hohner’s Arnold Street location in Three Rivers. Pastor Bob Anderson will lead in prayer. Director Gabe Adams said a register book will be available, and cards or …

Sheriff Brad Balk said deputies were called to a Lockport Township residence shortly before 7 p.m. Monday in response to a subject who passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Balk said the victim was a 13-year-old boy who died at the scene, inside his residence.

Here’s a reminder that the Constantine Board of Education will stage a special meeting today to review policies and procedures stemming from the recent investigation of sexual conduct demonstrated by a pair of 5-year-old boys. Set for 5:30 p.m. at the high school library, the meeting will include a look at policies applied during the police investigation of the incident.

Members of St. Joseph County’s Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Board took a few moments Tuesday discussing the significance of services for people with mental-health needs. During the board’s monthly meeting in Centreville, Executive Director Liz O‘Dell said while gun control is a popular discussion stemming from last week’s shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, the …

Victor A. “Buzzy” Krontz, age 52, of Burr Oak, passed away Sunday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Aug. 27, 1960, in Sturgis, a son of the late Charles R. and Dessie (Keith) Krontz. Buzzy resided in the Burr Oak area most of his life. For eight years, he was employed by Continental …

Charles Frank Fast, age 59, of Jackson, Mo., and formerly of Sturgis, passed away Friday Dec. 14, 2012, at his home in Jackson. He was born Sept. 7, 1953, in Albion, a son of G. Dale and Margaret (Blodgett) Fast. Charles attended school in Albion, moving in 1962 with his parents to Sturgis, where he resided until 2007. At the …

With Christmas a week from today, and New Year’s Day the week after that, this column will be published a day earlier for the next two weeks. In other words, there will not be a Commercial-News published the next two Tuesdays. Another item worth noting; For the next two weeks, the only people who will have their garbage picked up …