Obituaries

VIOLA A. MELCHI, age 98, of Sturgis, Michigan passed away Sunday morning  December 28, 2008. A memorial service celebrating will be held at 3:00 P.M. Wednesday at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Sturgis. A graveside  committal will follow the service at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Sturgis.

William Smith, 82, of Three Rivers, died Dec. 2. Memorial services will be held on Jan. 17 at 2pm at the Hohner Funeral Home.

Kurt Eugene Cook, age 55, of rural Mendon, died Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo from injuries received in a deer-motorcycle accident near Schoolcraft on Tuesday. Kurt was born in Three Rivers on Dec. 6, 1952 and was a lifetime resident of the Three Rivers area. He graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of …

Ralph W. Hogle, age 82, of Constantine, passed away Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Flint on April 27, 1926, he was the son of the late Wayne and Allie (Smith) Hogle. Ralph graduated from Central high School in Flint in 1944 and then graduated from the Ferris University School of Pharmacy …

Judson P. “Jud” Hoopingarner, age 56, of Portage, passed away September 11, 2008 at his residence. Jud was born November 6, 1951 in Three Rivers, the son of John and Nancy (Hoffman) Hoopingarner. He grew up in Constantine where he graduated from high school in 1970 and graduated from W.M.U. with a Bachelors Degree in 1977. Jud has lived in …

Jack H. Baker, age 77, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at his home. He was born on April 20, 1931 in Three Rivers, the son of Clifford Hoyt and Ruby (Meyers) Baker. Jack has been a long time resident of this area. He graduated from Three Rivers High School. He served his country during …

Donna Lois Rumsey, age 90, of Jones, died Friday, March 7, 2008 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born in Three Rivers on Sep. 15, 1917 the daughter of Elmer and L. Lois (Kilgore) Bates. Donna was a graduate of Constantine High School, County Normal School in Dowagiac, and later attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. She taught …

Robert Kenneth Newell of Portage, died July 19, 2007 at the age of 82, surrounded by his family. He was born December 10, 1924 in Chicago, son of Kenneth Earl and Frances Mary (Fowler) Newell. He spent the summers growing up at Corey Lake near Three Rivers. Following graduation from Hyde Park High School in Chicago in January 1943, his …

Richard Edward “Dick” Bauer, age 81, of Berrien Springs, died early Saturday morning, Aug. 20, 2005, at Kephart Cohart Cottage in Berrien Springs. Richard was born June 17, 1924, in Pittsburgh, Pa., the son of Joseph J. and Mary M. (Pohl) Bauer. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, where he served on the USS Thorn during World …

Pastor Dr. Bobby Joe Tolbert has shown a deep commitment to his community through active and dedicated involvement in numerous leadership endeavors in the community of Three Rivers, ever aimed at improving the quality of life for all people. Dr. Tolbert was born, reared and received his early education in Montevello, Alabama. Dr. Tolbert played professional baseball on the Kansas …