Obituaries

May C. Eckhardt, age 100, of Sturgis, passed away Friday morning, January 20, 2023 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born May 15, 1922 in Chicago, daughter of the late William and Minna (Sengabush) Heurich. May resided in Sturgis for the past 82 years coming from Chicago. On May 17, 1947 she married Richard F. Eckhardt in Sturgis. …

Douglas Woodrow Butler, age 75, of Mendon, died Thursday, January 19, 2023 at his home in Mendon.  He was born in Three Rivers on April 15, 1947 the son of Carl W. and Helen (Harriger) Butler.  Douglas was a lifetime resident of Mendon, and was a member of the Mendon High School graduating class of 1965.  After high school, he …

Betty I. Priest, age 93, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday evening, January 19, 2023 at her home surrounded by her family. She was born March 23, 1929 in Bronson, daughter of the late Cecil and Hildred (Funk) Anderson. Betty resided in Sturgis since 1966 coming from Bronson, where she was a graduate of Bronson High School with the class of …

Gary Dean “Bird Eggs” Krontz, age 67, of Coldwater, and former resident of Burr Oak, passed away Wednesday afternoon, January 18, 2023 at the Laurels of Coldwater. He was born October 20, 1955 in Sturgis, son of the late Harold Dean “Pat” and Laura Lee (Leatherbery) Krontz, Jr. Bird Eggs resided in Burr Oak most of his life. He was …

Steven Lee Ammer, age 72, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly at home on Monday, January 16, 2023. He was born Oct. 5, 1950 in Sturgis, a son to the late Heinz K. and Margaret Ruth (Stevens) Ammer. Steven grew up in Sturgis, and graduated from Sturgis High School with the class of 1968. He was a veteran of the U.S. …

Paulette Szadaly, age 90, of Decatur, passed away Friday, January 13, 2023 at home. She was born in Chicago on January 25, 1932 the daughter of Paul Stogis and Frances Barbara Kvadras. On June 19, 1956, in South Bend, she married Alex George Szadaly who preceded her in death on July 24, 2022. Paulette was a Veterinarian, working for many …

Rose Marie Schrader, age 59, of Dublin, Georgia and a former resident of Sturgis and graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1982, passed away Tuesday morning, January 17, 2023 at the Carl Vinson V.A. Medical Center in Dublin following a hard fought battle with Huntington Disease since 2004. She was born November 15, 1963 in Sturgis, daughter …

Steven Henry Suarez, age 61, of Bronson, passed away Sunday, January 15, 2023 at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born June 18, 1961 in Dearborn Heights, MI a son to the late Henry and Mary (Mannarino) Suarez. Steven spent most of his life in the Dearborn Heights area and just last year moved to Bronson, Michigan. He had …

Carol Jo Oldenburg, age 62, passed away unexpectedly in her Cadillac, Michigan home on December 24, 2022. Carol was born June 15, 1960 in Cadillac to Arnold “Brick” Emory and Meme (Tulick) Emory. Carol’s family moved to Three Rivers where Carol attended from 4th grade at Park Community through high school, graduating in 1978. In high School Carol found her …

Gerald Dale Handy, age 56, of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, passed away on January 7, 2023. He was born September 12, 1966, at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland to James W. and Donna J. (Metty) Handy. Gerald grew up in a military family and moved to Plattsmouth when he was in High School.  He graduated from Plattsmouth High School with the …