Obituaries

Charles D. Wheeler, age 75, of Three Rivers, passed away on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at his home.  Chuck was born in Sturgis on September 6, 1946, a son of Charles and Marguerite (Marks) Wheeler.  Chuck graduated from Centreville High School and later attended Glen Oaks Community College.  On September 25, 1976, he married Tressa Cantrell in Niles.  Chuck owned …

Frank L. Bracy, Jr., age 88, of Three Rivers, passed away Thursday, December 2, 2021 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. Born  March 30, 1933, he was the only child of Pearl (Lehman) and Frank Bracy of Charlotte, MI. During WWII, he spent many hours working in his father’s gasoline station, where he overhauled carburetors, automotive generators, and starters professionally, …

Leon Griffin, age 91, of White Pigeon, died on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis following an extended illness. Born on November 6, 1930 in Fayette, Alabama the Son of Charles Fletcher and Julie Ann (Kitchen) Griffin. Veteran of The US Airforce, moved to Middlebury in 1952 and Constantine in 1962. Employed by the White Pigeon …

Nancy Lee Berg, age 81, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at the Parkview LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange. She was born July 2, 1940 in Dayton, Ohio daughter of the late Claude and Lillian (Beam) House. Nancy resided in Sturgis since 1974 coming from Colorado. Her early life was lived in the Detroit area and she was a …

Ronald W. Davis, age 79, of Iron River, MI, passed away on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at UP Health System in Marquette. He was born on April 12, 1942, in Three Rivers, the son of the late Clark and Mildred (Weed) Davis. Ronald attended the Centerville Schools, graduating from Centerville High School with the Class of 1961. Ronald married Mary …

James “Jim” Ortmann, age 57, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, December 1, 2021 at Fairview Nursing and Rehab Community in Centreville after a sudden illness. Jim was born November 23, 1964 in Sturgis. He is the son of Norby and Rita (Strzalkowski) Ortmann. Jim loved working with the public and served in various positions at Meijer, Coldwater NCG Cinema, …

James Ortman, age 57, of Sturgis, died on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Arrangements by Hackman Family Funeral Homes.

Verna Schlabach, age 71, of Centreville, died on Monday, November 29, 2021 at Memorial Hospital in South Bend. She was born December 23, 1949 in Sturgis, a daughter of Henry and Emma (Borkholder) Borkholder. Verna graduated from Sturgis High School in 1968. On December 24, 1971 she married Raymond D Schlabach at Locust Grove Mennonite Church. Verna was a lifelong …

Parveena Gayen, age 70, of Three Rivers, died Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021 from injuries in an auto accident on November 23rd in St. Joseph County. She was born in Delhi, India on Dec. 16, 1950 the daughter of Hidayat and Sosan (Mall) Masih. She was married to Manoj Gayen on Oct. 21, 1975 in Hapur, India. They came to the …

Rodney James Easterday, age 73, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, November 29, 2021 following a lengthy illness. He was born on June 12, 1948 in Fawn River Township, the son of the late James Easterday and Gertrude Verglea (Hamm) Gotfryd. Rodney has been a longtime resident of Three Rivers working as a truck driver …