Obituaries

Joyce J. (Nottoli) Aldrich, age 88, of Constantine, died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, at Heritage Community Care Center in Kalamazoo, following an extended illness. She was born April 10, 1932, in Sturgis, a daughter of Frederick and Kathryn (Raudman) Stutz.  She lived in St. Joseph County most of her life. She was employed as a nurse and director of nursing …

Aija Wagner, age 78, of Three Rivers, sadly passed away on Friday, December 11, 2020 at her home. She was born in Riga, Latvia, on December 31, 1941, the daughter of Leon and Velta (Jirgensons) Boze. Three years later, Leon and Velta were divorced. Velta married Alfreds Ozolins. At the age of 9, Aija came to America from war-torn Latvia …

Third generation Three Rivers resident David Bartling O’Dell passed away Thursday, December 3, 2020 at age 68, from the COVID-19 virus, compounded by colon cancer. He had resided at Heartland Health Care Center since 2017 to receive care as a paraplegic, despite having lived stolidly and independently for years as a polio survivor. A graduate of Three Rivers High School …

James Joseph “Jim” Rockelein, age 67, of Leonidas, died Monday, Dec. 7, 2020 at Heartland Healthcare in Three Rivers following a five-year illness. He was born in Sturgis, on Oct. 6, 1953 the son of Joseph L. and Alice Marie (Kelly) Rockelein. He was a lifetime resident of St. Joseph County and graduated from Colon High School with the class …

James E. Lane, age 83, of Burr Oak, died on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 of Parkinson’s disease. Born December 16, 1936 to Harry and Gladys (Moon) Lane, James is survived by his wife Bonita (Offenbecher) Lane, son James E. Lane II (Sharon) of Zeeland, Michigan; granddaughters Nicole Lane, Jennifer Andersen, Jayme Belanger, and Nancy Mendez, along with eight great-grandchildren.   He …

Esther Bennett Wolf, age 86, of Burr Oak, died on Tuesday, December 8, 2020. Esther was born at the Spring Hill Stock Farm in Burr Oak on August 14, 1934, the daughter of Katherine Eicher (Kauffman) and Joseph Eicher. She was the middle child, with two older sisters, and two younger brothers. She helped on the farm and drove her …

Richard “Dick” Charles Miller, age 77 of Marcellus, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 7, 2020 at his home surrounded by friends and family. Dick was born in Kalamazoo on October 26 1943 to Harold Miller & Dorothy Gessler On July 12 1979, in Portage, he married Bernadean Rideout who survives him in death. He was preceded in death by …

Friedrich Johann Henningsen, age 86, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at Three Rivers Health.  Fred was born in Jackson on March 24, 1934, a son of Heinrich and Frida (Jurgensen) Henningsen. He graduated from Jackson High School in 1951.  Fred earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Michigan State University in 1956 and 1959, respectively, studying Dairy …

Joan M. Kelley, age 85, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, at Miller’s Merry Manor in LaGrange. She was born Nov. 23, 1935, in Detroit Lakes, Minn., a daughter of the late Ed and Helen (Dewitt) Shannon. On March 5, 1955, she married William M. Kelley in Three Rivers. He preceded her in death Dec. 22, 2010. Joan …

Antonio Lozada-Escamilla, age 64, of Bronson, passed away Friday afternoon, December 4, 2020 at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born September 23, 1956 in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico son of the late Nicolas Lozada and Amelia Escamilla. Antonio resided in Bronson since 1988 coming from Mexico. On July 4, 1981 he married Maria Ofelia Jimenez in Mexico. He was …