Obituaries

Jo Anne Williams, age 65, of Kendallville, died Sunday, March 15, 2020, at her home. Jody was born Oct. 11, 1950, in Sturgis, to Joseph John Nowak and Sarah Belle (Kanouse) Nowak. She graduated from Sturgis High School in 1969 and married Joseph Gordon Williams on Aug. 22, 1970, in Sturgis. He preceded her in death in 2004. Jody loved …

Mary Jane Lung, age 84, of Bronson, passed away Monday, March 16, 2020, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born July 7, 1935, a daughter of Ora and Mary Ann (Miller) Schrock. Mary retired from Kirsch Company in Sturgis following 43 years of employment. Surviving are two daughters, Sherry Schultz of Sturgis and Deborah Ryker of Burr Oak; three grandchildren, …

Laura Hesher, age 98, Three Rivers, passed away on Saturday, November 9, 2019. Laura was born in Paipot, Saskatchewan, Canada, on April 12, 1921, the daughter of LeRoy and Acco (Church) Raymond. Laura lived in Canada as a young girl. She was a graduate of White Pigeon High School Class of 1940. On October 16, 1940, she married Dale Wilson …

It is with immense grief we announce the death of our beloved daughter, Baylor Abbs. She died Friday, March 13, 2020, at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Baylor was born June 5, 2019, to Craig and Jenna Abbs in Fort Wayne, and was diagnosed with transitional atrioventricular canal defect at 2 months of age. For the past nine months, she …

Tim Lewis Miller, age 78, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, March 12, 2020, at the Sturgis Hospital emergency room. He was born Sept. 3, 1941, in Lima, Ohio, a son of the late Lawrence L. and Evelyn (Long) Miller. Tim moved to the Sturgis area in eighth grade and graduated from Centreville High School with the class of 1959. He …

Karen Lynette Napier, age 56, of Sturgis, died Tuesday, March 10, 2020, as the result of a single car accident on US-12 west of Sturgis. She was born March 19, 1963, in Gary, Indiana, to Eldon and Carolyn (Harbit) Ralston. Ms. Napier worked at the Dairy Queen in Sturgis. Karen enjoyed caring for her brother’s dogs and making jewelry. She …

Sherrill A. Kline, age 84, of Constantine, died on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at Birch Meadows AFC in Three Rivers. She was born April 29, 1935, a daughter of Ralph and Mildred (Crotser) Heminger. Sherrill graduated from White Pigeon High School in 1953. On June 27, 1953 she married Lyle E. Kline at the Mottville Biible Church. He preceded her in …

Elke Karin Lambert, age 53, of Constantine, died on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo following a brave battle with cancer. She was born June 6, 1966 in Bayreuth, Germany a daughter of Hans Gunther Joachim and Inge (Scholz) Lehmann. Elke graduated from school in Germany and qualified by exam to be a state employee of the …

Katheryn Faye Lytle, age 85, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, March 12, 2020 at her home. She was born June 19, 1934, in Mendon, a daughter of the late Lloyd and Pauline (Katz) Kuhlman. Kathy resided in the Sturgis and Mendon area her entire life and was a graduate of Mendon High School with the class of 1951. On May …

Alan Charles Ake Sr., age 61, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at home, surrounded by his loving family. He was born April 18, 1958, in LaGrange, a son to the late Elmer and Rachel (Hershberger) Ake. Alan was a resident of Sturgis most of his life and was employed as a tool-and-die maker at Sutton Tool for …