Obituaries

Debra S. “Deb” Bruystens, age 63, of Mendon, died Monday, Aug. 26, 2019 at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born in Three Rivers on Oct. 6, 1955 and was a lifetime resident of St. Joseph County. Following her graduation from Three Rivers High School she was married to Millard Bruystens on April 5, 1975 at the Parkville Community …

Sally Lou Stevens, age 77, of Sturgis, passed away Saturday morning, Aug. 24, 2019, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born April 15, 1942, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Owen Henry and Maxine Pearl (VanDyke) Powers. Sally was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1960. On Oct. …

Harold O. Walters, age 100, of Colon, died Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 at Bronson Commons near Mattawan. He was born in Burr Oak Township on Aug. 27, 1918 the son of Otis Roy Walters and Grace Ethel (Ultz) Walters and was a lifetime resident of the Burr Oak-Colon area. He graduated from Colon High School. Harold was married to Ila …

JoAnn L. Flatt, age 59, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, at Three Rivers Health. She was born Sept. 1, 1959, in Burr Oak, a daughter of the late Robert L. and Rosetta June (Burch) Stuck. JoAnn graduated from Burr Oak High School and lived in Niles, Mishawaka and Sturgis throughout her life. She was first married to …

Roy D. Oliver, age 52, of White Pigeon, died Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019, at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo, following an extended illness. He was born Jan. 21, 1967, in Rensselaer, Ind., a son of Roger G. and Thelma (Ratliff) Oliver. He was a resident of White Pigeon, coming from Bristol. He was employed in the maintenance department at Merhow …

Gladys “Lucille” Melville, age 94, of Marcellus, passed away early Thursday morning, August 22, 2019, peacefully in her sleep. Lucille was born on April 21, 1925 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the daughter of Robert F. and Iva P. (Luskleet) Midkiff. On November 20, 1943, she married Leslie E. Melville in Benton Harbor, MI. Together they had five children: Sandra, Donna, …

Caralene G. (Preston) Skelton, age 88, of Constantine, passed away on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at her home. Caralene was born in Three Rivers on June 17, 1931, a daughter of Harold and Edith (Clark) Preston. She attended Three Rivers High School. On October 24, 1948, she married Thomas Arthur Skelton, Sr. in Three Rivers; he preceded her in death …

Doris Joan Arver, age 91, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, Aug.15, 2019, at Fairview Living Centre in Centreville. She was born June 30, 1928, in South Bend, a daughter of the late Marion Francis and Elsa Rosetta (Sayles) Marriott. Doris spent her early childhood years in Rochester, Ind. After her father’s death in 1937, her family moved to Sturgis. In …

Cindy Deckard, age 62, formerly of White Pigeon, passed away on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, in Mount Pleasant. A graveside service will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 24 at White Pigeon Township Cemetery. Farrand Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.

Arthur Clayton Emrick JR, 61, Florence Township, Constantine, Michigan died on Monday, August 19, 2019, suddenly of natural causes. He was born on March 2, 1958 in Vicksburg, Michigan, the son of Arthur Clayton and Ida Mae (Parsons) Emrick, SR. Corky was a Constantine area resident since 1995 coming from Vicksburg. He was employed by the Sturgis Journal for over …