Obituaries

Kenneth R. Bir, age 67, of Bronson, passed away Friday, April 19, 2019, at his home. A celebration of his life will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2019, at Dutcher Funeral Home in Bronson, with Pastor Ryan Bibb from Radiant Life Church in Sturgis officiating. Visitation will take place 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at Dutcher Funeral …

Martha L. “Marty” McClain, age 87, of Mendon, died on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019 at the family farm. She was born in the same farmhouse on Sep. 21, 1931 the daughter of Robert J. and Martha L. (Rench) McClain. She was a lifetime resident of Mendon, and after retirement spent winters in Texas. She was a member of the …

Richard Carl Detloff, age 68, formerly of Sturgis, passed away peacefully April 6, 2019. Born in Mishawaka on April 27, 1950, to parents Carl and Rose Detloff, Richard grew up in Sturgis, where as a youth he played baseball and basketball and attended Trinity Lutheran Church. Following graduation from Sturgis High School, he attended Michigan State University before moving to …

Robert C. King, age 90 of Porter Twp., passed away at home on Saturday, April 20, 2019.  Robert was born in Porter Township, Cass County, on December 21, 1928, a son of Carl and Bernice (Artley) King.  He graduated from Bristol High School in 1949 and went on to serve in the Army during the Korean War. On December 15, …

Dr. Jerry Irwin, died on Friday, April 5, 2018 at age 87. He was born in Three Rivers, to his parents, Marlo (Jack) and Mary Ellen Irwin. He was preceded in death by them; his brother, Robert Irwin and a granddaughter, Josephine Irwin. He is survived by his wife of 63 years,  Martha Ann;  his son, Michael (Sunny) Irwin; his …

On Saturday, April 13, 2019 Marian Griner passed away peacefully in the home she loved. She was born to Fred Willis and Mary Jane Cook on July 16, 1931 in Gobles, Michigan. She grew up around Marcellus but graduated from Dowagiac High School in 1950. She worked at Ingersol Drug Store where she met Howard Griner. He became the love …

Menno S. Bontrager, 88 years, one month and 14 days, passed away on Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the home of his daughter Mary (Joe) Miller in Centreville. Menno was born March 4, 1931, a son of Sam N. and Fannie Bontrager. On Dec. 13, 1951, he married Susan Elizabeth (Schlabach) Bontrager; she preceded him in death June 10, 2003. …

Sherman Dunafin, Jr., age 95 of Sturgis, passed away peacefully after an extended illness on December 12, 2018 at his home surrounded by his loving family.  He was born on January 4, 1923 in the Mongo-Stroh area in Indiana. Sherman is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marilyn (Smoll) Dunafin, of Sturgis.  He had 4 children: Gaylord (Cheryl) Dunafin …

Kenneth Lee Balk, age 84, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born Nov. 6, 1934, in Sturgis, a son of the late Elmer Carl and Erma Pearl (Falkenstein) Balk. Ken had resided at Omena Lake in Sturgis since 1991, coming from Centreville. He was a 1953 graduate of Centreville …

Estella Marie Holtz, age 91, of Sturgis, passed away early Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019, at her home. She was born Dec. 5, 1927, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Clarence and Maize (Dunker) Hahn. Estella was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1945. On Dec. 30, 1950, she married …