Obituaries

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 …

Mr. Gale Lamont Thompson, age 79, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at his home.  He was born in Gratiot Township, Lansing, MI the son of the late Lester and Una (Litwiller) Thompson. Mr. Thompson has been a long time resident of Three Rivers where he was employed as a shipping clerk for Johnson Corporation …

Susan J. Kantauskas, agde 79, of White Pigeon, passed away on Monday, April 15, 2019 at Ascension Borgess Hospital, Kalamazoo.  She was born in Elkhart on January 13, 1940, a daughter of George and Ruth (Williams) Bale.  She graduated from Elkhart Schools. Sue previously worked in sales at Coachman Industries of Middlebury, Guardian Components of Middlebury, Bob Sampers Windows, and …

Janet Kathryn (Southworth) Parker, age 82, of Marcellus, passed away early Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019. Janet was born in Kalamazoo on January 12, 1937, the daughter of Maynard N. and Marie R. (Mitchell) Southworth. On June 26, 1955, Janet married Ralph W. Parker in Schoolcraft at the First Presbyterian Church. Together, they had nine children: Beth (Robert) Dyer of …

Mahlon Lee Tucker, age 77, of Centreville, passed away on Friday, April 12, 2019 after sustaining injuries in a traffic accident west of South Bend. Mahlon Lee Tucker was born on July 20, 1941 in Wichita, Kansas.  Mahlon was many things to everyone in his life – Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Uncle, a Grandpa to ten grandchildren, Great-Grandpapa to three …

Mary E. Schwartz, age 89, of Colon, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, April 15, 2019. Mary was born Nov. 20, 1929, to the late Christian and Emily (Schwartz) Stauffer. On Dec. 11, 1947, she married Samuel S. Schwartz, who preceded her in death in 1987. Together, they had 11 children. A generous lady who lived life …

Mrs. Terina Dawn Vail, age 48, of Jones, passed away on Friday, April 12, 2019 at the Elkhart Hospice House, following a brief illness.  She was born on June 1, 1970 in Atlanta, GA.,the daughter of James Bruce and Patricia Ann (Whitehead) Johnson. Terina has been a resident of Jones since 1991.  She was employed by the U.S. Postal Service …

Judy Carole Palazzo, age 77, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, April 11, 2019, at her home. She was born March 17, 1942, in Fawn River Township, a daughter of the late Lee and Pauline (Oliver) Kime. Judy’s early life was spent in Sturgis, where she was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1961. She had …