Obituaries

Dixie L. Melchi, age 77, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, May 22, 2019, at her home, with her family at her side. She was born Sept. 11, 1941, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Kenneth and Irene (Abbs) Thompson. Dixie resided in Mattawan for 30 years. The rest of her life was lived in Sturgis, where she was …

Samuel Daniel Tullos, age 69, of Three Rivers, passed away Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born May 3, 1950, in Luise, Miss., a son of Sherman and Betty (Horton) Tullos. Samuel was born and raised in Mississippi and worked as a migrant worker in the cotton fields as well as working in catfish …

Peter J. Ziemkowski, age 92, of Colon, and formerly of Calumet City, Ill., passed away Thursday, May 16, 2019, in Alexandria, La. Peter was born Aug. 15, 1926, to the late Bertha R. (Kaczmarski) and the late Peter J. Ziemkowski. Raised in Calumet City, Ill., by Bertha and her husband, Theodore Zygmunt, he attended Thornton Fractional Township High, but left …

F. Keith Borgert, age 86, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Sunday morning, May 19, 2019. He was born June 14, 1932, in Kalamazoo, the only child of the late Vern and Catharine (Fetch) Borgert. Keith was a lifelong Nottawa Township resident. At age 16, he graduated from Sturgis High School with the class of 1949. While at Sturgis High School, …

Mary Reed Snow, age 81, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully Friday, May 17th, 2019 at Glenn Arbor Hospice Residence. Mary was born on May 9th, 1938 in Highland Park, MI, the daughter of the late Fred R. and Virginia (Stevenson) Reed. On August 30th, 1959, Mary was united in marriage to, Taylor Snow, whom she adored and met while …

Raymond Forrest Wheeler, age 78, of Mendon, died Friday, May 17, 2019 at his home following a long illness. He was born in Manistique, MI on March 30, 1941 the son of Forest and Beulah (Blentlinger) Wheeler. He was married to Geneva (Huddleston) in Three Rivers and they have resided near Mendon the past 49 years. Ray had been employed …

Gary E. Phillips, age 83, of Sturgis, passed away early Thursday morning, May 16, 2019, at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo. He was born July 9, 1935, in Holland, a son of the late Ernie M. and Thelma E. (Smith) Phillips. Gary resided in Sturgis since 1963, coming from Traverse City. On Dec. 18, 1953, he married Patricia A. …

Thelma E. Fiebelkorn, age 87, of Burr Oak, passed away Wednesday morning, May 15, 2019, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born Feb. 4, 1932, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Clarence and Pauline (Maxwell) Maystead. Thelma resided most of her life in the Burr Oak area and was a graduate of Burr Oak High School with …

Gene Autry Reiff, Sr. of Constantine, MI, passed away Wednesday, May 15th, 2019 at his home surrounded by his loving family. Gene was born in Constantine, MI on April 5, 1933, a son of Rueben and Vera (Luft) Reiff. On September 7, 1951 he married Shirley Eash. She preceded him in death in 1988. Gene later met the love of …

Margaret “Peggy” (Coulter) Foster, age 93, formerly of Detroit, passed away on Friday, May 3, 2019, at Friendship Village in Kalamazoo.  She was born June 30, 1925, in Canada, to Stanley and Bertha (Belcher) Coulter.  As a young girl and teenager, she became an avid lover of physical activity and organized sports, including hockey, golf, bowling, and tennis.  Choosing to …