Obituaries

Barbara J. Stephayn, age 85, of Marcellus, passed away Thursday, October 27, 2016 at Riverview Manor in Three Rivers. She was born May 29, 1931, the daughter of Homer and Maxine (Kahler) Swartz. On February 3, 1951 she married John P. Stephayn who preceded her in death in 2008. Surviving are one daughter, Judy (Jerry) Brown of Marcellus; daughter-in-law Lori …

Glema Eleanor Hochstetler, 92, of Nottawa, died on Wednesday, October 26, 2016, her home. She was born on February 07, 1924 in East Gilead, MI, a daughter of Charles and Nellie (Stout) Preston. Glema graduated from Centreville High School in 1942. On October 4, 1947 she married Carl Hochstetler in Centreville. He preceded her in death August 19, 1996. She …

Irene Carrie Parker, age 99, of White Pigeon Township, Sturgis, passed away early Wednesday morning, Oct. 26, 2016, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born April 21, 1917, in Sherman Township, a daughter of the late Fredrick W. and Carolyn “Carrie” Marie (Walters) Pagels. Irene was a longtime White Pigeon Township resident. On July 3, 1937, she married …

Hildegard Erna Drews, age 90, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully with her family nearby on Monday, October 24, 2016 at her home.  She was born on January 2, 1926 in Essen-Stahle, Germany, the daughter of Geerd and Matilde (Altenbeck) Nykamp. Erna was a devoted wife who worked her entire career at Continental Can in Three Rivers.  She and Albert …

Terril “Terry” R. McKenzie, age 76, died on Monday, October 24, 2016.  The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until time of memorial services beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at Hohner Funeral Home. Interment of cremains will be held at Fish Lake Cemetery.   

Eric Biland, 20, of White Pigeon, passed away Monday, Oct. 10, 2016 He was born June 6, 1996, in Three Rivers, a son of Peter E. and Sara E. (Meadows) Biland. He enjoyed Harley-Davidson motorcycles and hanging out with his friends. Surviving are his mother, Sara Meadows of Denver; his sisters, Andrea McGovern of Aurora, Colo., and Jessica Outman of …

Kiyana Kyree McNeal, age 4, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday, October 23, 2016 at her home. She was born in Kalamazoo on January 30, 2012, a daughter of Jacey McNeal Wolkins and Gerald Johnson. Kiyana was her mom’s shadow. She loved to sing and dance and loved learning new things. She was most recently learning to play the keyboard and …

Roark (Roary) was born April 1, 1998, in Kalamazoo, and was taken from us suddenly on Oct. 22, 2016 at the age of 18½. Roark resided in Kalamazoo and attended Mattawan High School. He wanted to be a veterinarian. Roark loved animals and had a way with them that spoke to the soul. He was a man with a loving, …

Lydia Marie Martin, 91, White Pigeon, died on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at her home. She was born on August 20, 1925 in Columbia City, IN, a daughter of George and Ethel (Smith) Hawn. On February 21, 1948 Lydia married Cleo Martin in Columbia City, IN. He preceded her in death December 30, 2006. She worked at Door Products in …

Barbara Ann Lambdin, age 64, of White Pigeon Twp., died Sunday, October 23, 2016 at Borgess-Pipp Hospital in Plainwell. She was born March 10, 1952 in Clarksville, TN, a daughter of George and Leala (Rye) Ray. Barbara enjoyed gardening, knitting, cooking, and caring for her family. Surviving are her daughter Tesa Rance, Kalamazoo, son Paul (Sarah) Webb, White Pigeon, George …