Obituaries

James Edward “Jim” Carpenter, 86, died Tuesday, May 24, 2016 in Elizabethton, Tenn. He was born Oct. 12, 1929 in Three Rivers to Leslie Loren and Lena Jeannette (Drake) Carpenter, the seventh of 12 children. He married Gloria Jean Farley on Sept. 12, 1949 in Centreville, who preceded him in death on April 17, 1997. He later married Helen Beatrice …

William L. “Dub” Dobberteen, age 85, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Sunday morning, June 5, 2016, in Sturgis. He was born Nov. 27, 1930, in Sturgis, Mich., son of the late Louis F. and Mabel (Kielkopf) Dobberteen. Bill was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1949. On March 11, 1951, he …

Doris Ellen Brady, age 91, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully early morning Saturday, June 04, 2016 with her family at her side. She was born August 15, 1924 in St. Louis, MO., the daughter of the late Charles and Margaret (Herwig) Tabor. Mrs. Brady has been a resident of Three Rivers since 1944. She was employed for over twenty …

H. Rosemary Johnson, age 81, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Centreville. She was born in White Pigeon on Aug. 4, 1934 the daughter of Frank and Bonnie (Steele) Schultz. She was married to William T. Johnson in LaGrange, IN on Nov. 27, 1951, and has resided near Three Rivers since 1958. …

William Ray “Bill” Coomer, age 72, of Mendon, died Friday, May 3, 2016 at his home following a long illness. He was born in Paulding, Ohio on Sep. 20, 1943 the son of Robert L. and Wilma (Davis) Coomer. Bill graduated from Centreville High School in 1961 and later attended Kellogg Community College. He was a life-long farmer, and sponsor …

Pastor Elbert L. Foster, born Sept. 25, 1964 to Jessie L. Kelly and Raymond Banks, Jr., departed this life after a long and courageous battle with sickle cell anemia on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center. Pastor Elbert Foster joined Ambassadors for Christ Church in 1992 under the Leadership of Apostle Joseph L. Stanford, became a licensed Deacon and …

Jack Klerk, 62, of Three Rivers, left this world on Memorial Day 2016. He was born in Kalamazoo where he grew up on Waite Avenue with the Winchell gang and graduated from Loy Norrix and Albion College with a biology degree. He went on to be a middle school science teacher on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands where …

Mary Ellen Hargett, age 61 of Three Rivers, died Monday, May 30, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born in Gary, IN on Oct. 21, 1954 the daughter of Richard and Sarah (Durham) Gray and later graduated from Michigan City High School. She was a homemaker, and a volunteer at the COA site in Three Rivers. Mary …

Harold Eugene Riggs, age 85, of Burr Oak, passed away early Monday morning, May 30, 2016, with his loving family by his side. He was born July 7, 1930, in Three Rivers, a son to the late Cecil and Wanda (Foust) Riggs. Harold had resided in Three Rivers until his mid 20s when he moved to Sturgis and began his …

George L. Ersland, 83, of White Pigeon, passed away Friday, May 27, 2016, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, following a short illness. He was born Feb. 1, 1993, in Ladysmith, Wis., a son of John and Maude (Keys) Ersland. He was a veteran of the Korean War, serving with the U.S. Army. He was employed as a daily herdsman …