Obituaries

Albert O. Cappaert, age 99, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, December 12, 2016 at the Heartland Health Care Center. Albert was born on November 17, 1917 in Briarbluff, IL. the son of the late Henry P. and Eliza (VanZande) Cappaert. Albert has been a long time resident of Three Rivers. On Dec. 31, 1939 he married the love …

Daniel James Merten, age 55, of Centreville, passed away Saturday, December 10, 2016, at Mercy Health Partners Lakeshore Campus in Shelby.  He was born January 21, 1961, in Hart to Joseph and Mary Ann (Kokx) Merten. Dan graduated Hart High School 1979 and also Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa, OK. Dan married the former Jannine Mieras in Oklahoma City, OK …

Dustin Carl Woods, 37, of Mendon, died unexpectedly at home on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. He was born in Sturgis on Sept. 6, 1979 the son of William C. and Shirley (Alexander) Woods and was a lifetime resident of St. Joseph County. Dustin attended Centreville Schools, and was the primary in-home caregiver for his parents. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf, …

Ruth L. Holmes, age 82, of Sturgis, passed away Monday morning, Dec. 12, 2016, at Adult Nu Care in Sturgis. She was born July 13, 1934, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Walter H. and June A. (Murray) Snyder. Ruth resided most of her life in the Sturgis and Burr Oak area. She attended White School, a one-room schoolhouse, …

Richard “Dick” Ohlin, age 86, of Three Rivers, died Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 at his home. He was born in Three Rivers on March 22, 1930 the son of William and Cora (Christopher) Ohlin. He graduated from Three Rivers High School before joining the Army Air Corps. He served in the Aleutian Islands and was awarded the Bronze Star. Dick …

Richard Lewis “Dick” Dale, age 87, of Three Rivers, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at Grace Healthcare, after many years of pain. He was born June 4, 1929, in Michigan, a son of Cyril and Lauretta (Fisher) Dale. Dick graduated from Constantine High School, where he was a member of the football and baseball teams. He was employed …

Ruth Elizabeth Cutler passed away on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, at Bickford Cottage in Portage. Ruth was born May 9, 1921, in Batavia Township, Branch County, a daughter of Alex and Kate (Nelson) McCrary. Ruth worked for many years as a receptionist in physicians’ offices and retired as a pharmacy clerk from Upjohn Company in 1990. On Sept. 1, 1951, …

Rebecca “Becky” Yoder, 60, of Constantine, died at 8:55 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at her home. She was born Nov. 24, 1956, in Sturgis, to Frank and Bev (Musser) Lutz. On Jan. 27, 1974, in White Pigeon, she married Rich Yoder. He survives. Survivors in addition to her husband are a son, Nick (Ashley) Yoder of Constantine; a grandson, Robert …

Vickie Lynn Anable, age 63, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born in Sparta, WI on Sep. 17, 1953 the daughter of Spencer Odell and Patricia Louise (Shields) Trones. She moved from Wisconsin to Michigan in 1991. Vickie was a loving wife and mother who enjoyed spending time with her …

Priscilla L. Somers, 96, of White Pigeon, died Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, at New Friends of Kalamazoo, following a brief illness. She was born July 21, 1920, in Detroit, a daughter of Robert Earle and Mary M. (Plodzik) Handy. She was a resident of the White Pigeon area since 1989, coming from Paw Paw and Plainwell. She was religious educational …