Obituaries

Helen C. Ziemkowski, age 81, of Colon passed away Monday, July 21, 2014, at her home, following a long, brave battle with cancer. Helen was born June 10, 1933, in Hammond, Ind., a daughter of the late Peter and Catherine (Skrobot) Skrobot. She grew up in Hammond and graduated from Hammond Tech in 1951. On Sept. 18, 1954, she married …

Deborah Ann Hansman, of Colon passed away Monday, July 7, 2014, at her home. She was born Aug. 11, 1948, in Huntington, Ind., a daughter of Kathleen Daily. On Jan. 22, 1985, she married Thomas J. Hansman Sr. in Coldwater, and lived most of her life in Branch County. She attended Coldwater schools and retired from Colmers of Colon. She spent 13 …

Judy Ann Grant, 68, of Constantine, passed away Monday, July 21, 2014 at Three Rivers Health. She was born in Schoolcraft, MI on November 16, 1945, a daughter of Marguerita (Hoyt) and Chester Carter. On February 20, 1964 she married John W. Grant in Centreville. Judy worked at Crocker Limited Centreville, Statewide Aluminum Elkhart and Pioneer Hi Bred in Constantine. …

Sandra A. Conner, age 73, of White Pigeon, passed away Sunday, July 20, 2014 at her home. She was born in Summertown, TN on October 26, 1940, a daughter of Willis and Hazel (Parker) Hardiman. Sandra was a homemaker, and had also worked in customer service at Service Merchandise, Kokomo, IN and Lakeland, FL and at Disney World in Orlando, …

Donna Gail Schultz, age 77, of Mendon, died Saturday, July 19, 2014 at her home. She was born in Benton Harbor on Feb. 10, 1937 the daughter of the late Marion and Mae (Bodtke) Harner. She graduated from Benton Harbor High School and attended South Bend College of Commerce. Donna first worked at the Haas Corporation (now IAC) in Mendon, …

Patricia Ann Straw, 62, of Elkhart, IN, passed away Wednesday, July 16th, 2014 at Elkhart Center for Hospice Care. Patricia was born in Martin, Kentucky on February 12, 1952, a daughter of Cora Lee (Harrington) and Troy Taylor. She graduated from East Central High School in Tulsa, OK in 1972. Patricia attended North Eastern State University and later Cosmetology school …

Joyce Ann Hughes, age 71, of Leonidas, died Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at the Sturgis Hospital Emergency Room. She was born in Battle Creek, MI on March 20, 1943 the daughter of Samuel B. and Eddiess (Thomas) Hughes and has been a lifetime resident of Leonidas. She attended the Reserve Country School and worked on the family farm. Joyce loved …

Sherriel D. Coates, of Portage, passed away on Monday, July 14, 2014 at her residence. She was born May 3, 1936, in Three Rivers, the daughter of the late Robert L. and Neva L. (Wheeler) Garber and was a longtime Kalamazoo area resident. On Oct. 3, 1953, she was united in marriage to Herbert “Herb” Coates. For many years she …

Marion L. Charon, age 82 of Three Rivers died Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Chicago, IL on Aug. 3, 1931 the daughter of Edward G. and Mary A. (Lahey) Pearson. As a child her family moved to Michigan, where she graduated from Mendon Schools, and later attended Nazareth College. Marion …

Mrs. Ardyce “Brenda” England, 80, of Norton Shores, passed away Sunday, July 13, 2014. She was born in Alma on June 19, 1934 to Lionel and Beatrice (Harter) Thompson and married Clifford England on Oct. 2, 1955. Mrs. England had been employed in Customer Service at GTE Telephone for 15 years until retiring. Brenda was active at Life Circles for …