Obituaries

Dorothy June Davis, 75, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, March 19, 2014 at her home. She was born June 26, 1938 in St. Joseph County, daughter of the late Howard and Dorothy (Menbeck) Bell. June lived most of her life in Sturgis. She married Alan D. Davis in Centreville. She retired from the Holiday Inn in Sturgis following 20 …

Harold “Sam” Ruggles, 93, passed away Wednesday, March 19th, at his daughters home in Manistee. Harold was born in Ann Arbor, MI on May 31, 1920, a son of Hellen Pearl (Houldsworth) and Arthur Ellis Ruggles. He graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1938. Sam served in the U.S. Army stationed at Camp Roberts in California. On January 26, …

Oydean F. McKenzie, age 91, of Marcellus, MI passed away Wednesday morning, March 19, 2014. She was born April 22, 1922, the daughter of Raymond C. and Fae (Bent) Waltz. On September 24, 1943 she married Donald F. Mckenzie who preceded her in death. Oydean was a lifelong member of Wakelee United Methodist Church and the Farm Bureau. She was …

Patrick Henry Haff, 62, of Three Rivers, formerly of Brookston, Ind., passed away suddenly on Monday, March 17, 2014 in Cape Coral, Fla. He was born on Feb. 20, 1952 in Lafayette, Ind., the son of William and Elmina Haff. Pat was an avid and gifted photographer and enjoyed watching racecar races, but especially enjoyed being a spectator at the …

Frederick “Fred” Murl Thoms Jr., 63, of Bronson, passed away March 16, 2014, surrounded by family at Sturgis Hospital. A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. March 29, 2014, at Union Hall in Bronson, located at the corner of Union Street and Albers. Fred was born Oct. 16, 1950, in Coldwater, to Frederick and Betty (Savage) Thoms Sr. …

Freida Fern Yoder, age 82, of Burr Oak, passed away early Tuesday morning, March 18, 2014, at her home. She was born Jan. 7, 1932, in Port Huron, a daughter of the late Chester and Bertha (Koehn) Casner Sr. Freida resided in Burr Oak since 1955. Her early life was lived in Port Huron. On April 21, 1951, she married …

Chester Stefaniak, age 81, former longtime Sturgis resident, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family Sunday afternoon, March 16, 2014, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born July 12, 1932, in Covert, Mich., son of the late John and Rose (Posh) Stefaniak. Chet’s early life was lived in South Haven, where he was a graduate of South Haven …

Lyle Harvey Millard, age 74 of Mendon died peacefully on March 18, 2014 at his riverfront home surrounded by his family. He was born in Mendon on July 10, 1939 the son of Arthur and Gladys (Orr) Millard and was a lifetime resident of Mendon. Lyle began his working life at Simpson Lee Paper Company and later at Wyant Heating …

Donna Sue Schrader age 58 Centreville passed away Tuesday, March 18th, 2014 at her home. She was born in South Bend, Indiana on December 17, 1955, a daughter of James Hann and Vera (Winrott) Snyder. On July 1, 2000 Donna married Dale Russell Schrader, Jr., in Three Rivers. He preceded her in death November 8, 2008. She worked as a …

Michael L. Frutig of Fort Wayne, Ind., passed away March 17, 2014, at home. He endured a brief battle with cancer, always maintaining a positive attitude. When asked how he was doing, his reply was anything from “I’m terminal just like all of us,” to “I’m feeling great, better than ever.” God had given him a great peace about where he …