Obituaries

Richard Earl Perry, age 79, of Burr Oak, passed away Wednesday morning, Feb. 20, 2013, at his home, while receiving loving care from his sweetheart of 61 years. He was born Oct. 5, 1933, at the family farm in Burr Oak Township, the only child of Glenn and Wilma (Maxwell) Perry. Mr. Perry was a lifelong Burr Oak area resident …

James I. “Jim” Montgomery, age 86, of Sturgis, passed away early Wednesday morning, Feb. 20, 2013, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. Jim was born April 27, 1926, in Montpelier, Ohio, a son of the late Arthur and Helen (Vance) Montgomery. He graduated from Montpelier High School, served in the U.S. Navy, and later attended Bowling Green University. He is …

Carol J. McKercher, age 88, of Colon, passed away, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. Carol was born June 13, 1924, in Burr Oak, a daughter of the late Lawson and Nellie (Passahl) Lancaster. She lived most of her life in Colon, graduating from Colon High School in 1940. Later in life she spent …

Raymond Lee “Ray” Marshall, age 73, of Mendon, died Monday Feb. 18, 2013 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Sycamore, IL on Aug. 8, 1939 the son of the late Raymond Mason and Charlotte L. (Benner) Marshall. The family later moved to Hedrick, Iowa where Ray graduated from High School. There he played football and basketball …

Frank Worthington, age 54, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, at home. He was born Sept. 3, 1958, in Sturgis, to the late Mr. and Mrs. Rita (Royal) Worthington. Frank had been a resident of St. Joseph County all his life. On Oct. 19, 2002, he married Kathy Fox in Centreville. He was a veteran of the U.S. …

Erma Kay Wooster, age 63, of Caro, and formerly of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw. She was born Oct. 29, 1949, in Sturgis, a daughter of Donald Harris and Eloise (Walters) Kottenbrock, and spent most of her life in the Sturgis area. On Feb. 27, 1971, Erma was united in marriage …

Margaret J. Hartman, 87, of Marcellus, passed away Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013 in Three Rivers. She was born Feb. 9, 1926 in Decatur, the daughter of Martin W. and Eathel M. (Ballett) Knapp. On May 15, 1943 in Three Rivers she married William F. Hartman who preceded her in death on Oct. 19, 2004. She lived at her present residence …

Joanne Maxine Morhart, age 86, of Sturgis, and formerly of Burr Oak, passed away Sunday morning Feb. 17, 2013, at The Villa at Thurston Woods Village. She was born Aug. 28, 1926, in Springfield, Ill., a daughter of the late Paul and Norma (Huber) Blacker. Joanne graduated from high school in 1944 and joined the Army Cadet Nursing Corps, then …

June Adele Bell, age 64, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Feb. 16, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center. She was born on April 24, 1948 in Three Rivers, MI. the daughter of Kenneth and Helen (Carson) Kauszler. June has been a life time resident of Three Rivers. She began her career at the First National Bank as a note …

John Charles Baird, age 55, of Three Rivers, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 at the Heartland Health Care Center. He was born on Feb. 18, 1957 in Hastings, MI. the son of Alvin and Lucille (Hotrum) Baird. John has been a long time resident of this area. He was self-employed in the landscaping business and spent almost twelve …