Obituaries

Jessica Lyn Feister, age 30, of Sturgis, passed away early Sunday morning, April 14, 2013, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born Oct. 1, 1982, in West Palm Beach, Fla., a daughter of Kenneth and Connie (Persing) Feister. Jessica resided in Sturgis since 1997, coming from Florida. For the past seven years, she had been employed by Walmart in Sturgis. Jessica …

Ellen Mae “Ellie” Elzinga, age 85, of Centreville, died Monday, April 8, 2013 at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Centreville where she had been a patient for two months. Ellie was born in Banks, MI and was the daughter of George M. and Ruth (Rubert) Elzinga. She was a graduate of Ellsworth High School in Antrim County, MI. Ellie worked …

William “Bill” Marvin Keith, age 60, passed away on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at Bronson Methodist Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Bill was born on April 30, 1952 in Three Rivers, MI the son of William and Myrtle Keith. Bill was a lifetime resident of Three Rivers. He also served his country in the U.S. Navy until his honorable …

Jean P. Zellner, age 88, born November 28, 1924 passed away peacefully at White Oaks Assisted Living Facility, of Lawton, MI. on Thursday, April 11, 2013 surrounded by her family and friends. Jean graduated from Indiana High School in 1944 and Allegheny General Hospital School of Nursing in 1947. She worked as a registered nurse for many years and most …

Karl W. Schmidt, age 87, of Mendon, died Saturday April 13, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Chicago, IL on March 11, 1926 the son of Erich and Klara (Gedeon) Schmidt. When he was a child the family moved back to Germany. After WWII he emigrated back to the United States and settled in Mendon. …

In loving memory of Dale Clare Rauh, age 65, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away early Saturday morning, April 13, 2013, surrounded by his family. He was born March 23, 1948, in Lapeer, Mich., son of Chris and Isabel (Houghtaling) Rauh. Dale graduated from Lapeer High School with the class of 1966 and attended Michigan Tech and Central Michigan Universities. On …

Ilda G. (Ditlow) Ecker, age 86, of Sturgis, Michigan passed away Friday, April 12, 2013 at Thurston Woods Village following a lengthy decline in health. She was born in Mendon, Michigan on February 16, 1927 the daughter of the late Joseph Allen Ditlow and Ellen Marie (Romans) Ditlow. Ilda traveled extensively and resided in Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and …

The Klinger Lake community lost a long-time resident and a familiar face on Saturday March 16, 2013, when Deloss Campbell Hardesty, known by most as De, peacefully passed away surrounded by his family. De was born on April 17, 1919, in Medaryville, Ind. He was the son of Charles and Mae Campbell Hardesty. De was a 1937 graduate of Hammond …

Elwood C. “Sag” Kinney, Jr.,  age 85, of Constantine, passed away Friday, April 12th, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Cass County on June 20, 1927, a son of Elwood and Dorothy (Wortinger) Kinney. Sag graduated from Constantine High School in 1946. He served in the US Marine Corp. during WW II from 1946 to …

Fredrick Albert Woods, age 58, of Three Rivers died Thursday April 11, 2013 at his home. He was born in Vicksburg on Dec. 18, 1954 the son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Dokey) Woods, and attended Mendon Schools. Fred along with his father were independent carpet layers. He enjoyed fishing and mushrooming, and collecting small antiques. Fred is survived by his …