Obituaries

Opal Ferguson, age 90, of Mendon, died Friday July 27, 2012 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Blue Ridge, GA on Dec. 15, 1921 the daughter of Carl and Florence (Frady) Heaton, and attended school in Georgia. She was married to Arthur Lloyd Ferguson on March 19, 1938 in Blue Ridge. While living here, Opal …

Katina M. Shepherd, age 53, of Mendon, passed away Thursday, July 26, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. Katina was born June 2, 1959, in Farmington, Maine, a daughter of the late Floyd and Mildred (Daggett) Ladd. Katina graduated from Three Rivers High School with the class of 1977. She had made her home in Mendon for the past …

Aretha Mary Klopfenstein, age 88, of Howe, Ind., went to be with her Lord and Savior unexpectedly Wednesday afternoon, July 25, 2012, at her home. She was born Feb. 1, 1924, in Belgian Congo, Africa to missionary parents, Henry and Phyllis (Stocker) Klopfenstine. Mrs. Klopfenstein resided most of her life in Howe, Ind., with her early life being lived in …

Harold W. Swartz, 95, of Marcellus, passed away Wednesday, July 25, 2012 at Three Rivers Health, Three Rivers. He was born July 5, 1917, the son of Cloyd E. and Mable A. (Gearhart) Swartz. On Sept. 30, 1945 he married Geraldine A. Bent who preceded him in death on June 17, 2011. He had been a lifelong resident of the …

Donald P. Moline, 76, of Brighton, Ind., died Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at his home. Mr. Moline was born March 20, 1936, in Kalamazoo, to Robert Sr. and Edna M. (Bowser) Moline. Both preceded him in death. In November of 1995, he returned to the Howe, Ind., area, where he had lived before moving to Sturgis, where he lived for …

Natasha “Tasha” Rose Richardson, age 21, formerly of Battle Creek. A beautiful light in this world was extinguished on July 20, 2012, due to a tragic automobile accident. Tasha was a bubbly, energetic, fun-loving, loyal and beautiful inside and out young woman. She lived life to the fullest and was loved by so many. She was home on leave from …

Sydney James Abbott passed away quietly on July 21, 2012, at his daughter’s home in Austin, Texas. He was born March 6, 1937, to Percy and Gladys Abbott of Colon, Mich. Sydney graduated from Colon High School in 1955 and the following few years were spent driving truck and working at the Colmer Co. in Colon. He joined the U.S. …

Michael K. Foster, age 69, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Monday, July 23, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Sept. 30, 1942, in Battle Creek, a son to the late Gerald G. and Maxine V. (Reed) Foster. Michael had been a resident of Sturgis since 1972 and had previously resided in Elkhart, Ind., for six years. …

Evelyn May Coleman, age 94, of Freeport, and a former resident of Sturgis and Coldwater, passed away Tuesday morning, July 24, 2012, at her home. She was born March 7, 1918, in Steuben County, Ind., a daughter of the late Ancil Garfield and Meada (Fisher) Murden. On Nov. 16, 1946, she married Paul R. “Mike” Coleman in Angola, Ind. He …

Charles Ross Jones, age 72, of Sturgis, passed away Monday morning, July 23, 2012, at his home. He was born Oct. 4, 1939, in Corbin, Ky., a son of James Leonard and Delia (Smith) Jones. Charlie resided in Sturgis since 1970, coming from Kentucky. On Nov. 23, 1974, he married Donna Smead at Assembly of God Church in Three Rivers. …