Obituaries

Eva L. Wooten, age 91, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away early Saturday afternoon, Dec. 22, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born Sept. 25, 1921, in Sturgis, daughter of the late Wallace and Emma (Ward) Kinsey. Mrs. Wooten lived most of her life in Sturgis. On March 28, 1942, she married Clarence V. Wooten in Battle Creek. After 69 years …

Esther M. Lunger, age 90, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away early Saturday morning, Dec. 22, 2012, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born Jan. 30, 1922, in Bremen, Ind., daughter of the late Harry and Martha (Pippenger) Huber. Esther resided in the Burr Oak and Sturgis area most of her life. On Sept. 19, 1975, she married Leo …

Helen R. (Nibbelink) Withers, 92, of Cassopolis, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. She was born Aug. 29, 1920 in Blendon Township, the daughter of John and Grace (Lobdell) Nibbelink. Helen married Roy Arthur Withers on Oct. 2, 1940 in Schoolcraft. He preceded her in death. She was also preceded by one granddaughter-in-law, Cheryl Withers; one great-grandson, Tyler Dean Withers; …

Melvin E. “Red” Jacobs died Nov. 21, 2012. He was born June 25, 1925 to William and Edith (Gray) Jacobs at home in Three Rivers. Jacobs married Kay Butler. They had one son, Thomas Everett Jacobs and one daughter, Linda Kay (Jacobs) Blood (Gary). He later married Betty (Brown) Jacobs. Betty had three previous children: Sara Proctor, Ruskin, Fla., Thomas …

James Ivan Miller, age 63, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly early Wednesday morning, Dec. 19, 2012, at his home. He was born May 2, 1949, in Sturgis, a son of the late Harry and Carmen (Sager) Miller. Jim resided most of his life in Sturgis and was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1967. He proudly …

Nicholas Chapman, age 13, of Three Rivers, MI passed away on December 17, 2012. He was born in Kalamazoo, MI on June 13, 1999, the son of Ralph and Lori (Dentler) Chapman. Nick attended the Three Rivers Middle School and was an active and loving young man. He enjoyed swimming and drawing, spent many hours playing video games and always …

Theodore James (TJ) Krull, 51, of White Pigeon, died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, from injuries in an automobile accident. Born on July 2, 1961, in Three Rivers, to Theodore R. and Shirley A. (Mock) Krull. He was a 1979 graduate of White Pigeon High School, where he played on the golf and baseball teams. He lived in Hawaii for several …

Gregory Lee Sears, age 54, of Burr Oak, passed away Tuesday morning, Dec. 18, 2012, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born June 14, 1958, in Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., a son of John and Janice (Westphal) Sears. Greg resided in the Sturgis and Burr Oak area most of his life. He was currently employed by Parma …

John Edwyn Clutter, age 84, of Three Rivers, and formerly of White Pigeon, passed away on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, at his home. He was born May 10, 1928, in White Pigeon, a son of Max and Grace (Hagerty) Clutter. John had been a lifetime resident of this area. He served his country honorably during World War II in the …

Victor A. “Buzzy” Krontz, age 52, of Burr Oak, passed away Sunday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Aug. 27, 1960, in Sturgis, a son of the late Charles R. and Dessie (Keith) Krontz. Buzzy resided in the Burr Oak area most of his life. For eight years, he was employed by Continental …