Obituaries

Donald Edward Wheeler, age 85, of Colon died Thursday Jan. 31, 2013 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born in Defiance, Ohio on June 19, 1927 the son of the late Lloyd and Ethel (Bohn) Wheeler and attended schools in Defiance. Donald was a truck driver for several years and worked at the Chrysler Corporation assembly plant in …

Melvin Edward Detwiler, age 67, of Mendon died Saturday Feb. 2, 2013 at Three Rivers Health following a long illness. He was born in Three Rivers on Sep. 5, 1945 the son of the late Stanley and Laura (Halstead) Detwiler and was a lifetime resident of St. Joseph County. He was married to Sharon Mains on March 27, 1964, and …

Donald Custard, age 94, of Mendon died Saturday Feb. 2, 2013 at the Sunshine Adult Foster Home in Three Rivers. Don was born in Grand Rapids, MI on June 17, 1918 the second son of Herbert and Elizabeth (Sheffield) Custard. He grew up in Mendon attending Mendon Schools and graduating with the class of 1936. He was president of his …

Leland L. Warren, 85, of Mottville Township, White Pigeon, died Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers following a short illness. He was born June 21, 1927 in White Pigeon Township the son of Albert and Esther (Quick) Warren, and lived in the Mottville Township and White Pigeon area most of his life. On Aug. …

Vonda Lorrain Reiff, 56, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Jan. 17, 2013 at her home. She was born in Goshen, Ind. on Sept. 28, 1956 the daughter of Jacob and Linda Groff. Mrs. Reiff and her husband David were the proprietors of “A Perfect Pet and Bait Shop.” Vonda truly loved spending time with family and friends and …

Bernice H. (Barnett-Randol) Berry, 66, of Dowagiac, and formerly of Colon, died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, at her home, following an extended illness. Visitation will be held 4-6 p.m. Saturday at Farrand Funeral Home in White Pigeon. Funeral services will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Scott Manning of the United Methodist Church officiating. Cremation will follow, …

William Dean Springer, 83, of Three Rivers, died at Three Rivers Health on Tuesday morning after a month-long illness. He was born in Three Rivers on June 28, 1929, the son of Leo and Hazel (Gregg) Springer. “Bill” graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1948, and served with the Army in Okinawa during the Korean War. He returned home …

Sondra L. Richmond, age 68, of Sturgis, passed away early Monday morning, Jan. 28, 2013, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born May 23, 1944 in Fort Wayne, Ind., a daughter of Harold and Kathleen (Darby) Newman. Sondra resided most of her life in Sturgis and was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1962. …

Doris B. Lemley, age 81, of Centreville passed away Monday, January 28th, 2013 at Fairview Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Centreville surrounded by her family. She was born in Van Buren County, MI on July 14, 1931, to Francis and Lucille (Hooper) Klein, Sr. Doris enjoyed playing cards, bingo, listening to music and collecting quilts. Most of all she loved …

Charles P. VanBelleghem, 68, of Lawton, passed away suddenly Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. He was born Aug. 29, 1944 in South Bend, Ind. to the late Charles A. and Rose Mary (Nagy) VanBelleghem. He graduated in 1962 from Washington Clay High School, South Bend, received his Bachelor’s Degree from Purdue University in 1966 and his Master’s Degree in Education from …