Obituaries

William S. Kerns Jr., age 85, of Burr Oak, passed away late Tuesday evening, June 12, 2012, at home. He was born May 21, 1927, in LaGrange County, Ind., a son of the late William S. and Grace Edith (Peck) Kerns, Sr. William resided in the Burr Oak area for more than 40 years. His early life was lived in …

Crystal Pontius, 53, of Sturgis, the devoted love of Allen Rustad, beloved mom of Christopher Pontius and Cody Bohyer, went to rest in the arms of her maker early Friday afternoon, June 8, 2012, where she reunited with her sister, Shawna Pontius. In addition to her sister, she was preceeded in death by her parents, Lawrence and Wanda Pontius; also …

Pauline H. Calkins, 81, of Centreville, died Tuesday, June 12, 2012, at Fairview Living Centre, Centreville, following an extended illness. She was born July 15, 1930, in White Pigeon, the daughter of Alfred J. and Hazel M. (Oldenburg) Walls Sr. She had lived in Centreville the past 16 years, coming from the Mottville and White Pigeon area where she lived most …

Gregory Allen Howard, age 56, of Three Rivers, MI., passed away on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at Three Rivers Health. He was born on February 4, 1956 in Salina, Kansas, the son of the late Foyster and Nathalie (Eireley) Howard. Mr. Howard has been a resident of this area for the last 34 years. He was employed as a supervisor …

Suzanne Elizabeth (Sturgis) Meyer left her earthly body and entered the presence of her Heavenly Father in heaven Sunday evening, June 10, 2012. She had been under hospice care at the Garden of the God’s Care Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., since April 30, 2012. She was a farmer’s daughter. She never shied away from hard work or complained about …

Andrew Walter ‘Walt’ Gray, 83, of Sturgis, died Friday, June 8, 2012, at his son’s home in White Pigeon, following an extended illness. He was born July 3, 1928, in Brooklyn, a son of Andrew and Iva (McJury) Gray. He had been a Sturgis resident for 55 years, coming from Three Rivers. He had been employed as a salesman and truck driver. …

Wanda J. Fox, age 87, a 60-year resident of Burr Oak, passed away Monday, June 11, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born July 4, 1924, in Flint, a daughter of the late Jake and Vera (Bell) Smart. In 1947, she was united in marriage to Raymond “Pete” Fox in Centreville. He preceded her in death. Wanda had been employed …

Eva L. Pierce, 84, of Sturgis, passed away Saturday afternoon, June 9, 2012, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born April 25, 1928, in Kalamazoo, a daughter of the late Barney and Nellie (Ossewaarde) Longjohn. Mrs. Pierce resided most of her life in Sturgis. Her early life was spent in Kalamazoo, where she was a graduate of Kalamazoo …

Jean E. Schwartz, age 81, of Sturgis, passed away early Saturday morning, June 9, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital in Sturgis.  She was born April 12, 1931, in Kalamazoo, a daughter of Floyd Eugene and Margaret Louise (Boekeloo) Short.  Mrs. Schwartz had resided in Sturgis since the age of 15, coming from Kalamazoo.  She first married to James Palmer on April …

Noble B. Pittman, 89, of Marcellus, died Thursday, June 7, 2012 at Riverview Manor in Three Rivers. He was born on Nov. 2, 1922 in Enta Green, Ind. the son of Roscoe and Hazel (Mellott) Pittman. Marcellus resident since 1946 when he purchased his farm. He farmed until 1993. He was also employed by the Weyerhaeuser Paper Company, Good Manufacturing …