Obituaries

James William “Bill” Allen, age 86, of Mendon, died Friday July 20, 2012 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Herrin, IL on Jan. 29, 1926 the son of Lem and Lela (Frailey ) Allen, and attended schools there. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Bill was married to Lois Conrad on Dec. 11, 1948 …

Douglas Lee Conley, age 54, of Bronson, passed away Thursday, July 19, 2012, at his home. He was born Sept. 12, 1957, in Sturgis, a son of the late Melvin and Shirley (Bauder) Conley. Doug resided in the Bronson area for many years. His early life was lived in Sturgis. He had been employed by Grow Alliance Company in Howe, …

Loretta Joan Stiles, age 64, of Sturgis, passed away early Friday morning, July 20, 2012, at her home. She was born April 17, 1948, in Clinton, Iowa, a daughter of the late Fred C. and Joan L. (Ball) Bray. Mrs. Stiles resided in the Sturgis and Bronson area most of her life. On Sept. 16, 1969, she married Roy Stiles …

Shirley Ruth Mathews, age 85, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Friday, July 20, 2012 at Three Rivers Health of cardiac arrest after years of battling with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on Dec. 4, 1926 in Three Rivers, MI. the daughter of Harold and Mae (Kaiser) Langton. Shirley has been a lifelong resident of Three Rivers. She graduated …

Roberta A. Carroll, 73, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, July 18, 2012, at Kairos Dwelling in Kalamazoo. She was born Feb. 21, 1939, in Three Rivers, a daughter of the late Robert L. and Ruth E. (Frederick) Cosner. Roberta resided in Sturgis since 1970, coming from Wood River, Ill. Her early life was lived in Three Rivers and she …

Sherley Ann Yoder, age 77, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday morning, July 18, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born June 5, 1935, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Leon and Gertrude “Dot” (Summey) Kipker. She was a waitress for several years at The Orbit and Dorothy’s Donut Shop, both in Sturgis, and for 7 1/2 …

Anna M. McKay, age 51, of Bronson, passed away late Monday evening, July 16, 2012, at her home. She was born April 6, 1961, in Detroit, a daughter of Herb and Alice Louise (Greeley) Mowrey. Anna lived most of her life in the Colon and Bronson area. She was a homemaker and enjoyed sewing and her frogs and loved time …

Patricia (Patty) Herlein, age 49, of Three Rivers, passed away Friday, July 13th, 2012. She was born in Detroit on December 27, 1962, a daughter of  Cletis  and Darlene (Schneider) Melear. Patty graduated from Oakland Christian High School in Pontiac in 1981 and attended Grand Rapids School of Bible & Music. On December 28, 1985 she married Jeffrey Herlein in Pontiac. Patty …

Keith E. (Lefty) Sweazy, 79, of Mottville Township, died Friday, July 13, 2012, at his home following an extended illness. He was born Aug. 30, 1932, in Elkhart, Ind., a son of Robert and Hazel (Ruh) Sweazy. He was a resident of Mottville Township for 42 years, coming from Elkhart, Ind., and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict. …

Fern (Newman) Belt, 88, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2012, at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Ala., with her son and daughter at her side. She had recently moved from Sturgis to Huntsville to be closer to family members. She will be cremated in Huntsville with funeral services to take place at 11 a.m. Aug. 11, 2012, at First …