Obituaries

Mary Jo Kauffman, age 62, of Colon, passed away Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, at her home, from injuries received in a house fire. Mary was born Oct. 10, 1949, in Battle Creek a daughter of the late Arno and Wilma (Irish) McClish. Mary had lived at her present address since 1976, coming from Sturgis. She graduated from Colon High School …

Robert Harold “Bob” Jones, age 87 of Mendon, died Monday Nov. 28, 2011 at his daughter’s home in White Pigeon. Bob was born in Mendon on Sep. 30, 1924 the son of Harold and Lillian (Warkentine) Jones. He graduated from Mendon High School in 1942 and attended the University of Michigan before enlisting in the Army Air Corps. Bob was …

Bervin E. Roe, 92, of White Pigeon, died Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis, after an extended illness. He was born July 26, 1919, in Mishawaka, Ind., a son of Brant E. and Margarie (Hecklebower) Roe. He had lived in the Stone Lake area early in life, and White Pigeon most of his life. On Nov. 3, …

Buddy Lee Brunner, 84 of Three Rivers, died Monday, November 28, 2011 at his home, after a brief illness. He was born the son of Jay and Ethel (Kline) Brunner on June 7, 1927 in Flowerfield Township. Buddy proudly served in the United States Army from 1945 – 1947 and was stationed in the South Pacific, specifically Hiroshima, Japan. He …

Pollyanna  (Hooton) Hensell, age 92, of Centreville,  died  Monday, November 28, 2011 at the Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. She was born in New Carlisle, IN on October 14, 1919,  the daughter of William and Kate (Norris) Hooton. Polly graduated from New Carlisle High School in 1937. On November 16, 1940 she married Harold A. Hensell in South Bend, …

Gary Allen Marks, age 60, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Sunday afternoon, Nov. 27, 2011, at his home. He was born April 14, 1951 in LaGrange, Ind., a son of the late Charles Mobley and Lela Marks. Gary had resided in Sturgis for the past two years, coming from Ocala, Fla. Before moving to Florida, he had lived in White …

Esther Marguerite Wagner, 99, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday morning, Nov. 22, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village where she had resided since 2008. Marguerite, as she was known to her family and friends, was born Jan. 22, 1912, in Mongo, Ind., to Alpharus and Zola (Pollock) Keefer. After graduating from Mongo High School, she attended St. Joseph’s School of Nursing …

Lorraine I. Sprowl, age 88, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Saturday afternoon, Nov. 26, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born April 28, 1923, in Grand Rapids, Mich., a daughter of the late Holger “Jack” and Gertrude E. (Faulkner) Nelson. Lorraine had resided in Sturgis since 1947 coming from Lowell, Mich., where she was a graduate of …

Marion Elaine Ely, 82, of White Pigeon, died Friday, Nov. 25, at Borgess medical Center in Kalamazoo after an extended illness. She was born Oct. 31, 1929, in Centreville, a daughter of Ralph and Treva Emerson. She had been a resident of White Pigeon since 1953, coming from Missouri. On April 5, 1951, she married Dale E. Ely in Howe, …

James Edward “Jim” McClish Jr., age 65, of Mendon, died Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, at his home following a brief illness. He was born in Vicksburg on Dec. 12, 1945, the son of James E. and Zelma (Halsey) McClish. Jim is a graduate of Mendon High School and served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam. Jim was married to …