Obituaries

John F. “Jack” Ashby, age 94, of Three Rivers, died Saturday April 21, 2012 at his home. He was born in Springfield, Ohio on March 31, 1918 the son of Elmer I. and Emma (Harrison) Ashby. Following high school Jack joined the Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Before going overseas, he was married …

Phyllis A. Barr, 80, of Bronson, passed away Friday, April 20, 2012, at The Community Health Center of Branch County. A service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012, at Dutcher-Kolcz Funeral Home in Bronson with Pastor Kurt Kuhlmann of St. John’s Lutheran Church officiating. Interment will follow at Bronson Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-7 …

Joanne Holden, 84, of Three Rivers, died April 17, 2012. She was known to many as the lady who operated the Long Lake Food and Book Shop from 1968 until her retirement in 2011. Born in Michigan City, Ind., on Oct. 26, 1927, to Ruth and Kenneth Holden, she grew up in Harbert, Mich., on the shore of Lake Michigan. …

Dorothy J. Townsend, age 84, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Thursday afternoon, April 19, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born February 9, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan daughter of Fred and Alice (Nichols) Stites. Mrs. Townsend had resided in Sturgis since 1964, coming from the Adrian area. Her early life was lived in Detroit and she was a graduate of …

Greta (Webb) Johnson, 50, of Northport, Ala., and a former Sturgis resident, died unexpectedly Thursday, April 12, 2012, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.  She was born Nov. 24, 1961, in Arkansas.  Greta had resided in Alabama since 1993. Her early life was lived in Sturgis and she was a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1980, where she excelled in …

Jeffrey D. McNeill, age 42, of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii and formerly of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Sunday, April 15, 2012. He was born on July 10, 1969, in Kalamazoo. He is survived by his parents, David and Geraldine McNeill of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Sturgis; a brother, Jay of West Bloomfield; an aunt, Patricia Judge of …

Delbert J. Wolfinger, age 64, of Three Rivers, died Monday, April 16, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born July 2, 1947, in Goshen, Ind., a son of Roy and Mabel (Linn) Wolfinger. Delbert was a longtime resident of Constantine, where he was employed by the Michigan Milk Producers Association for more than 33 years. In his …

Carmen Ann Prestidge, age 74, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday evening, April 15, 2012, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born Dec. 20, 1937, in Sturgis, a daughter of the late Richard and Ruth (Antonides) Lapham Arklie. Carmen was a lifelong Sturgis resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of 1956. On Oct. 26, …

Victoria Ware Russell of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and formerly of Sturgis, passed away Friday, April 13, 2012, after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. Vicke, as she was known to her friends and family, was born and raised in Sturgis. After graduating from Sturgis High School in 1975, she attended Central Michigan University for two years. Vicke then transferred …

Paul E. “Papa” Conkright, age 84, of Three Rivers, died April 16, 2012 at his home following a lengthy illness.  He was born March 10, 1928 in Constantine, a son of Kenneth and Ruth (Mallo) Conkright.  He graduated from Cassopolis High School in 1946 and studied Agriculture at Michigan State University.  Paul served in the U.S. Army during the Korean …