Obituaries

Georgia Cunnington Pionke, age 88, of Jones, died Monday Nov. 14, 2011 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Walla Walla, WA on Aug. 13, 1923 the daughter of the late Alvin Edward and Anna Elizabeth (Schaub) Cunnington. She was first married to Robert Eugene Miller on June 8, 1944 in Battle Creek, MI. Robert died …

Howard D. Mitchell, age 91, of Searcy, Ark., and a former Sturgis resident, passed away Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011, at White County Medical Center in Searcy, Ark. He was born Sept. 8, 1920, in Sturgis, a son of the late Joseph and Gladys (Sink) Mitchell. On March 20, 1946, he married the love of his life, Mary Ruth in Sturgis. …

Ardith  Stoner,  age 95, of Jones,  died November 15, 2011 at the East Lake Nursing Home, Elkhart, IN. Ardith was born in Wickliffe, KY on July 21, 1916, the daughter of  George W. and Mary E. (Johnston) Warren. She attended school in Ullin, IL. On July 4, 1931 she married William Chester Lillie. On March 28, 1987, Ardith married Robert …

Thomas R. “Sac” Schrader of Mendon went to be with the Lord on Nov. 12, 2011. Tom was born Aug. 23, 1944, in Sturgis, a son of the late DeWayne and Arlene (Barnes) Schrader. After graduating from Mendon High School, where he excelled in football. Tom enlisted in the Army and served his country honorably from 1963 until his discharge …

Raymond Walter Vrobel, 86, of Mendon, died Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. He was born in Westfield, Mass. on Jan. 23, 1925 the son of Joseph and Anna (Drewniak) Vrobel, and soon after the family moved to Kalamazoo. Before finishing high school at Kalamazoo Central, Ray enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he …

Cora L. Campbell, 83, of Three Rivers, died Friday morning, Nov. 11, 2011. Cora was born Feb. 1, 1928 in Trommald, Minn. a daughter of Clyde and Joyce (Fleener) Brooks. She had been a Kalamazoo-area resident since 1938 and owned and operated Home Bakery for 20 years. Cora also worked at Western Michigan University for 11 years before retiring in …

       On Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, our Lord Jesus Christ called Margaret Ann Grunert home.  Margaret was born on July 29, 1922 to Vere and Vera (Williams) Schug.  As a young child, Margaret was raised by her father and step-mother, Emma (LaVoy) Schug (later Zimmerman) in Schoolcraft, MI.       In 1940, Margaret graduated from Schoolcraft High School.  Margaret married the …

     Dorothy Fairchild, age 92 of Sturgis, Michigan passed away Wednesday afternoon November 9, 2011 at her home.      She was born November 1, 1919 in Berrien Springs, Michigan a daughter of the late Harry S. and Barbara (Manton) Brown.      Mrs. Fairchild had resided in Sturgis since 1985 coming from Pennsylvania.  On December 31, 1939 she married Thomas A. Fairchild …

Shirley Olin “Bill” Batten, age 83 of Mendon, died Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 at his home following a long illness. He was born in Mendon on March 23, 1928 the son of Olin Glenn and Norma (Moore) Batten and attended Mendon Schools. Bill had operated a garage in Mendon and had worked for the Mendon Company, and Simpson Paper Company, …

Jacob Daniel Lunsford, 33, of Three Rivers, died Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 in Flowerfield Township from injuries received in an automobile accident. He was born on Nov. 11, 1977 in Kalamazoo, the son of Daniel M. and Judy W. (Scott) Lunsford. He lived all of his life in the Three Rivers area. Jacob was a truck driver, and was last …