Obituaries

Jean Takacs, age 70, of Mendon, died late Saturday, June 11, 2011, at Thurston Woods in Sturgis, following a brief illness. She was born March 14, 1941, in Chicago, a daughter of John and Ann (Ghisolf) Takacs.  Later that year, the family moved to the farm in Mendon Township.  After completing her education at Mendon Community Schools and Michigan State …

William W. “Bill” Schabes, 82, of Mendon, died Friday June 10, 2011. He was born in Chicago on March 21, 1929 the son of William F. and Catherine (Calopy) Schabes and attended school in Chicago. Bill served with the U.S. Army in Europe during WWII. He was married to Barbara Ann Edson in Three Rivers on May 13, 1950. Bill …

Eric Benjamin Drury, age 66, of Three Rivers, Mich., passed away Sunday, June 5, 2011, at the Fairview Living Centre in Centreville, Mich. He was born Jan. 20, 1945, in Sturgis, Mich., a son of the late Thomas and Elma Kathryn (Eichele) Drury. He had been a Three Rivers resident for the past 15 years. Prior to moving to Three …

LaVerne L. Walters, age 82, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away, Thursday June 9, 2011, at the Sturgis Hospital Emergency Room. He was born May 16, 1929, in Colon, Mich., a son to the late Lawrence and Doris (Sturges) Walters. LaVerne graduated from Colon High School and has been a resident of the Sturgis area most of his life. He was …

Roberta Jean Marbaugh, 62, of Sturgis, passed away early Friday morning, June 10, 2011, at her home, following a 2 1/2 year hard-fought battle with brain cancer. She was born Jan. 16, 1949, in Sturgis, a daughter of Bobbie G. and Irma J. (Fetch) Marbaugh. Roberta had been a Sturgis resident since 1982. Her early life was spent in White …

Harold J. Smoker, age 81, of Sturgis, passed away early Thursday morning, June 9, 2011, at Miller’s Merry Manor Nursing Home in LaGrange, Ind., where he had been a resident for the past six years. He was born March 6, 1930, in Batavia, a son of the late Anthony and Eva (Hudson) Smoker. Harold was a lifelong Sturgis resident. On …

Adam Jacob Learn, age 14, of Three Rivers, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, June 6, 2011. He was born on January 1, 1997, in Kalamazoo, MI, the son of Monty and Vicki Learn. Adam was a selfless and inspirational young man. His infectious and gentle smile and his kind nature made him a joy to be around. He was loved …

Nancy Harvey Waddell, of Charlevoix, died on June 4, 2011, after a short illness. Nancy Anne Harvey was born June 25, 1930, in Toledo, Ohio, the first child of Ruel Britton and Margaret Elizabeth (Reid) Harvey. Her family soon moved to Birch Lake near Vandalia, Mich., where she would live for 40 years. She attended a one room school in …

Frances Helen (Mast) Wunder, age 99, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Monday afternoon, June 6, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born Oct. 16, 1911, in LaGrange County, Ind., a daughter of the late Jesse and Frances (Jones) Mast. Mrs. Wunder’s early life was spent in northern Indiana. She lived several years in Speedway, Ind., returning to the …

Ronald Kronberg, age 71, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 5, 2011, surrounded by his beloved sisters at the St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Health Center in Pontiac, Mich. He was born Feb. 27, 1940, in Petoskey, to the late Ernie and Aileen (Dangremond) Kronberg. After completing vocational training in Plainwell, Mich., Ron lived fairly independently in Kalamazoo for nearly 40 …