Obituaries

Henry Donald Ritter, age 93 of Coldwater, and formerly of Colon and Sturgis, passed away Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at The Laurels of Coldwater. Don was born Jan. 7, 1918, in Monroe, Ind., a son of the late Quincy O. and Elva May (Zerkle) Ritter. He married Ruth C. Saunders in 1940. He later married Carole Schmidt in 1972 in …

Norma L. Beckwith, 86, of Three Rivers, passed away on May 20, 2011 at the Thurston Woods Nursing Care Facility in Sturgis. She was born on Nov. 23, 1924 in Deer Creek Township, Ind. the daughter of Dean H. and Zulah G. (Miller) Adams. Norma was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, George; one brother, Jack Adams. She …

Richard D. “Dick” Parsons, 53, of Constantine, died unexpectedly Sunday, May 22, 2011, of natural causes at the family residence. He was born Oct. 15, 1957, in Three Rivers.  He graduated from Constantine High School in 1976.  Richard was a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers, the Indy 500, and the winter and summer Olympic Games. He worked for …

Pearl A. Blank, age 86, of Centreville, died Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. Pearl was born in Three Rivers on April 11, 1925 a daughter of  Elbert and Bertha (Peck) Ruggles.  On December 5, 1942 Pearl married Donald E. Blank in Three Rivers. He preceded her in death September 16, 2002. Pearl worked …

Brock T. Schrader, age 33, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at his home in Mendon. He was born in Sturgis on July 21, 1977 the son of Tom and Mary (Orbeck) Schrader. Brock’s bright smile, charismatic personality and loving nature made him a joy to be around. He was the type of friend a friend would like …

Emma Jeanette (Garlets) Pagels, age 81, of Sturgis, went to be with her Lord on Sunday, May 1, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born to Harry L. and Ruby O. (Boyd) Garlets on July 31, 1929, in South Bend, Ind. On Aug. 23, 1953, Emma married Norman F. Pagels at the United Methodist Church in Mongo, Ind. Emma graduated …

Ruth Cora Tutewiler, age 89, of Leonidas, died Saturday May 21, 2011, following a long illness. She was born in Cherokee County, Okla., the daughter of James F. and Cora (Warner) Draper. The family moved to Leonidas when Ruth was in the fifth grade, and she graduated from Athens High School. Ruth was married to Richard Tutewiler on Sept. 6, …

Margaret “Maggie” Mary Smolarz, age 83, of Colon, and formerly of Naubinway, Mich., passed away Friday, May 20, 2011, at her home after a valiant battle against pancreatic cancer. Maggie was born April 21, 1928, in Ferndale, a daughter to the late George and Mary (Pate) Durr. Maggie graduated from St. James Schools in Ferndale in 1947. After attending college …

Rebecca Lynn Godfrey, 36, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at Three Rivers Health. She was born on June 28, 1974 in California the daughter of Genevieve Johnson. Rebecca has been a resident of this area for almost 20 years. She was employed at Aquatic Bathware, formerly Lasco Corp., where she recently obtained her bachelor’s …

Frankie M.  Briney, 96, of Three Rivers, passed away on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at Riverview Manor Nursing Home. She was born on Aug. 19, 1914 in Flowerfield Township, the daughter of the late Frank and Myrtle (Knight) Youells. Frankie graduated from Three Rivers High School in 1933. On June 1, 1934 in Angola, Ind., Frankie was united in marriage …