Obituaries

Shirley Ann Poortenga, age 66, of Colon, passed away Thursday evening, April 28, 2011, at Sturgis Hospital. Shirley was born May 25, 1944, in Danville, Ill., a daughter of the late Jacob and Esther (Witvoet) Kuipers. On Sept. 22, 1961, she married Alvin J. Poortenga in Chicago Heights, Ill. She had made her home in Colon on Long Lake, since …

Charley M. Hartman, 87, of Jones, passed away Tuesday evening, April 26, 2011 in Three Rivers Health following a short illness. Charley was born May 11, 1923 at Leesburg, Mich. the son of Charles J. and Hazel M. (Wahl) Hartman. On April 11, 1953 at Sturgis he married Wava M. Troeger who survives. He had been a resident of Newberg …

Marlene M. Reynolds, age 68, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at home, surrounded by her loving family. She was born Feb. 8, 1943, in Sturgis, a daughter of Stan and Alice (Sikorski) Killian. On May 25, 1962, she married Mr. Leon Reynolds, and out of this union were born three children, a son, Scott (Jodie) Reynolds of …

Jeane Evelyn Hart, age 87, of Sturgis, passed away Monday, April 25, 2011, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born Sept. 27, 1923, in Kalamazoo, a daughter to the late Harry E. and Catherine I. (Kuhns) Eberhard. Jeane had been a resident of Sturgis most of her life and on Feb. 26, 1944, in Sturgis she married Neal I. Hart. …

Virginia Evelyne (Horton) Sterling, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, 94, of Three Rivers and formerly of Jackson, departed April 22, 2011 to be with her Lord, surrounded by her loving family at “The Birches” in Leonidas. She was born March 28, 1917 to Irene and Don L. Bellman. In June of 1934 she married Arthur Horton, deceased in 1970; in …

Joseph Franklin Dobberteen, age 88, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a former longtime Sturgis resident, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2011, at his home. He was born May 31, 1922, in Sturgis, a son of the late Henry and Ella Dobberteen, Joe lived a good portion of his life at Klinger Lake, enjoying life as a caddy, avid golfer (five …

Michael Bruce Sullivan, age 63, of Centreville, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2011 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He  was born in Ionia, MI on October 27, 1947,  the son of Elwood and Esther (Beachum) Sullivan. Michael graduated from Centreville High School in 1965. Continuing his education at Alma College, he studied Chemistry, Physics, and Philosophy. It was there that he …

Fred Washington Grunert, age 89, of Three Rivers, went to be with the Lord early Thursday, April 21, 2011, at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was born on February 22, 1922, in Beloit, Wisconsin the son of Frederick William and Bertha M. (Liskow) Grunert. Mr. Grunert graduated from Three Rivers High with the class of 1940. He …

Marie Phyllis White, 84, of Parkville, passed away on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at the Heartland Health Care Center following a brief illness. She was born on Nov. 22, 1926 in Parkville the daughter of Ralph and Jessie (Dee) Dentler. Marie was united in marriage on June 2, 1962 to Mr. Raymond White who survives. She was employed at Dayco …

Douglas Allen Mitchell, also known as Doug or Mitch, 65, of Summerville, S.C., previously of Mendon, husband of Diane Gail (Gossett) Mitchell, died unexpectedly Saturday, April 9, 2011, at Summerville Medical Center. Funeral services were held on April 15, 2011, at Miles Road Baptist Church, Burial will be private. Doug was born on Nov. 25, 1945 in Sturgis, a son …