Obituaries

MARY LOUISE WESTRA, 78, of Marcellus, Michigan and a former longtime Sturgis resident passed away Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was born March 25, 1932 in Nashville, Tennessee a daughter of Charles Fredrick and Bertha (Bleible) Miller. Louise was raised in a devout Catholic home by her grandparents Theodore and Bertha Bleible. Following the death …

Dorothy Ellen Stagowski,  77, of Sturgis, passed away Thursday, December 9th, 2010 at her home.  She was born in Chicago, IL on July 6, 1933,  a daughter of Welesly and Mary (Connolley) Whittleton. On December 7, 1957 she married Walter Stagowski in Chicago, IL , he preceded her in death on January 10, 2000.  Dorothy had worked at Holy Cross …

James A. “Jim” Kline, age 64, of Sturgis, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Nov. 27, 1946 in Sturgis, a son of the late Leo A. and Dorothy Mae (Gonser) Kline. Jim had been a long time resident of Sturgis and had been employed by Ross Laboratories for more than 35 …

George W. Waltz, 93, of Three Rivers, passed away Tuesday morning, Dec. 7, 2010 at Riverview Manor near Three Rivers after an extended illness. He was born Nov. 7, 1917 in Flowerfield Township the son of Charles and Maude (Griner) Waltz. On Feb. 19, 1941 in Three Rivers he married Winifred L. Barton who survives. George worked for Weyerhaeuser Paper …

Norma Lee Martin, 61, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 at her home. She was born in Broadhead, Ky. on May 22, 1949 the daughter of Robert Jefferson and Myrtle (Taylor) McKinney. Norma moved from Jamestown, Ind. to Three Rivers in 1987. She spent time waitressing and also was employed at American Axle and Manufacturing in …

Theresa L. Young, 50, of Vandalia, died Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 at her home following a short illness. She was born on June 25, 1960 in Lake County, Ill., to Anthony and Adell (Johnson) Derucki. She was a resident of the Vandalia area coming from Marcellus and Schoolcraft. She was married to Randy D. Young on Aug. 14, 1976 at …

Robert “Bob” Alton Rice, 91, of Three Rivers, died Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers. He was born to the late Harry Floyd Rice and Eula Griffith Rice, on Dec. 1, 1919, in Kalamazoo. He married Anne Elizabeth Wray-McCann in 1946, having met her in the United Kingdom during World War II. Bob enlisted …

Juanita “Shorty” June (nee: Hays) Abel, 85, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 at Three Rivers Health Respite Suites. She was born in Sturgis on Dec. 24, 1924 the daughter of Edgar and Jessie (Quick) Hays. Mrs. Abel has been a life long resident of this area. She performed tap dance for the troops at Fort …

Russell J. VanVorst, age 78, of Eaton Rapids, passed away Dec. 4, 2010, in Charlotte. He was born April 11, 1932, in Colon, a son of Clyde and Marie (Hackett) VanVorst. Russell graduated from Colon High School in 1950. He was a Korean War veteran serving in the United States Army. He retired from the State of Michigan in 1985. …

Dena Kay Upp, age 62, of Grand Haven, passed away Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at Heart Wood Hospice in Spring Lake. Dena was born Sept. 25, 1948, in Coldwater, a daughter of Darrel L. and Ruth M. (Smith) Upp. Dena grew up on her family farm in rural Sherwood, moving to Grand Haven in 1971. She had worked for 15 …