Obituaries

Marie Helen Miller, 95, of Durham, N.C., and formerly of Sturgis, died Feb. 17, 2012, in her daughter’s home on Club Boulevard. She was born Sept. 25, 1916, in Blackwell, Okla., to Karl G. Janke and Anna (Rohr) Janke. During the Great Depression, the family moved to Sturgis and later to a farm outside Howe, Ind., where she helped with …

Anna Marie Gutierrez, age 87, of Mendon, died Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at her home, following a long illness. She was born March 26, 1924, in Toledo, Ohio, a daughter of Theodore E. and Agnes L. (Jones) Fess. On April 28, 1962, Anna married Marshall F. Gutierrez at their Portage Lake home, where she had resided the past 52 years. …

Warren J. Brandebury, 87, of LaGrange, Ind., and formerly of Sturgis, died Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at Parkview LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange. Mr. Brandebury was born June 6, 1924, in Grand Rapids, to Arlee and Bertha (Stahr) Brandebury; they preceded him in death. In 1960, he moved to Sturgis, where he lived until two years ago, when he moved to …

Douglas Garrison, 94, of Kalamazoo and formerly of Bangor, passed away Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 in Kalamazoo. Doug was born April 4, 1917 in Three Rivers, the son of Norman W. and Olive Marie Garrison. Douglas served in the US Army Air Corps as a gunnery instructor during WWII. He was a graduate of Alma College and held a master’s …

Louis Kondas, 71, of Mendon Township, died Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 at Kairos Dwelling in Kalamazoo. He was born in Czechoslovakia on Feb. 19, 1940 the son of Laszlo and Madga (Parajos) Kondas. He played soccer and was a bricklayer in his younger days. Louis came to the United States in 1969 with the assistance of the Mary Lagoni family, …

Vondalee A. Wallman, 72, of White Pigeon, died unexpectedly Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012, at her home.  She was born in Texas, and was a resident of the White Pigeon area for many years.  On Aug. 16, 1979, she married Charles D. Wallman in White Pigeon. he preceded her in death Feb. 12, 2004.  She had been employed by Coachman in Middlebury, Ind.  …

Stephanie Horvath, age 87, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 14, 2012, at her home.  She was born July 15, 1924 in Delray.  Mrs. Horvath had resided in Sturgis for the past nine years, coming from Wyandotte, where she had lived most of her life.  For many years she worked as a crossing guard and she was a homemaker …

Jesse Alvin Roderick, age 74, of Three Rivers, passed away on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 at the Heartland Health Care Center following a long illness. He was born March 30, 1937 in Ann Arbor, MI. the son of Francis and Rose Mary (Bastien) Roderick. On Oct. 5, 1966 Jesse married the late Helen Zampanti in Buchanan, MI. Together they raised …

Helen M. Stewart, 96, of Jackson, and formerly of Sturgis, passed away, Jan. 30, 2012 at Highland Alzheimer’s Care in Jackson. At her request, cremation has taken place. She was born Sept. 9, 1915, to Charles and Esther Humbarger Ladd in Van Wert, Ohio. A 1933 graduate of Cement City High School, she was the high scorer of the girls’ …

Lamar William Kane, age 74, of Burr Oak, passed away Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, at Sturgis Hospital. He was born Nov. 27, 1937, in Sturgis, a son of the late Harry and Stella (Sites) Kane. Lamar had been a resident of Burr Oak his entire life. On June 10, 1959, he married Alta K. Barkman. He was a veteran of …