Obituaries

Lilah J. Heckelman, 63, of Three Rivers, passed away peacefully Wednesday afternoon, April 7, 2010 in West Palm Beach, Fla. She was born May 2, 1946 in Three Rivers the daughter of Lyle D. and Laura M. (Johnson) Neamen. With a Master’s degree in education, Lilah was an elementary teacher for the Three Rivers Community Schools her entire career. She …

William C. Duncan, 69, of Three Rivers, passed away Friday, April 2, 2010, after a battle with failing health. He was born Dec. 17, 1940, the son of David and Floyd (Duncan) Duncan. He moved to Three Rivers in 1971. William enjoyed hunting, gardening and fishing. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sons and two brothers. William …

Patricia Ann Caudill, 49, of Marco Island, Fla., died April 1, 2010, at her home following an extended illness. She was born June 18, 1962, a daughter of Chris (Deann) Buckhold of Sturgis and Paulette (the late Ron) Leist of Marco Island, Fla. She was a 1980 graduate of Sturgis High School and resided in Sturgis and Marco Island all her …

Bruce Robert Oldenburg, 69, of Sturgis, and formerly of Constantine, died Friday, April 9, 2010, at Sturgis Hospital, after an extended illness. He was born March 5, 1941 in Constantine, a son of John H. and Verna M. (Gage) Oldenburg. He lived most of his life in Constantine, moving to Sturgis in April 1997. He was a farmer in the Constantine area until …

Abobalasker Smith, Jr. “Bobby Street”, 51, of Lansing, passed away on April 2, 2010 at the Mid-Michigan Hospice House Suite in Lansing. He is survived by his mother, Mattie Street of Three Rivers; three children, Derrick Smith, Jerod Headspath and Carmen Smith; three brothers, Floyd, Sherman and Gregory Street; three sisters, Shirley (Russell) Gibbs, Serita Street and Sharon Abdullah; five …

Gilbert R. Slusher, 70, of Mottville Township, died Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at his home. He was born Aug. 12, 1939, in Mesopotomia, Ohio, a son of Frank and Gladys (Ruswinkle) Slusher. He had lived in the Mottville area since 1966, coming from White Pigeon. His early life was spent in Ohio. On March 1, 1968, he married Dorothy E. Winkleman in …

David Robert Bender, age 54 of Centreville, passed away Monday, April 5th, 2010 at his home. He was born in Sturgis on July 2, 1955, a son of William R. and Virginia (Dellinger) Bender (Carpenter). On Dec. 27, 1975 he married Joyce L. Waters in Jones. Dave was a Class A Certified Welder at E.L. Nickell in Constantine. He enjoyed …

Bobby Lee McNulty, age 76, of Constantine, passed away Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at the Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Feb. 14, 1934, in Minden, W.Va., a son of the late Herbert and Mildred (Wykle) McNulty. Bobby has been a resident of Sturgis and the surrounding area most of his life. On Jan. 25, 1957, he married …

Allen M. Schlagheck, age 84, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at Sturgis Hospital. He was born July 8, 1925, in St. Cloud, Minn., a son to the late Albert and Mary (Meyer) Schlagheck. Allen has been a resident of Sturgis for the past 24 years and had previously resided in Niles for 35 plus years. On …

Patricia Ann Hradsky-Zerbe, 69, of Three Rivers, died Tuesday, April 6, 2010 in Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo. Pat was born March 13, 1941 in Muskegon, Michigan the daughter of Alva and Marie (Cogswell) Martin. She married Robert Hradsky Dec. 31, 1963 and they divorced in 1988. She later married Robert Zerbe Nov. 11, 2005, who survives. During her life time …