Obituaries

Virginia Ann Beard, beloved wife and mother, 73, of Three Rivers (formerly of Wyoming, Mich.), passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 at Riverview Manor Nursing Home, following a short illness. She was born on Feb. 14, 1936 in Grand Rapids the daughter of John and Anna (Labiotka) Rusilowski. Virginia was predeceased by her parents and son-in-law, Ernest Atwater. In …

Janet I. Harker, 66, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009, at the Borgess Medical Center emergency room in Kalamazoo. She was born Aug. 28, 1943, in Kendallville, Ind., a daughter of the late Dorsey and Lillian (Ackerman) Blanton. She was married to Sheridan (Ed) Harker for 19 years. Janet came to Sturgis in 1961 from Kendallville. She moved to Burr …

Floyd Edward Germain of Sturgis, born Aug. 6, 1946, died Sept. 22, 2009, at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo, following a short battle with cancer with his daughter by his side. Floyd was a resident of Colon and Sturgis since 1988 and enjoyed spending time with his many friends and family and faithful dog, Elvis. He enjoyed art and created …

Maxine A. Lang, age 86, of Centreville, died Monday Oct. 12, 2009, at her home following a long illness. She was born April 2, 1923, in Louisville, Ky., a daughter of Walter James and Alice Hilda (Kessler) Morris. Following high school, Maxine served in the U.S. Army before attending the University of Indiana. Maxine was married to Robert Salesman in …

Nadyne Lichty, 87, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday morning, Oct. 11, 2009, at Sturgis Hospital. She was born June 29, 1922, in Hillsdale, a daughter of the late Maxwell and Vera (Stevens) Poynter. She graduated with the class of 1940 from Bryan High School in Bryan, Ohio. On July 17, 1943, she married John Lichty, her high school sweetheart, in …

Bernadine E. Strange, age 89, of Sturgis, passed away Monday, Oct. 12, 2009, at her home. She was born Oct. 31, 1919, in Mansfield, Ohio, a daughter of the late Harry and Helen (Mockelan) Barr. Bernadine grew up in Mansfield, and later moved with her family to the Colon and Sturgis area and then to Delton, where she owned and …

Eunice R. Jones, age 90, formerly of Colon, passed away Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in Traverse City. Eunice was born March 27, 1919, a daughter to the late Clyde and Armanda (Wilson) Brouse. She married Milton R. Cattell in 1936. He preceded her in death in 1952. She later married Gordon L. Jones in LaGrange, Ind., on March 4, 1955. …

Wanda Lou Cooper, 50, of Colon, died unexpectedly Oct. 10, 2009, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born Jan. 22, 1959, in LaGrange, Ind., a daughter of Otho and Mary (Cantrell) Burnett. She was a resident of the Colon area for many years. She worked as a housecleaner and was employed in recreational vehicle manufacturing. She was a member of …

Rosemary Juday, 86, of Elkhart, Ind., and formerly of White Pigeon, died Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, at Elkhart General Hospital, after an extended illness. She was born Aug. 1, 1923, in Goshen, Ind., a daughter of Walter and Edith (Kneopper) Grover. She lived most of her life in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. She married Marion L. Judy. He preceded her …

Maxine A. Lang, age 86 of Centreville, died Monday Oct. 12, 2009 at her home following a long illness. She was born in Louisville, KY on April 2, 1923 the daughter of Walter James and Alice Hilda (Kessler) Morris. Following high school, Maxine served in the U.S. Army before attending the University of Indiana. Maxine was married to Robert Salesman …