Obituaries

Virginia Reed, age 86, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Dec. 23, 2009, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born April 30, 1923, in Richmond, Ind., a daughter to the late Walter F. and Mary Virginia (Kring) Jacobs. Virginia has resided in Sturgis since 1981 and was employed as a secretary for the Messiah Lutheran Church in Constantine for 7seven years …

Robert Leroy O’Brien, age 37, of Colon, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, from injuries received in an automobile accident. He was born April 9, 1972, in Kendallville, Ind., a son of Charles T. and Marsha (Porter) O’Brien. Robert had been a resident of the Sturgis area all of his life. He had been employed by the G&B Tree Service …

Laurence L. “Mr. Fieb” Fiebelkorn, age 83, of Sturgis, passed away Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 22, 2009, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born June 23, 1926, in Burr Oak, a son of the late Frank and Martha (Greenwalt) Fiebelkorn. Mr. Fieb had resided in the Sturgis and Burr Oak area his whole life. On June 30, 1945, he …

James R. Wolf, age 78 of Burr Oak, passed away Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, at his home. Jim was born Sept. 24, 1931, in Flint, Mich., a son to the late Carl and Bury (Wolfenden) Wolf. Jim married Margo Cullen in Wayne, Mich., in 1951; this marriage ended in divorce. In 1977, he married Esther (Eicher) Bennett in Leonidas. He …

Robert Burton Leister, age 87, and Helen May Leister, age 80, both of Constantine, passed away Sunday, December 20th, 2009 from injuries sustained in a car accident.  Bob was born in Constantine on July 10, 1922, a son of  John and Tina (Nelson) Leister. He attended Constantine schools and served as a medic in the US Army during WW II. …

Duane Richard Waltz, 63, of Three Rivers, passed away Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 at Three Rivers Health. Dick was born Jan. 31, 1946 in Three Rivers the son of George W. and Winifred L. (Barton) Waltz. He formerly attended Three Rivers schools and was engaged in farming in the Three Rivers area. Surviving are his parents, George and Winifred Waltz …

Raymond Lister Schleben Sr., 89, of Three Rivers, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 at Heartland Health Care Center. He was born in Atlanta, Mich. on April 1, 1920 the son of August and Hazel (Mosher) Schleben. Raymond served his country during WWII in the Army Air Corps and later the Reserves. He was multi-talented and worked throughout his …

Donald Paul Buffington II, 58, of Mendon, died Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Towanda, Pa. on July 21, 1951 the son of the late Donald P. and Elizabeth L. (Kershner) Buffington and attended schools in Pennsylvania and California. He has resided in Michigan for the last 20 years. Donald was a …

Thomas G. McNamara, 70, of Blue School Road, White Pigeon, died Dec. 20, 2009, at his home following a short illness. He was born Dec. 7, 1939, in Detroit, a son of Glenn and Alberta G. (Beadle) McNamara. Thomas lived his early life in Kalamazoo and Klinger Lake and was a graduate of Howe Military School. He attended college and spent …

Mary K. Bir, 79, of Kalamazoo, died Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, at her home following a short illness. She was born Feb. 17, 1929, in Detroit, a daughter to Furm and Loretta (Nartker) Bolin. She has resided in the Kalamazoo area for the past 10 years, coming from Constantine and Sturgis. On Jan. 24, 1948, she married Henry S. Bir in …