Obituaries

J. Irving Grove, 95, of Hicksville died Monday July 13, 2009 at Hickory Creek at Hicksville, Ohio. He was born August 11, 1913 the son of Dana Cass and Anna (Harris) Grove at Clinton County Michigan. He graduated from Fowler High School in 1931. In the late 1930’s he was a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps. He planted trees …

Rose R. Sowers, 39, of Sturgis, Mich., went to be with her Lord and Savior early Saturday afternoon, July 11, 2009, at the Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Mich. She was born Jan. 10, 1970, in Detroit, Mich., a daughter to Leo and Loretta (Parisse) Frontera. Rose had resided in Sturgis since 2000 coming from Roseville. On March 13, 2000, …

Esther Marie Pierucki, age 94, of Burr Oak, Mich., passed away Friday, July 10, 2009, at Thurston Woods Village. She was born Feb. 20, 1915, in Burr Oak Twp., Mich.,  a daughter to the late Annis and Erma Ruth (Johnson) Garn. Esther had been a lifelong resident of Burr Oak graduating from the Needham country school and working at Douglas …

Barbara Ann Ward, 54, of Sturgis, Mich., died July 9, 2009 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo following a short illness. Relatives and friends may call from noon until 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Farrand Funeral Home in White Pigeon where services are at 2 p.m. Tuesday with the Deacon Bruce Fielis officiating. Burial will be in Salem Lutheran Cemetery.

Margaret Kemperman, 63, of Marshall, and formerly of Colon, passed away Friday, July 10, 2009, at the Tendercare of Marshall nursing home in Marshall. Margaret was born Nov. 7, 1945, in Chicago, a daughter to the late Dallas R. and Jean M. (Hill) Kemperman. Margaret lived most of her life in Colon where she had attended Colon Schools. She is …

Warren Daniel (Beck) Bachtel, age 83, of White Pigeon, died Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at Heartland Health Center in Three Rivers after a short illness. He was born in Mishawaka on Nov. 1, 1925, a son of Merrell and Martha Overholser Bachtel. He had lived in the White Pigeon area since 1971, coming from Millersburg and northern Indiana. He married Lillie …

Jane Isabelle (Collins) Pierson, 85, passed away June 25, 2009, at Odyssey Hospice in Tucson, Ariz., of heart failure. She was born in Sturgis, Mich., on Jan. 24, 1924, the only child of Elba and Jessie Collins.  Jane loved roller skating and camping in northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island as a youngster. Jane worked at the Kirsch …

A memorial service for Dorothy M. Wilson, who passed away on March 29, 2009, in Venice, Fla., will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 110 S. Clay Street, Sturgis.

Vernett E. Palmer, age 95, of Three Rivers, Mich., passed away on Wednesday, July 1, 2009, at Riverview Manor Nursing Home following a lengthy illness.  She was born Nov. 25, 1914, in Sturgis, a daughter of Merton and Edith (Laughlin) Miller. Mrs. Palmer has been a lifelong resident of this area.  She retired from Weyerhauser Corp., formerly Eddy Paper, in …

James D. Haney, age 79, of Burr Oak, passed away Friday, July 3, 2009, at the Heartland of Crestview Facility in Wyoming. He was born March 1, 1930, in Morgan County, Ky., a son of the late John and Lulu (Haney) Haney. James has resided in Burr Oak with his sister for many years, moving there from Kentucky. He had …