Obituaries

Clara E. Bontrager, age 94, of Colon passed away Monday morning, Jan. 4, 2010, at her home. Clara was born Jan. 28, 1915, in Marshall County, Ind., a daughter of the late Levi and Katie (Borkholder) Miller. On Oct. 25, 1936, she married Jake D. Bontrager. He preceded her in death Nov. 2, 2004. Clara had lived in St. Joseph …

Sherrie Lynn Brown, age 50, of Nottawa, passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. She was born June 19, 1959, in Sturgis, a daughter to Robert and Della (Marchand) McDaniel. Sherrie had been a resident of Nottawa for the past six months and had previously been a resident of Sturgis most of her life. She …

Bette J. Knox, age 83, of Ann Arbor and formerly of Sturgis, passed away Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at the Arbor Hospice Residence in Ann Arbor. She was born Aug. 30, 1926, in Bluffton, Ind., a daughter of the late Glenn and Erma G. (Elzey) Ulmer. Bette had resided in Ann Arbor this past year and prior to that had …

Philip George King or “Flip” a loving son, brother, uncle, great uncle and friend, was born Feb. 23, 1962, in Sturgis, and passed away in Jan. 1, 2010 in St. Joseph. Philip was the “Michael Jackson” of the family. He was exotic, unpredictable, and humorous with a “twist.” He was also very intelligent, talented and good- natured. Philip grew up …

Florence E. Hostetler, age 81, of Elkhart, Ind. died Dec. 31, 2009, at Elkhart General Hospital. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Friday at Walley-Mills-Zimmerman Funeral Home, Elkhart, and from 10-11 a.m. Saturday at California Road Missionary Church, Elkhart. proceeding the 11 a.m. funeral service. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Colon Lakeside Cemetery in Colon.

Phonethip  Mounsithiraj, age 41, of Centreville, passed away Monday, January 4th, 2010 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. He was born in Vientiene, Laos on October 28, 1968,  a son of  Theuang and DamDouane (Laungrath) Mounsithiraj. In 1980 Phonethip and his family moved to Centreville and he later graduated from Centreville High School in 1987. While in high school he participated in …

Marcella E. (Wing) Miller, age 89 of Plainwell and formerly of Mendon, died Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 at the Plainwell Pines Nursing Facility where she was a patient for one month. She was born in Fulton, MI on Sep. 6, 1920 the daughter of Maurice Robert and Elma Annie (Shook) Wing. She attended Leonidas Elementary and later graduated from Colon …

Larry K. Tilbury, age 57 of Constantine, passed away Monday, December 28th, 2009 at his home following a brief illness. He was born in Three Rivers, on September 14, 1952, a son of Kent and Sue Ann (Barnhardt) Tilbury Sr. Larry graduated from Constantine High School in 1969 and served four years in the U.S. Air Force. Larry worked in …

Jay Pittenger, age 90 of Sturgis, Michigan passed away early Friday evening January 1, 2010 at his home. He was born October 16, 1919 in Manitou Beach, Michigan a son to the late Jay Ralph and Clara Belle (Heslet) Pittenger. Mr. Pittenger had resided in Sturgis since 1940 coming from Hudson, Michigan. On September 11, 1942 he married Lorene Dixon …

Lila Royer, age 66, of Burr Oak, Mich., passed away Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in Cadillac, Mich. She was born Sept. 10, 1943, in Burr Oak, a daughter to Junior Gerald Summey and Laura Louise Milliman. Lila lived nearly her entire life in Burr Oak and was a graduate of Burr Oak High School with the Class of 1962. On …