Obituaries

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 …

Mary Lou Perrin, 79, of Nottawa, Mich., passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, at her home. The family will receive friends from 2-6 p.m. Tuesday at the Hackman Family Funeral Homes Rosenberg Chapel, 807 E. Chicago Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091, (269) 651-3284. Funeral services celebrating the life of Mary Lou Perrin will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at …

Viola Mae Rowe, age 76, of Colon, Michigan passed away early Sunday morning, December 20, 2009 at the Laurels of Coldwater in Coldwater, Michigan. She was born July 14, 1933 in Hamilton County, Indiana a daughter to the late Chester and Minnie (Salisbury) Inman. Viola had resided in Colon since 2000. Prior to that she had lived in Sturgis for many …

Arlene Woods, age 87, of Osceola, Indiana and a former resident of Sturgis passed away Thursday evening December 17, 2009 at Riverside Village in Elkhart, Indiana. She was born March 17, 1922 in LaGrange County, Indiana a daughter to the late Robert and Letta (Carper) Leer. Mrs. Woods had resided in South Bend, Indiana, White Pigeon, Chesapeake, Virginia, Sturgis and her …