Obituaries

Edwin W. Greeley age 67, of Colon, passed away, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, at Sturgis Hospital. Ed was born April 24, 1942, in Matteson Township, a son of the late Walter and Vivian (Cornish) Greeley. He had lived most all of his life in Colon, except for a few early years in Mesick. On Sept. 23, 1972, he married Connie …

Thelma Josephine Graham, 91, of Three Rivers, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 following a short illness. She was born on Nov. 25, 1917 in LaPorte, Ind. the daughter of Frank and Cornelia (Allen) Oosterveer. Mrs. Graham has been a long time resident of this area. She taught elementary education in the Niles school system for over 35 years …

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 …