Obituaries

Jack C. Slack, age 85, of Flower Mound, Texas and a former longtime Klinger Lake and Sturgis resident passed away peacefully Sunday, October 18, 2009 at his home. He was born August 12, 1924 in Findlay, Ohio a son to the late Joseph and Isabelle (Chapman) Slack. Jack had resided most of his life in the Klinger Lake and Sturgis area …

Shirley Ann Dodgson, age 78 of Three Rivers, died Sunday Oct. 18, 2009 at Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers following a brief illness. She was born in Colon, MI on Aug. 15, 1931 the daughter of Shirley and Leona (Kline) Burnham and has been a lifetime resident of Saint Joseph County. Shirley was a 30-year employee of Continental …

Ruth E. Tokarz, 86, of Colon, passed away late Thursday evening, Oct. 15, 2009, at Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis. She was born March 7, 1923, in East Chicago, Ind., a daughter of the late Henry and Elsie (Mills) Still. Mrs. Tokarz had resided in Colon since 1997, coming from Burnham, Ill. Prior to that she had resided in East Chicago …

David L. Bauman, 53, of Colon, passed away Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. Dave was born Dec. 29, 1955, in LaGrange, Ind., a son of the late Fred J. and Janet L. (Cerney) Bauman. Dave had lived all of his life in the Colon area and had attended Colon schools. He married Beth Waltke, which …

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 …