Obituaries

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 …

William F. Kasdorf, age 80, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Friday morning, July3, 2009, at the Sturgis Hospital emergency room. He was born Aug. 2, 1928, in Sturgis, a son of the late John and Lucile (Gross) Kasdorf. Bill was a lifelong Sturgis resident and graduated from Sturgis High School with the class of 1946. On June 1, 1947, he …

Rev. Milo Francis DeMint, age 90, formerly of Three Rivers, passed away on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at Our Lady of Victory Nursing Home in Bourbonnais, IL.   He was born on June 7, 1919 in Columbus, Ohio the son of Frank A. and Louise M. DeMint.  Rev. Milo DeMint spent many years as the minister of the Nazarene Church.  He …