Obituaries

Berdeen F. Poe, age 92, of Dowagiac, MI, passed away Wednesday, April 2, 2014. She was born May 16, 1921, in Cass County, MI, the daughter of Howard J. and Beulah M. (Stanard) McKenzie. On January 31, 1941 she married Kenneth M. Poe who preceded her in death in 1991. In 1996 she married Glen Reifenberg who also preceded in …

Sharon Irene (Sowles) Kline, age 54, of Sturgis, passed away Sunday morning, March 30, 2014, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. She was born Feb. 7, 1960, in Gary, Ind., a daughter of the late Ray and Dorothy (Crowe) Sowles. Sharon spent the past 20 years in Sturgis, where she was a friendly and familiar face in the community and …

Mr. William “Bill” Hugh Mitchell Jr., age 88, of Three Rivers, passed away suddenly on Sunday, March 30, 2014, at his home. He was born in Burgoon, OH., on May 2, 1925 the son of the late William Hugh and Minnie E. (Voorhies) Mitchell. Bill graduated from Jackson Burgoon High School in 1943. Upon graduation Bill joined the U.S. Navy …

Louis Lee White, Sr., age 71 of Three Rivers died Sunday March 30, 2014 at his home. He was born in Sturgis on July 29, 1942 the son of Walter E. and Geraldine (Hendricks) White and was a lifetime resident of the area. Louis was employed at Weyerhauser in Three Rivers for over thirty one years. He enjoyed camping and …

Betty A. VanDeKeere, 81, of LaGrange, Ind., died Saturday, March 29, 2014 at Miller’s Merry Manor in LaGrange. She worked at Transagram and as a cook at Miller’s Merry Manor. She lived her lifetime in LaGrange and was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Betty was born on April 19, 1932, in LaGrange, to Raymond and Anna (Brown) Keplinger. …

Amber W. Shirah of Three Rivers passed away on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at the age of 90. She is survived by her three daughters, MaryAnn (Jeff) Kudary of Vicksburg, Susan (Mark) Boyer of Kalamazoo and Barbara (Jim) Bungart of Centreville; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren. She follows in death her husband, Berlin “Bud”; her son, Thomas; and great-grandson, Tyler. Funeral …

Howard A. Gest, age 82, of Burr Oak, went to be with his Lord and savior Thursday, March 27, 2014, at Skaggs Assisted Living in Burr Oak. He was born Sept. 4, 1931, a son of the late Leo and Eureath (Mitchell) Gest. Howard had been a resident of his beloved Burr Oak for the majority of his life. On …

Wanda Lou Balk, 79, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly early Thursday morning, March 27, 2014 at her home. She was born March 24, 1935 in Three Rivers, only child of the late Albert and Bernice (Roe) Baumert. Mrs. Balk resided in Sturgis for the past 22 years. Her early life was spent in Centreville where she was a graduate of …

Donald H. Sedlacek, age 83, of Coldwater, and formerly of Colon, passed away Wednesday, March 26, 2014, at his home, after several weeks of failing health. Don was born March 31, 1930, in Chicago, a son of the late Harry J. and Helen V. (Kulosek) Sedlacek. He had made his home in the Colon area since 1972, coming from Addison, …

Daniel S. Foster, age 57, of Howe, Ind., and formerly of Sturgis, died Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was born Jan. 27, 1957, in Sturgis, to Lester L. and Neva M. (Doty) Foster. He was a graduate of Sturgis High School and was currently employed at Burr Oak Tool & Gauge in Sturgis. On Sept. 8, …