Obituaries

Shirley Newcomer, 65

Shirley J. Newcomer, 65, previous resident of Constantine and Temple, passed away on Aug. 22, 2012 in Lancaster, Pa. unexpectedly from health complications too great to overcome. Shirley was born March 16, 1947 in East Bank, W.Va. She married Michael Newcomer on July 22, 1966 in Elkhart, Ind. He preceded her in death along with her mother and father, Geraldine …

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Leslie Newcomb, 56

Leslie Louise “Zezzie” (Dobberteen) Newcomb, age 56, of Albuquerque, N.M., left this world after a courageous struggle with illness Sunday Aug. 12, 2012, at Vista Care Hospice in Albuquerque. She will join her father, Joseph F. Dobberteen, and other loved ones to be with Jesus in Heaven. She is survived by her loving husband, David K. Newcomb; mother, Alice O. Dobberteen of …

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Betty Keeslar, 87

Betty Rosemary Keeslar, age 87, of Burr Oak, Mich., passed away late Friday evening, Aug. 10, 2012, at the Sturgis Hospital in Sturgis. She was born May 1, 1925, in Boyne City, daughter of the late Clarence and Margaret Ellen (Justice) Buckler. Betty resided in Burr Oak since 1999 coming from Gaylord. Prior to that she lived in California. Much …

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Nancy Betcke, 61

Nancy J. Betcke, age 61, of Sturgis, Mich., passed away Friday morning, Aug. 24, 2012, at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo, Mich. She was born Aug. 24, 1951, in Sturgis, Mich., daughter of the late, Albert and Betsy (Poley) Pierucki. Nancy was a lifelong Sturgis area resident and a graduate of Centreville High School with the class of 1969. …

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Pat Sperry, 67

Patricia Jane Sperry, age 67, of Three Rivers (formerly of Nottawa), passed away Friday, August 24th, 2012 at the Heartland Health Care Center. She was born in Sturgis on November 28, 1944, a daughter of Clare and Mae (Miller) Juday. She graduated from Centreville High School in 1964. On July 29, 1967 she married Delbert C. Sperry at the Centreville United Methodist …

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Lois Devlin, 40

Lois Jean (Burghduff) Devlin, age 40, of Centreville, passed away Friday, August 24, 2012 at her home following an 8 month battle with brain cancer. She was born in LaGrange, IN on February 16, 1972. Lois graduated from Sturgis High School in 1990, and married Jack Daryl Devlin on June 16, 1990. She worked as a Telecommunicator/Dispatcher at St. Joseph County Dispatch …

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Patrick Benner, 67

Patrick J. Benner, age 67, of Constantine, died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, surrounded by his wife and children. He was born Oct. 23, 1944, in Logansport, Ind., a son of John M. and Katherine (Hartwick) Benner. Patrick graduated in 1962 from Delphi High School and attended St. Joseph College in Renssaler, Ind. While living in Constantine, Patrick was a pioneer …

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David Wanko, 63

David John Wanko, 63, of Constantine, died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, at his home of natural causes. He was born Oct. 29, 1948, in Paw Paw, Mich., the son of John D. and Audrey L. (Pease) Wanko. He lived in the Constantine and Three Rivers area most of his life and served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam. He was a …

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Rama Pierson, 91

Rama Oleta Pierson, age 91, of Sturgis, passed away at her home Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012. She was born July 6, 1921, in St. Louis, a daughter of the late Fay and Julia (Hobgood) Shafer. Rama spent her early childhood on a farm in Howe, Ind., and moved to the Sturgis area in the early 1940s. She also lived in …

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John Climmons, 87

John Wesley Climmons was born March 24, 1925 to the union of the late Isaac and Eunice (Williams) Climmons in Pike County, Miss. He passed away on Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 at 10:20 a.m. at Heartland Health Care Center, following a lengthy illness. He was married to Henrietta Applegate Climmons. No children were born to the union. He is survived …

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