Obituaries

Pearlene Mae (Lawson) Ginther, 75, of Farmington Hills, and formerly of Saginaw Township, died Sept. 12, 2013. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Paul Leo Ginther; her parents, Rubert Lawson Sr. and Emogene Lawson; and her brothers, Rubert Lawson Jr., Millard Lawson and Larry Lawson. Surviving is Deborah (Lawson) Moore, her sister. She lives on through her son …

Lawrence B. “Larry” Watson Jr., age 65, of Colon, passed away Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo. He was born Oct. 1, 1947, in Sturgis, a son of Lawrence and Janet (Eshelman) Watson Sr. Larry graduated from Colon High School in 1966 and received a degree in business management from Western Michigan University in 1971. On …

Tony Lee Cook, age 54, of Sturgis, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at his home. He was born in Ft. Wayne, IN on October 3, 1958, a son of Darlo and Carol (Poff) Cook. Tony was a truck driver for P&P Transportation and several other companies. In January 1987 he married Rene Kidd. Tony was known as …

Vera Ruth Wade, 99, of Sturgis, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, at Fairview Nursing and Rehabilitation Community in Centreville, following a short illness. She was born March 30, 1914, in LaGrange, Ind. She had been a resident of the Sturgis area since 1970, coming from White Pigeon. On May 29, 1937, …

Robert Lee Alburtus, 78, of Centreville, passed away at 7:28 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, at his home. He was born Dec. 28, 1934, in Flint to Charles and Bertha (Weber) Alburtus. On July 23, 1955, he married Janet Johns. On Jan. 15, 1983, he married Shirley A. Carlin in Three Rivers. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, of …

Lisa Ann Mains, age 60, of Sturgis passed away Monday afternoon, Sept. 30, 2013, at The Laurels of Coldwater, following a long, courageous battle with dementia. She was born September 16, 1953 in Sturgis, a daughter of David and Phyllis (Easterday) Jordan. Lisa was a lifelong Sturgis area resident and a graduate of Sturgis High School with the class of …

Faith Simonson, a daughter of Adam and Emerlyn Simonson of Sturgis, was stillborn Sunday evening, Sept. 29, 2013, at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. Faith is survived by her loving parents, Adam and Emerlyn; brothers Jaden and Cobi Simonson at home; grandparents Joan Frederick, Howard Casimer, Carol Simonson, Charles Simonson, Gayla Perry and Todd and Tami Shawver; great-grandmother, …

Fannie J. (Yoder) Bontrager, age 85, of Colon, passed away Oct. 1, 2013, at her home. She was born July 9, 1928, a daughter of the late Joseph and Katie (Beechy) Helmuth. On Oct. 28, 1951, she married John Henry Yoder. He preceded her in death Nov. 9, 1990. on Oct. 24, 1999, she married Harry Bontrager of Yoder, Kan. …

Sylvia Ann Welborn, 74, of Sturgis, passed away Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Sylvia was born in Bronson and grew up in Sturgis. In 1966, while living in Omaha, Neb., she met and married her husband. Thus began her life of travelling the world. From Nebraska, they moved to Virginia, then Okinawa, Japan, and on to Oklahoma. Next was Panama, then …

Alan R. Stump, age 67, of Colon, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, at his home. Alan was born Aug. 24, 1946, in Sturgis, a son to the late Orris and Nina (James) Stump. Alan graduated from Sturgis High School with the Class of 1965. He served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. Alan was married to Carol …