Obituaries

John passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones, Sunday, December 6, 2020 in Allegan.He was a wonderful man and who loved hunting, trapping, fishing and rock collecting. He brought much happiness to all that had the good fortune to cross his path. John was a kind, trustworthy, loving and gentle soul. He was the kind of man that always...

Marguerite passed away Thursday, November 26, 2020 in Wayland.She was born November 11, 1952 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Leroy and Alta (Hambright) Cushing. She loved her family and following her grandchildren’s sporting events.Surviving are her daughters, Nichole Evink of Kalamazoo and Renae (Chris) Letts of Gobles; 6 grandchildren, Leanne, Billy, Keegan, Cameron, Caleb and Kylee and 2 great-grandchildren, Kevin...

Joanie passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at Vicinia Gardens in Otsego.She was born October 4, 1938 in Otsego, the daughter of Everett and Dorothy “Dot” (Graham) Leighton. Joanie attended Otsego Public Schools where she displayed her mastery of the baton in her position as lead drum majorette in the Bulldog marching band. She marched in the Orange Bowl parade...

Phillip passed away Wednesday, November 25, 2020 in Kalamazoo.He was born February 10, 1926 in Grand Rapids, MI to Earle and Rosa (Brace) Dunlop. He grew up working alongside his father on the Dunlop Orchard on Pine Lake and took the business over in the early 60’s when his father retired. Phillip was a lifelong member of the Horticulturist Society...

Dennis passed away Sunday, November 29, 2020 at his home in Allegan.He was born February 27, 1946 in Gary, Indiana, the son of Frances “Frank” and Georgia (Gilleo) Zugel. Dennis proudly served his country in the U.S. Army in Korea during the Vietnam War. For 37 years he worked at Parker Hannifin and after his retirement worked at Harbor Freight...

Kathy passed away Friday, November 27, 2020 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.She was born August 15, 1955 in Douglas, the daughter of Albert and Helen (Larsen) Bloom. For many years Kathy worked as a lab tech for Safari Circuits. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, her cats and going to garage sales.Surviving are her sons, Jason (Alicia) Kershaw of...

Colleen passed away Sunday, November 29, 2020 in Kalamazoo.She was born October 9, 1925 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of John and Grace (Clay) Bender. For 35 years she worked at Hercules Inc. in Parchment until her retirement. In her free time Colleen enjoyed reading, sewing and spending time outdoors. On December 24, 1945 she married Charles Gardineer who passed away...

On Saturday, November 14, 2020, Rachella Gay (Mills) Moore left this earth at the age of 79 and joined her preceding family members in Heaven. Gay was the eldest daughter of Walter W. Mills and Gretchen I. (Simmons) Mills of Otsego, Michigan. Born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the family moved to Otsego when Gay was in elementary school. She graduated...

Donald M. Flower of Martin, MI passed away Monday, November 23, 2020 at his home. He was born August 10, 1936 in Kalamazoo, the son of Morris and Dorothy (Busman) Flower. He worked for 40 years at Allied Paper in Kalamazoo until its closure. He then worked for Stryker Medical until his retirement. Don was a soft spoken, good man...

Mary passed away Thursday, November 19, 2020 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo.She was born May 26, 1943 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Bernard and Inice (Fike) Dalton. Mary worked at Preferred Plastics in Plainwell for 25 years. She was an avid Coca-Cola polar bear collector and enjoyed fishing, bowling and spending winters in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Most of all...

Juan passed away Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.He was born April 22, 1953 in Plainwell, the son of Santiago and Amelia (Lopez) Castaneda. Juan worked at Menasha for 27 years until his retirement in 2004. He then went on to graduate from Scottsdale Culinary Institute in 2007.In his free time Juan loved building things. He enjoyed...

Keith passed away Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at his home in Allegan.He was born April 27, 1973 in Holland the son of Karen (Hamrick) McCourt and Denzil (Trixie)Cogar. Keith was a 1991 graduate of Hamilton High School and went on to become a Master Electrician. He worked for Parkway Electric in Holland for 20 years.Keith loved the outdoors especially hunting...

Harold James Elenbaas passed away November 16, 2020 at age 90.He was born in Lucas, Michigan, November 29, 1929. Harold was the beloved husband of the late Patricia for 68 years, loving father of Nancy (Pat) Malarney, Janet (Ramsey) Vincent, Mark (Sharon) Elenbaas, Sandy (Brian) James and Judy (Darryl) Paputa and the proud and loving grandfather of Jaclyn Spaulding, Amy...

Don passed away Monday, November 16, 2020 at his home in Kalamazoo.He was born March 2, 1935 in Kalamazoo, the son of Harold and Nina Mae (Bixler) Shumaker. Don grew up in Plainwell and graduated in 1953. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. For many years he owned and operated A-1 Disposal...

Don passed away Monday, November 16, 2020 at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo.He was born March 4, 1937, in McGuffey, Ohio, the son of George and Virginia (Sturgell) Sparks. As a young boy Don moved to Michigan and attended school in Martin. After school he worked in the fields with his family, he also worked at Rockwell International then at...

Al passed away Monday, November 16, 2020 at his home in Alamo Township.He was born June 13, 1935 in Kalamazoo, the son of Willis and Florence (Black) Lappin. Al owned and operated an asphalt paving company until his retirement in 2000. On July 2, 1954 at Oshtemo Methodist Church he married Alice Briggs. Together they enjoyed wintering in Florida for...

Sam passed away Sunday, November 15, 2020 at his home in Dorr.He was born October 28, 1960 in Kalamazoo the son of William and Reba (Root) Pearson. Sam graduated from Otsego High School in 1978 and went on to earn a degree in biology from Michigan Tech. He was employed at Evans Tempcon in Grand Rapids for 19 years. In...

Dan passed away Friday, November 13, 2020 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.He was born December 12, 1951 the son of James and Shirley (Nichols) VanLent. Dan was a graduate of Plainwell High School and lifelong resident of the area. He served his country in the U.S. Army. Dan had worked as a police officer for the City of Plainwell and...

Helen went to be with her Lord Sunday, November 8, 2020.She was born September 4, 1926 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Edward and Ruby (Price) Ordiway. Helen was a lifelong resident of Alamo Township. She was a hard worker and enjoyed taking care of the garden, her home and her family.On June 28, 1945 in Kalamazoo she married William Kingsbury...

Doris passed away Thursday, November 5, 2020 at Stanford Lodge in Plainwell.She was born September 26, 1933 in the Oakwood Neighborhood in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Carl and Helen (Thompson) Barber. Doris worked at Plainwell Paper, Kal-Equip, Mead and Rock Tenn for 20 years until her retirement in 1996.She enjoyed winters in Florida, trips to the casino, going to yard...