Obituaries

Mrs. Ruth Mary Watkins Pew, formerly of Bloomfield Hills, died Thursday, July 14, 2016 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. She was married for 19 years to Frederick Norman Pew, who died in Meentinny, Cork County, Ireland on May 8, 1995. Ruth Mary, born January 7, 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, was the youngest daughter of the late Ralph Edmund Watkins and...

Dorothy J. Gregory of Plainwell passed away Monday, July 18, 2016 in Kalamazoo. Dorothy was born October 5, 1928 in Kalamazoo. She graduated from Plainwell High School in 1946 and had worked at DeHavens in Plainwell and various other shops in Plainwell and Otsego. She loved to read and she loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For many years she enjoyed...

Anne R. Haskins of Plainwell passed away Thursday, July 14, 2016 at her home. Anne was born February 5, 1953 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Keith and Margaret (Cross) Bullock. She owned and operated her own currier service from which she has retired. Anne enjoyed collecting bears, matches and crackle glass.She is survived by 2 sons, Delaneo (Regge) Haskins and...

Joey passed away Sunday, July 10, 2016 surrounded by his loving family at Rose Arbor Hospice.He was born April 18, 1963 in Kalamazoo the son of Joseph and Sharon (Bailey) Schmitt. Joey was a 1981 Otsego High School graduate and for a short time had worked at Durametallic in Kalamazoo. On October 23, 1992 in Kalamazoo he married Lori Kataki...

Lorraine Edith Henry of Alamo Township passed away Sunday, July 3, 2016 in Kalamazoo at the age of 87.She was born October 4, 1928 in Allegan to Clarence and Florence (Blair) Simpson. For 11 years she had worked at Perrigo until her retirement in 1991. Lorraine was a people person who loved the Lord and her family. In her spare...

Dorothy passed away Wednesday, June 29, 2016 at Life Care Center of Plainwell.She was born October 30, 1939 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Donald and Margaret (Billings) Hamilton. Dorothy was a skilled seamstress and took great pride in her work. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, watching hummingbirds and spending time with her grandchildren. On July 19, 1954 in Otsego...

Betty passed away surrounded by her family, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Life Care Center in Plainwell.She was born April 2, 1925 in Grand Rapids the daughter of Paul and Sophia (Marciniak) Waichum. Betty attended Mount Mercy Academy in Grand Rapids and moved to Plainwell after graduation. She had worked at Wieshuiser Paper Mill where she met Lawrence Barber and...

Burton J. ‘Jim’ Colwell of Delton passed away Friday, June 24, 2016 in Plainwell.Jim was born April 11, 1948 in Plainwell the son of Robert & Harriett (Ohls) Colwell. Jim enjoyed collecting VHS tapes, having a beer and listening to music; he was a skilled carpenter, a good cook and had a great sense of humor always happy and very...

Dustin passed away June 19, 2016 in Otsego.He was born April 10, 1984 in Plainwell to Frederick Platteborze Jr. and Candy (Long) Pradon. He served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves. For several years he had worked at JBS Packerland in Plainwell and was currently employed at the Borroughs Corporation in Kalamazoo. Dustin was a great cook and enjoyed...

Terry passed away Sunday, June 12, 2016 at his home in Otsego.He was born August 30, 1942 in Maumee, OH to Wes and Jean (Wymer) Revill. Terry proudly served his country in the U.S. Army. For many years he had worked at several area auto dealerships and garages as a master mechanic and had retired from Reardon Automotive. Terry loved...

Glenn passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at his home in Otsego.He was born June 25, 1945 in Hammond, IN, the son of Glenn and Juanita (Luttrell) Beaman. Glenn served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps and was awarded a purple heart for injuries he received in Vietnam. For many years he was a welder and in...

Russell passed away Wednesday, June 8, 2016, at his home in Alamo Township.He was born August 6, 1946 in Plainwell, the son of Russell Sr. and N Jean (Brewster) Brown. Russell served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and was a member of the Otsego VFW Post #3030. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking, riding...

Frances passed away Sunday, June 5, 2016 at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.She was born March 11, 1936 in Douglas the daughter of Chester and Hilda (Stein) Wightman. For 19 years Frances had worked at Borgess Medical Center as a Registered Nurse until her retirement in 2000. In her spare time she enjoyed knitting, crocheting, writing poetry and playing the organ....

Jack passed away Friday, June 3, 2016 at the Wings Home in Allegan.He was born April 18, 1939 in Otsego the son of Clifton and Laura (Root) Holmes. Jack served his country in the United States Navy. He was a lifelong resident of the area and had worked at Gibson Guitar, Kal-Equip, GenTex, Donnelly Corporation, Allen Test Products and had...

Lee passed away Sunday, May 29, 2016 at his home in Plainwell.He was born April 26, 1958 in Plainwell the son of Ralph and June (Middleton) Miller. Lee graduated from Spring Arbor College and had worked at Walmart and Lull’s Hardware. He was a huge Detroit Tigers fan and liked collecting sports memorabilia and working on his computer. On April...

Susan passed away Saturday, May 21, 2016 at Bronson Hospital.She was born August 1, 1956 in Port Huron the daughter of Albert and Beulah (Bressette) Gonzales. Susan enjoyed flowers, gardening, painting crafts, babysitting and cooking. On March 26, 1976 in Port Huron she married Kevin Esseltine who survives.Also surviving are her children, Kathy (Bill) Ferguson of IL, Kevin Esseltine Jr....

Val passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loving family Friday, April 29, 2016 following a courageous battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).She was born July 24, 1968 in Grand Rapids the daughter of John and Marcia (Fancher) Manke. Val attended St. Stan’s Catholic School until the 8thgrade and was a 1986 Hopkins High School graduate. She then went...

Red passed away Saturday, April 30, 2016 at his home in Plainwell.He was born February 23, 1935 in Gapsville, KY the son of Homer and Zelma (Kennard) Patrick. Red had been an owner and operator of Floyd Construction for many years. He loved being outdoors and his hound dogs. In his spare time Red enjoyed hunting for coon, squirrels and...

Tom passed away peacefully Saturday, April 30, 2016 at Rose Arbor in Kalamazoo.He was born November 5, 1940 in Allegan the son of Peter and Dorothy (Wolters) Benedict. Tom received his Bachelor’s Degree in secondary education and his Master’s Degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan University. For many years he had been a teacher at Gull Lake Community Schools...

Ashley passed away Tuesday, April 26, 2016 in Watson Township due to an accident.She was born December 4, 1993 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Michael and Ann (Cole) Pallett. Ashley had worked at Subway in Martin, Blimpies in Allegan and at Walmart. She loved the water and enjoyed swimming, horses and her dogs. Ashley was a people person and liked...