Obituaries

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...

Susan passed away Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Kalamazoo.Susan was born July 16, 1937 in Kentucky the daughter of Joe and Lindie (Smith) Conley. She enjoyed going to church, sewing and watching soaps.Surviving are her husband, John; children, Jeff (Sherri) Smith of Holland, Lori (Randy) Smith of TN and Julie (Marty) Smith of Allegan; 4 grandchildren, Nicole and Jessica Smith...

Garrit passed away Thursday, April 21, 2016 in Kalamazoo.He was born September 20, 1928 at home in Alamo Township to Fred and Katrina (Nightingale) Vander Veen. Garrit was a graduate of Central High School in 1946. On June 25, 1948 at Twin Lakes Reformed Church he married Winona Smith. With Winona by his side Garrit had owned and operated Vander...

Judy Lylene Leonard, 70, of Plainwell passed away peacefully at Kairos Dwelling in Kalamazoo on April 16, 2016 surrounded by loved ones.Judy was born in Allegan on February 15, 1946 to Marion and Mabel (Huffman) Harris. Judy enjoyed shopping, finding bargains at garage sales, attending the annual family fish fry, visiting with family and riding on the motorcycle with longtime...

Beverly J. (Baldwin) Patterson, wife of the Reverend Paul E. Patterson, died April 19, 2016 in Grand Rapids.She was born in Lawton on April 11, 1934 the daughter of Roy and Marian (Rodgers) Baldwin. In 1942, the Baldwin family moved to Albion, where Bev graduated from high school and then attended Central Michigan University. On August 27, 1955 at the...

Richard passed away peacefully with his family by his side, Friday, April 15, 2016 in Kalamazoo.He was born December 19, 1935 in Otsego the son of Charles and Ida (Herbst) Kling. Richard was a member of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Otsego. He enjoyed spending time with, Justin and Karrie and his family most of all. In his spare time...

Carlene passed away Thursday, April 14, 2016 at Borgess Medical Center.She was born June 15, 1931 the daughter of Charles and Philitha (Schultz) Conard. Carlene was a woman of strong faith and loved attending Watson Bible Church. She also enjoyed delivering baskets and cards to shut-ins and to friends in area nursing homes. She was an animal lover and in...