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Anne E. Arntz
ST. JOSEPH - Anne E. Arntz, 87, of St. Joseph, passed away Friday afternoon, July 31, 2009, at her home.
Mass of Christian Burial celebrating her life will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph, with Msgr. Michael Osborn officiating. Cremation will follow the service with a family burial of the cremains at a later date in Calvary Cemetery in Benton Harbor. The visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Dey-Florin Chapel of Florin Funeral Service, 2506 Niles Ave. in St. Joseph. A Rosary will be said at 7 p.m. today at the Dey-Florin Chapel. Memorials may be made to Lakeland Hospice.
Anne was born on May 30, 1922, in Graceville, Minn., to Edward and Inez Phelan. She married her husband, Bill Arntz, on Dec. 27, 1941, in Benton Harbor, and he preceded her in death on Feb. 19, 2000. Together they celebrated 58 years of marriage. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Parish. Anne was formerly employed at Heath Corp. She enjoyed cooking and loved spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughters - Peggy (Michael) Price of Salem, Ore., Linda (Bruce) Borst of Clearwater Beach, Fla., and Sandy (Marc) Kroening of St. Joseph; her brother, Edward (Loretta) Phelan of Benton Harbor; her grandchildren - Lisa Price, Mark Price, Heather Borst, Daniel Borst, Sarah (Matt) Dine and Keith Kroening; and her great-grandchildren - Ashton Dine and Gavin Dine.
Anne was also preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Donald Phelan and Thomas Phelan; and two sisters, Bernice Phelan and Catherine McDonald Capoccia.
Edward W. Bruder
SAWYER - Edward W. Bruder, 87, of Sawyer, died Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Lakeland Community Hospital in Niles after an illness.
A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, in Graceland Cemetery, Bridgman, with military honors. Friends may leave condolences at www.legacyfuneral.com. Legacy Family Funeral Services - Matthew R. Purchase Chapel handled arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Berrien County Cancer Services.
Ed was born Dec. 25, 1921, in St. Joseph, to William and Martha (Wolter) Bruder. He was a graduate of St. Joseph High School. He served his country in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of Tech Sgt. as a tank driver and mechanic. He fought in the battle of Okinawa in the Pacific. On Aug. 22, 1953, in Benton Harbor, Ed married Marjorie Dutcher, who died on Jan. 7, 2006.
After the war Ed had a lifelong career as a machinist, first with Ross Carrier and then as partner and president of Pioneer Machine Products in Benton Harbor. After retiring, Ed enjoyed gardening, fishing and wine making, but Ed was happiest when he could invite family and friends to a party, especially on Christmas Eve.
Ed is survived by two sons, William, who he lived with in Sawyer, and Neal (Stacy) of Berrien Center; and his faithful miniature schnauzer "Fritzie."
Besides his parents and loving wife Marjorie, Ed was preceded in death by six sisters - Wanda Anderson, Florence Freier, Adeline Burgess, Erna Bush, Emma Bruder and Alma Booth.
Patricia Lou Kirkpatrick
ST. JOSEPH - Patricia Lou (Heeter) Kirkpatrick, 66, of St. Joseph, formerly of Millburg, passed away on Friday, July 31, 2009, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph.
A funeral service celebrating her life will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at St. Joseph First United Methodist Church, 3003 Leco Ct. in St. Joseph. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, Aug. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph.
Patricia was born on Feb. 7, 1943, in Benton Harbor, the middle of three daughters of Eugene (Butch) and Lucille (Garlanger) Heeter. Pat lived in Hartford and graduated from Hartford High School in 1961.
Pat worked for the Eldon Smith Insurance Agency in Millburg for many years. She also worked as a teller at Peoples State Bank and later at NBD Bank. She returned to school and earned her Business Associate's degree from Lake Michigan College in May 1997. She enjoyed her service to the people of Berrien County, working for Benton Township, retiring in 2001.
On Feb. 23, 1991, she was united in marriage to Thomas Kirkpatrick. They loved spending time together attending car shows and vacationing in various favorite locations, especially Frankenmuth. Pat loved her flower gardens and reading her Bible and "Our Daily Bread." Most of all, Pat cherished the time she spent watching her grandchildren participate in sporting and school events.
Pat had a giving and compassionate heart extending well beyond her family. Her strong belief in God was manifested in her attendance at Calvary Bible Church in Benton Township and later at St. Joseph's First United Methodist Church in St. Joseph.
Pat is survived by her husband, Tom; son, Butch (Lori) Jarvis of Coloma; stepchildren - Robert (Ann) Kirkpatrick of St. Joseph, Teresa (David) Pifer of St. Joseph and Jim (Tammy) Jarvis of Mishawaka, Ind.; sisters, Sandra (Floyd) Sanders of Sister Lakes and Deborah (Burt) Tetzlaff of South Bend, Ind.; and sister-in-law, Ruth (Carl) Hewitt of South Haven. The true joys of her life were her grandchildren - Caroline, Alyssa and Erik Jarvis, Nicholas and Zachary Kirkpatrick; Leah, Reed and Riley Pifer; and Alexandra, Mackenzie and Nathaniel Jarvis. She was loved by her many nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Butch and Lucille Heeter.
As expressions of sympathy, memorial contributions may be directed to the American Lung Association.
Marion Loretta Geisler
SOUTH HAVEN - Marion Loretta Geisler died peacefully on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at Countryside Nursing Home in South Haven. She was born Marion Reichert in Chicago on Sept. 10, 1915.
At age 11 Marion moved to Hagar Shores to live with her friend Marion Jensen (now Leedy). There she loved the country life, attending Clymer School and riding her pony, Mickey. After graduating from Coloma High School in 1934, she continued her education at community college. Marion then moved back to Chicago, where she worked in the food section of the Davis Department Store and became a leading salesperson. In 1938 she returned to Coloma, where she married C. Elwood Geisler, a local businessman. They were united in their love of nature, music, travel and each other. Elwood preceded Marion in death on June 5, 1986.
The Geislers had five children: Barbara (Maynard Kaufman) Geisler, Bonnie (Lewis) Mohler, Douglas (Nancy) Geisler, Pamela Geisler (who passed away June 6, 2005), and Geoffrey (Patricia) Geisler. They also raised foster sons Jay Myers and George Hobart.
Marion spent many years working with her husband in the family business, Geisler Motors Inc. She was an ardent advocate and activist for peace, civil rights and the environment. In the 1950s she and other path-breaking parents established a school for handicapped children at the Benton Harbor YMCA, supported by the families. Marion was president of the Berrien County Association of Retarded Children, served on the Berrien County Juvenile Court Board, and was recognized for 14 years of service with Berrien County Foster Care. The Geislers were members of the Coloma Congregational Church and later the Berrien Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Her grandchildren are Thomas (Shelly Berk) Mohler and Susan Mohler; Jennifer (Dan) Meyer, Matthew (Tomomi), Adam (Anna Coyle) and Nathan (Carrie Berger) Geisler; Genevieve (David Glasgow), Katherine and Margaret Geisler. Her four great-grandchildren are Caleb, Mitchell, Lucas and Emma Meyer.
Marion loved chocolate ice cream, Lake Michigan, clouds, leaves, wildflowers and the color purple. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, wide-brimmed hats and devotion to her developmentally disabled daughter Pamela.
Her body has been cremated. A gathering for friends and family will be held at a future time. The family requests any memorial contributions go to Sarett Nature Center or to South Haven Hospice. Filbrandt Family Funeral Home has provided their services.
Lorena Mae Zachary
SAWYER - Lorena Mae Zachary, 92, passed peacefully away Tuesday, July 28, 2009, at her home.
Funeral services celebrating her life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Fairplain Chapel of Florin Service, 1053 E. Napier Ave., in Benton Harbor, with Pastor Jill Schoeplein officiating. Burial will follow in Hagar-Lakeshore Cemetery in Hagar Shores. Visitation will be held from 12 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to Lakeland Hospice.
Lorena was born Aug. 29, 1916, in Crawfordsville, Ind., to Elba and Alice Zachary. She enjoyed attending church. Additionally, she enjoyed the outdoors and particularly loved flowers. Lorena loved children and was often found taking care of them. Most of all, Lorena cherished time spent with her family - particularly with her nieces and nephews.
Lorena is survived by her sister, Laverne Freeman; sister-in-law, Marjorie Zachary; and by numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews; and great-great-nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Lorena was preceded in death by her brothers, Milton and Alan Zachary; and by her sister, Viola Abrams.
Naomi Matrau
HARTFORD - Naomi Matrau, 80, of Hartford and Keeler, passed away Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at New Orchard Grove Extended Care Centre, Benton Township. Naomi has gone to be with family in heaven.
Naomi was born Feb. 16, 1929, in Hoxie, Ark., the daughter of Claude and Dora (Riddle) Trowbridge Sr. She came to Michigan with her parents in 1940, and was a life time resident of the Hartford and Keeler area. She loved being in the outdoors and working with her flowers in her garden.
Naomi is survived by two daughters, Blanch Diane Flippo of Bangor and Melissa Matrau and one son, Steve (Debbie) Matrau of St. Joseph. Also surviving are seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, along with sisters, Mildred Fardello of Coloma, Claudetta (Elbert) Prevatte of Kalamazoo, Nancy (Warren) Walters of Battle Creek, Mary Williams of South Haven, Carol (Alfredo) Rivera of Ohio; and a brother, Donald Trowbridge Sr.
Naomi was preceded in passing by three daughters, Barbra Ann, Betty Sue and Bonnie Jane, a granddaughter, Susan, parents, Claude and Dora, two husbands, Hank Matrau and Roy Fuller, one brother, Claude Trowbridge Jr., and a sister, Nellie Smith.
Naomi was loved by her family and will be missed.
A graveside service to honor her memory will commence at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at the Keeler Cemetery with the Rev. Ronald Hansen of the Hartford United Methodist Church officiating. The family has entrusted the Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, with handling the arrangements.
