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DON LEE MCNEELY
April 19, 1946 - October 28, 2010
Don L. McNeely, 64, of Coloma, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, October 28, 2010 during a hunting trip in Manistee National Forest with friends and family.
Don was born on April 19, 1946 in Buchanan, MI; one of five children of Claude and Sarah (Montague) McNeely. Following high school, he served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He retired as a supervisor from Bosch Automotive Group in St. Joseph in 2005 after twenty-six years. Don and his wife Sara were married in July 1987 in Las Vegas. Don enjoyed the outdoors and loved to fish, hunt and camp. He was a member of the Buchanan Masonic Lodge #68, the Twin Cities Disabled American Veteran’s Chapter 17, and the Coloma American Legion Post 362.
Don is survived by his wife of 23 years, Sara; seven children, Thom (Melissa) McNeely of Niles, MI, Todd (Kim) McNeely of Buchanan, Krisi (Jim) Duflo of Newberry, MI, Rich (Jamie) Hurst of Benton Harbor, John Hurst of South Haven, Gary (Boyoung) Hurst of Belton, TX and Susan Poschke of Stevensville; his brother Tom McNeely of Jacksonville, IL, his sister Ann (Arne) Backus of Buchanan; 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Ted McNeely, his sister Marilyn McGee, and his stepson Mike Hurst.
Those wishing to leave a message for the family may do so by clicking the "Sign the guestbook" link on the left.
A Memorial Service with Military Rites will be held at 5 p.m. Monday at Duffield & Pastrick Family Funeral Home in Coloma. Friends may visit with the family from 4 – 5 p.m. prior to the service.
Memorials in Don’s honor may be made to the American Heart Association or Relay for Life.
Donald Banks
November 3, 1922 - October 24, 2010
Donald Banks, 87 of Coloma, formerly of Chicago died Sunday October 24 in Beloit, Wis.
Per his wishes cremation has taken place. Burial of Don’s ashes will be in Ft. Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI. Those wishing to leave an online message of comfort for the family may do so by using the "Guestbook" link located on this page.
Don was born Nov 3, 1922 in Chicago to Warren W. and Orletta (Hanson) Banks. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor serving in the Navy during WWII. Don worked for Berlington Railroad before spending 42 years at Paramount Attractions in Chicago as a Major Event Coordinator. He was also a member of the North Berrien Senior Center.
Survivors include a sister-in-law Theresa Banks; two nieces Kathleen (Tom) Hintz, Carol (Joe) Dorsey; two nephews Tom Banks, Larry (Karen) Banks; several great nieces and nephews; and a cousin LaVonne Sorensen of South Beloit, ILL.
Don was preceded in death by a brother Warren T. Banks.
John V. Salay
September 20, 1921 - October 24, 2010
John Vincent Salay, 89, of Watervliet and Lansing, devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, died Oct. 24, 2010 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
His greatest joy was his wife and children, and his gift to them was his sense of humor, ingenuity and love of the land. He was a farmer first and foremost.
He was born Sept. 20, 1921 in Chicago to John and Mary Salay. He attended St. Clement Elementary School and served as an altar boy.
John loved all things mechanical and as a child hung around the family-owned Mammoth Garage. He also spent joyful summers in Watervliet on friends’ farms until the family acquired a farm on Dan Smith Road in 1933. It was during that time he met Victor “Duke” Yancich, his best friend until the day he died.
He graduated from Watervliet High School in 1939 and joined Stewart-Borg-Warner, a leading ammunition plant outside of Chicago. During World War II his team operated a milling machine, one of only two in the country that produced the metal links for the disintegrating metal-link bullet belts used on fighter planes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented him with the Navy “E” Award and shook his hand for his efforts.
After the war he married Margaret Bucha in 1945 and started a family, lived on the family farm and worked as a tool and die maker at JCJ Patterns in Niles. He and Margaret enjoyed Saturday nights out with friends and dancing at Crystal Palace on Paw Paw Lake.
In 1957 John faced a career choice: Move away to work at Xerox (he helped develop the first automatic cupcake paper packing machine), or stay and work at Gast Manufacturing in Benton Harbor. He stayed, built a new barn and retired from Gast in 1983 as Tools and Equipment Manager, responsible for the production process of making vacuum pumps and air motors, requiring tolerances less than half the thickness of a human hair.
During retirement, John returned to farming full time, traveled the country with his wife in their RV and enjoyed their grandchildren.
He was a devote Catholic, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Watervliet, and a former president of Gast Credit Union. John was proud of his community and active in city and township planning.
He was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Margaret; a daughter, Sharon, who died at birth; and a sister, Frances Scire of Chicago. He is survived by his children Kathleen (Paul) Dawson of Virginia; James (Barbara Petoskey) Salay of Ann Arbor; Suzanne Salay of Lansing; Roberta (Jan) Stannard of Massachusetts; seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 6 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Watervliet. Interment will be at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery. A reception will be held from 1-4 p.m. at the Board of Trade, Watervliet, where toasts will be offered and memories shared.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be directed to St. Joseph Catholic School, Watervliet.
Marilyn T. Tokarz
September 22, 1938 - June 23, 2010
Marilyn Tokarz, 71, of Coloma, passed away Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Marilyn was born on September 22, 1938 in Benton Harbor, Michigan to Walter and Lela (Taylor) Overmyer. She is a graduate of Benton Harbor High School. She and Edward Tokarz were married in 1977 and together raised their family of five children in the Coloma area. She was an active member of the Living Word Church of God and the former owner of Lighthouse Child Care.
She is survived by her husband, Edward; daughters, Sandi Seabury (Michael) Olszewski of Coloma, Vicki Seabury of Coloma, Barbara Seabury (Robert) Porphir of Benton Harbor; sons, Warren “Bud” (Angie) Seabury Jr. of Coloma and Edward J. Tokarz of Augusta, GA; sister, J. Charlene (Fred) Hunt of Kalamazoo, MI; brothers, James G. (Joan) Walsh of Kokomo, IN and Donald E. Overmyer of Lexington, NC; 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers, Robert E. Walsh and Paul David Overmyer.
Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Wednesday at Living Word Church of God in Coloma. Burial will follow at North Shore Memory Gardens. Friends may visit with the family Tuesday from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Duffield and Pastrick Family Funeral Home in Coloma.
Memorial donations may be made to the family. Those wishing to leave a message of comfort for the family may do so by clicking on the "Sign the guestbook" link on your right.
Wesley Clark Platt
JUNE 9, 1944 - JUNE 16, 2010
Wesley Clark Platt, 66, of Watervliet went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on June 16, 2010 after a long struggle with brain cancer. Wes entered peacefully into eternal rest at home where he had been lovingly and attentively cared for by his wife Sharon and Hospice at Home caregivers.
Mr. Platt was born June 9, 1944, in Waterloo, Iowa, to Clark and Florabelle (Mundt) Platt and moved with his parents to southwestern Michigan the next year. On April 6, 1974, he married his wife Sharon. Wes was a graduate of Benton Harbor High School and Western Michigan University (BA and MA). He worked for the Coloma Public School system for over 40 years as an assistant principal, principal, and teacher. During his free time, Wes was an avid traveler (favorite destination: Alaska), fisherman, gardener, and Cub fan. He was also an active member of Midway Baptist Church and loved spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Wes is survived by his devoted wife Sharon; sons Eric (Elisabeth) Platt of Brooklyn, New York, and Jason (Tanya) Platt of Chicago, Illinois; four grandchildren, John Wesley, Emily, Kiley, and Karli; and four siblings, Donald (Sandie) Platt, Joyce Schaffer, Nancy (Dave) Goodyear, and David (Karin) Platt.
Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Saturday at Midway Baptist Church, 7517 Red Arrow Highway, Watervliet. Friends may visit with the family Friday from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Duffield and Pastrick Family Funeral Home in Coloma. Memorial donations may be made to Midway Baptist Church, Grace Christian School or Hospice at Home of South Haven.
Herman Matthes
November 24, 1924 - June 8, 2010
Herman Matthes, 85 of Coloma, died peacefully on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 at the Willows in St. Joseph after a brief illness.
Herman was born on November 24, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois to Herman and Meta Matthes. He served with the United States Air Force from 1943 - 1946. He was a professional meat cutter for a brief time, then was employed by and retired from the Sanitation Department of the City of Chicago.
Mr. Matthes retired to the Coloma Community in 1990 and became a very active member of the North Berrien Senior Center. He received the Top Volunteer Award many times before health issues forced an end to his volunteer service.
Herman is survived by a daughter, Karen (Mark) Santori and granddaughter, Ann Santori of Vernon Hills, ILL. He is also survived by his long-time friend and companion, Opel Sucharetza, and his special friend and care-taker, Cindy Briggs.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 18, 2010 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM, at the North Berrien Senior Center. Any memorials may be made to the North Berrien Senior Center, P.O. Box 730, Coloma, MI 49038.
