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Wanda L. Nielsen-Foster
BENTON HARBOR - Wanda, 81, of Benton Harbor, formerly a lifelong resident of Watervliet, went to be with the Lord on May 16, 2009, at Lakeland Speciality Hospital in Berrien Center.
Wanda was born July 22, 1927, in Sodus Township. Leaving behind her loved ones: son, David (Louise) Nielsen of Benton Harbor; grandson, Todd (Lisa) Nielsen of Ohio; granddaughters, Jody Nielsen of Hartford and Sara Nielsen of Benton Harbor; great-grandchildren, Lainey, Gracie, Carter, Caly, and Devin; sisters, Patricia Reynolds and Marcia Boyd, both of Coloma; brothers, Raymond (Jean) Stanley of Keeler and Gary (Judy) Stanley of Mesick; and numerous nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind her loving cat "Misty."
Wanda will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt. She will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Wanda went to her House of the Lord to meet with her husbands, Robert Nielsen and Eugene Foster, sons, Jerry and Dennis, parents, Lyle and Margaret Stanley, brothers, Bernard, Dale and Clifford Stanley.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Oakridge Baptist Church, 766 Oakridge Drive in St. Joseph on Sunday, May 24, with visitation at 3 p.m. and the service following visitation at 4 p.m. with Pastor Todd Nielsen officiating. Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet is assisting Wanda's family with arrangements.
Marian E. Spingar
ST. JOSEPH - Marian E. Spingar, 84, formerly of the Twin Cities area, passed away Tuesday, May 19, 2009, in Rochester, N.Y.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, St. Joseph. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to West Webster Fire Fighters Association, 1051 Gravel Rd., Webster, N.Y. 14580.
Mrs. Spingar was born April 20, 1925, in St. Joseph to Paul and Bertha (Zupke) Witkowski. Marian was employed as a bookkeeper at Barentsen Candy Co. in Benton Harbor for 24 years. On Dec. 23, 1962, she married Charles Spingar. He preceded her in death on Jan. 10, 1977. In her spare time, Marian enjoyed bowling. She served as the treasurer of the Southwestern Michigan Women's Bowling Association for 29 years.
Mrs. Spingar is survived by two daughters, Beth Spingar of Webster, N.Y., Marian Dee (Grant) Spitzke of Vail, Ariz.; two grandchildren, Amylyn (Rod) Spaid, Mark (Jennifer and Bradon) Spitzke; one great-grandchild, Justin Spaid; two sisters, Hilda Phipps of Howard, Ohio, Carol Tober of Tucson, Ariz.; and her brother, Herbert (Ardis) Witkowski of North Manchester, Ind.
Frank Morgan Jr.
BENTON HARBOR - Frank Morgan Jr., 67, of Benton Harbor passed at home Tuesday, May 12, 2009.
Frank was born April 17, 1942, in Louise, Ark., to the union of Frank Morgan Sr. and Alberta Nelms. He served his country faithfully in the United States Army and was honorably discharged. He had a special love for his family. Frank was a retired truck driver for TNT Holland.
He lives precious memories in the hearts of one son, Adrian Brown, two daughters, Serina Morgan and Sierra Lane, two brothers, Robert Taylor and Gary Taylor; five sisters, Nancy Bible, Roslyn Crayton, Joyce Morgan, Shirley Morgan and Patricia Price, a special friend, Katherine Edwards, and a host of relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and one daughter, Sharice.
Visitation will be held today, May 21, at Family Funeral Home, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Marlys Lee
ST. JOSEPH - Marlys Lee, 75, of St. Joseph passed away on May 19, 2009, at Lakeland Continuing Care.
A funeral service celebrating her life will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. A visitation will be held on Friday, May 22, from 12 to 2 p.m. Burial will follow in Hickory Bluff Cemetery, Stevensville. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice at Home, 3025 Health Park Lane, St. Joseph.
Marlys was born on May 26, 1933, in Becker, Minn., to Thomas and Beatrice (Angel) Barth. She married David Lee on Nov. 19, 1954, in Minneapolis. She worked many years as an administrative assistant at Whirlpool Corporation.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her daughter, Robin (Rick) Couldry of Chattanooga, Tenn., and her son, Scott (Lynn) Lee of Lafayette, Ind. In addition, there are seven grandchildren, Rachel, David, Meg, Morgan, Libby, Tanner and Spenser; two stepgrandchildren, Stephanie and Hannah; and four great-grandchildren, Emma, Cadence, Breanna and Henry. Marlys is also survived by her two brothers, Merwin (Betty) Barth and Kenneth (Jean) Barth.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Marlys was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and will be greatly missed by her family.
Karen Jo (Pelkey) Hillegas
ST. JOSEPH - Karen Jo (Pelkey) Hillegas, 49, formerly of St. Joseph, passed away on Saturday, May 16, 2009, in Lakeland, Fla.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 22, at Zion United Church of Christ, 9100 Church St., Baroda, Mich. 49101 with the Rev. Christopher Noffke officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today, May 21, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, Mich. 49085. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan.
Karen Jo was born on Feb. 9, 1960, to Richard and Joan (Kronos) Pelkey in Benton Harbor. She was legal secretary for many years. She married Steve Hillegas on March 19, 2005, on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. She lived in Lakeland, Fla., for the past three years. Karen Jo loved billiards and NASCAR. She was an avid reader and adored her many animals. Most of all, she cherished spending time with her family.
Karen Jo is survived by her loving husband, Steve; her children, Ryan and Audra, children Kristan and Don Bush, Ashlee Krukowski and Heather Hillegas; her mother, Joan Pelkey; sisters, Connie (Ken) Conklin, Cheryl Pelkey, Lynn (Daryl) Schlender, Kim (David) Fritz, a brother, Terry (Sharna) Pelkey; sisters-in-law, Sandy (Brent) Proffitt and Susan (Stephen) Rimar; nieces and nephews, Karla, Ken, Aaron, Brett, Jared, Emily, Laura, Autumn, Meghan, Anna, Hubbell and Amy.
She was preceded in death by her father, Richard Pelkey.
Geraldine Elizabeth Rood
COVERT - Geraldine Elizabeth Rood, 81, of Covert, beloved mother, wife, and grandmother, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, May 17, 2009, in South Haven. She had just finished playing a piano accompaniment for the children's choir at church when she collapsed. Since her church and music were very important to Gerry, her passing was in keeping with her life.
She was born May 2, 1928, in Flint, Mich., to Joseph and Laura (Pratt) Emmert. She attended Michigan State College where she met Paul Joseph Rood Jr. in a student church group. They were married on July 15, 1950. After finishing advanced degrees, they spent four years in California, where their daughter Kathryn was born. In 1956, they moved to the rood family farm in Covert where they raised tree fruit crops for more than 50 years. Three more children, Paul, Phillip and Laura, were all born in Michigan.
Gerry was trained as a medical technician, and she worked at South Haven Community Hospital during the 1970s. In 1988, she was elected Clerk for Covert Township, where she served until 1996.
Gerry worked on a variety of committees and boards at First Congregational Church in South Haven. She served as a substitute organist during the 1970-90s and was a pianist at the church's summer chapel service. She has helped hundreds of Sunday schoolchildren to learn the song "Jesus Loves Me, " by accompanying them on the autoharp.
Gerry loved animals. She always had at least one dog and one cat as part of the family. She was a volunteer on the Board of Directors of Al-Van Humane Society. She also was a member of Covert's Organization for a Better Community, the American Guild of Organists, and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Noteworthy, too, was her admiration for the beauty of Alaska. She and her daughter, Kathryn, rode the Alaskan Marine Highway ferry boat along the Alaskan coastline eight times.
Gerry is part of a large extended family, and she and Paul have hosted many family reunions on their fruit farm, including the annual Emmert gathering, attended by over 200 people last October.
Gerry was preceded in death by her parents, and elder brother, Joseph Vincent.
She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Paul and her children and their families: Kathryn Rood of Seattle, Wash.; Paul Rood III and Susan Philbrick of Bellevue, Wash.; Philip Rood of St. Joseph; and Laura and Cheng Kao of Bloomington, Ind.; and her granddaughter, Addy and Reni Kao.
Memorial services celebrating Gerry's life will be held on Saturday, May 23, at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in South Haven. A private burial service has already taken place. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Al-Van Human Society or the Music Fund at First Congregational Church.
The family is being helped by the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home of South Haven.
Bryan Craig Rennick
BENTON HARBOR - Bryan Craig Rennick, 55, of Benton Harbor died Saturday, May 16, 2009, at Lakeland Specialty Hospital in Berrien Center.
Services celebrating his life will be held at 4 p.m. today, May 20, at the Fairplain Chapel of Florin Funeral Service in Benton Harbor. The family will receive friends and relatives beginning at 3 p.m. today at the Fairplain Chapel. Cremation has taken place and burial of the ashes will be held at a later date. Memorials in his memory may be made to the family.
Bryan was born on July 24, 1953, in Benton Harbor to Bill and Dixie Rennick. He was a former security guard at the Cook Nuclear Plant. Bryan was also a volunteer with the Hagar Township Fire Dept. Bryan enjoyed the Crystal Valley area up north, deer hunting and just being with his buddies. He was also full of stories and jokes. But most of all he loved his children more than anything and was very proud of his grandchildren.
He is survived by his children, Adam Craig Rennick of Marshall, Texas, and Nicole Marie Rennick of Marshall, Texas; his stepson, James Krause, of Berrien Springs; his mother, Dixie C. Rennick of Benton Harbor; his brothers, Timothy Rennick of Coloma, Larry Rennick of Tampa, Fla., and Daniel Rennick of Evans, Ga.; his grandchildren, Averey and Elijah; and several beloved aunts.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bill, on July 14, 2004.
