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Frances Izetta Anderson
DOWAGIAC - Frances life began on Oct. 5, 1915, in Hattiesburg, Miss., the daughter of John Henry Wesley and Dorothy (Erby) Carr. She was united in marriage twice in her life, first to Richard Russell who passed away in 1957 and again to the Rev. James Anderson who passed away in 1990. Frances loved to cook and have her family surrounding her.
Her loving family includes her children, Katherine Richardson of Mississippi, Richard Russell of Dowagiac, Bobbie Russell of Dowagiac, Frances Archer of Dowagiac, Ruth Ann Jackson of Dowagiac and Dorothy Winters of Mississippi; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Frances passed away at her home as a result of a house fire on May 18, 2009. She was preceded in death by her two husbands, children, Ruthie Turner, Robert Earl Russell, Dora Lee Henderson, Theo Broomfield and eleven siblings.
Her family will receive friends from noon until 2 p.m. on Friday at Second Baptist Church in Dowagiac where her home going service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday led by the Rev. Corey Brown of Community Baptist Church and officiated by the Rev. Tyrone Pace of Second Baptist Church. She will be laid to rest in Riverside Cemetery, Dowagiac. Memorial contributions in her name may be directed to the family, in care of Michelle Jackson. McLauchlin-Clark Funeral Home, Dowagiac is serving the family.
Alma Rutsch
ST. JOSEPH - Alma Rutsch, 86, of St. Joseph died Friday, May 29, 2009, at Manor of Battle Creek in Battle Creek, Mich.
Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. A celebration of Life Service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Oakridge Baptist Church, 766 Oakridge Drive, officiated by the Rev. Nicholas Jackson and the Rev. Karen Fitz La Barge, with burial to follow in Riverview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Oakridge Baptist Church. Friends wishing to send a condolence may do so at the guest book at www.starks-menchinger.com
Alma was born on Jan. 23, 1923, in Wolla-Lisowka, Poland, to Ludwig and Natalie (Dreger) Betker. She married Albert Rutsch in Germany on Feb. 6, 1940.
She is survived by two daughters, Adel (Hermann) Fitz of Eau Claire and Lilli (Erwin) Schwarz of St. Joseph; a son, Arno H. Rutsch of Cottage Grove, Minn.; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; four brothers - Waldemar (Gertrud) Betker, Werner Betker, Luthold (Aline) Betker and Richard (Ruth) Betker; and three sisters - Ida Nuernberg, Edeltraut (Norbert) Rodemann and Inge (Karl-Heinz) Anfang.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert in 1991; grandson, Gerhard Fitz in 1968; and sister, Dinah Weber.
Marvin K. Taylor
COLOMA - Marvin K. Taylor, 76, of Coloma, died Monday afternoon, May 25, 2009, at Gilead Elder Care-Harvest Home in Berrien Springs.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, at the Bowerman Funeral Home in Eau Claire, where friends are invited to visit with the family from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 1.
Marv was born Aug. 6, 1932, in Flint, Mich., the son of Cassius and Nettie (Small) Taylor. He was a veteran, having served his country with the United States Army during the Korean War. Marv was a licensed funeral director, having worked for several area funeral homes, including Bowerman Funeral Home in Eau Claire.
Marv was actively involved in the betterment of his community. He was a volunteer firefighter for the Coloma Fire Department for over 20 years. When the Coloma area was threatened with the loss of ambulance service in the mid-1960s, he was among the founding members of the Coloma Emergency Ambulance service, and was elected president of that service, overseeing its growth and continued acceptance in the area.
Also in the mid-1960s, Marv became the city of Coloma's assessor, a post he held until the early 1970s. In the late 1970s, he was honored for his dedication to the entire community by being among the first recipients of the Coloma Glad-Peach Festival Community Service Award.
He was elected to a four-year term as Mayor of Coloma in 1987. He later filled a vacancy on the city commission, and he represented the city on the Paw Paw Lake Area Wastewater Treatment Plant Board. In his spare time, Marv was a volunteer delivering meals to area seniors through the North Berrien Senior Center's nutrition service program.
Survivors include three sons - David, Gary, and Matthew, all of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.; one granddaughter, Kiley Taylor of Dowagiac; a sister, Erma Ward of Flint, Mich.; and three brothers - Darrel of Flint, Richard of Tucson, Ariz., and Robert of Bossier City, La.
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Marilynne Waite and Phyllis Anderson.
Elsie L. Steiner
ST. JOSEPH - Elsie L. Steiner, 85, of St. Joseph, passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, at The Willows, St. Joseph.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 1, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with the Rev. Roy Jeffery officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 31, at the funeral home. A private burial will take place in Mock Cemetery, N. Webster, Ind. Memorials may be made to Hospice at Home or the American Diabetes Association.
Elsie was born on Aug. 14, 1923, in Miles City, Mont., to Oscar and Ethel (Cole) Achamire. She married her husband, Robert L. Steiner, on May 4, 1944, in Miles City. After marriage, they lived in several cities. Most recently in Hartford, Mich., and North Webster, Ind. Together they raised a son, Bob. Elsie loved reading, sewing, crocheting, gardening and decorating her home. Most of all, she cherished her family.
Elsie is survived by her son, Bob (Marilyn) Steiner of Benton Harbor; sister, Margaret Hintz of Clinton Twp., Mich.; grandchildren - Rob (Sarah) Steiner, Becky Steiner and Kristine Steiner; great-granddaughter, Amelia Steiner; and several nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert L. Steiner in 1981; bothers, Sonny and Ike Achamire; and her parents, Oscar and Ethel Achamire.
John L. Reitz
SAWYER - John Lawrence Reitz, 79, of Sawyer, passed away on Thursday, May 28, 2009, at home, surrounded by his loving family.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at Pike Funeral Home, Boyd Chapel, 9191 Red Arrow Hwy, Bridgman, with the Rev. David Colp officiating. Burial will be in New Troy Cemetery. Friends may meet with the family on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. As an expression of sympathy, memorial contributions may be given to Hospice at Home.
John was born May 3, 1930, in New Troy, the son of the late John B. and Mary (Pastrick) Reitz. On Aug. 13, 1955, he married the love of his life, Janet Shupe, and she preceded him in death on May 8, 2001. John was the Operator for ANR pumping station in Bridgman for 38 years until his retirement.
Survivors include four children - Jeff (girlfriend Kelly) Reitz of Sawyer, Jay Reitz of Jackson, Jennifer (Brent) Bean of Sawyer, and Jill (fiancé Pat Dinges) Wimmer of Sawyer; seven grandchildren - Drew Reitz, Michelle Church, Dakota Reitz, Cheyenne Reitz, Madisen Wimmer, Rhonda Burgess and Courtney Chappel; and two great grandchildren.
Michael Welihan
ST. JOSEPH - Michael Welihan, 77, of St. Joseph passed away on May 27, 2009, after a short and courageous battle with cancer.
Mike was born on Aug. 22, 1931, in Jackson, Mich., the son of RJ and Arleene (Taylor) Welihan. He married Ann Louis on Aug. 18, 1956, at Queen of the Miraculous Medal Church in Jackson. Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps and attended Niagara University. He and his family moved from Jackson to St. Joseph in 1975, while he worked for Alro Steel Corp., from which he retired in 1989. Mike was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the St. Joseph Elks. After he and his family relocated, Mike came to enjoy Lake Michigan Catholic Laker sports, golf at both the Point O'Woods and Berrien Hills, and playing cards with several of his close friends.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Ann; his three children, Patricia (Bryan) Bowser of St. Joseph, Terry (Shannon) Welihan of Cadillac, Mich., and Michael (Diane) Welihan of South Bend, Ind., along with nine grandchildren.
His parents and his brothers, Richard and William, preceded him in death.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 1, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 211 Church St., St. Joseph. Friends will be greeted by the family at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, on Sunday, May 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. A short prayer service will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Lake Michigan Catholic Schools, Berrien County Cancer Service and Birthright.
Priscilla Ann Richardson
ST. JOSEPH - Priscilla Ann Richardson passed away peacefully on May 23, 2009, at home with family surrounding. She had fought a courageous battle with Bilateral Stage IV lung cancer for the last 16 months. For most of that time the process was going well until she unexpectedly fell ill from complications of it the last week before she died.
Priscilla was born on April 22, 1939, in St. Paul, Minn., to Margarette (Lenau) and Edward Kellogg, both deceased. She was the youngest of three children. She had an older brother, Bill, deceased; and an order sister, Frances (Fran) Armstrong of Tucson, Ariz.
Priscilla is survived by her husband, Bob Richardson, whom she married on Aug. 29, 1963, in Regensburg, Germany. She was the loving mother of two sons, David born in 1968, and Bill born in 1971; daughters-in-law, Dawn Richardson of Goshen, Ind., and Jami Richardson of Haslett, Mich. She was also the loving grandmother of her grandchildren, Hannah born in 1999, and Will born in 2003. Other survivors are her mother-in-law, Tina Richardson of Benton Harbor; sisters-in-law, Linda Upton of St. Joseph and Suzy Richardson of Saugatuck.
She is a 1957 graduate of Washburn High School, Minneapolis, and also studied elementary education at the University of Minnesota. She was employed as a customer service representative of the Minneapolis Automobile Club, an accountant secretary, the administrative assistant to the executive director of the St. Joseph Public Library, and recently as a secretary at Brook's Architectural.
Priscilla was very active over more than 40 years at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in St. Joseph, having served on many committees and on the Parish Vestry. At the time of her death she held positions on three committees and was treasurer of one. She was the first president of the Lakeshore Junior Women's Club, she had served on the board of directors of the St. Joseph YWCA, and she served as a Lincoln Township Parks Commissioner for 16 years. She also served at the Soup Kitchen in Benton Harbor for many years. In addition she was always willing to help with other organizations in many ways. She will be remembered for her good natured cheerful willingness to help when needed. Priscilla will be greatly missed by family and many friends.
There will be a visitation at the Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, on Monday, June 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be held the following day, Tuesday, June 2, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, officiated by The Rev. Pamela V. Sten. Friends are invited to a lunch following the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations being made to Episcopal Relief and Development of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 914 Lane Drive, St. Joseph, Mich. 49085.
