Betty Jane Belanger
2/13/2003
Funeral services were held Saturday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Leland for lifelong Lake Leelanau resident Betty Jane Belanger who died Feb. 13 at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. She was 71.
She was born May 9, 1931, in Lake Leelanau, to Henry and Catherine (Egeler) Dunklow. On Nov. 4, 1950, in Lake Leelanau, she married Bernard J. Belanger, who survives.
The couple lived in Lake Leelanau and raised their family there. Mrs. Belanger was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church. She was an avid gardener, especially of roses.
Also surviving are her three sons, Alvin Belanger of Lansing, Dale (Karen) Belanger of Traverse City; and Lynn (Tina) Belanger of Lake Leelanau; two sisters, Dora Runge of Lake Leelanau, and Edna Maslowski of Muskegon; two brothers, Orville (Cecelia) Dunklow and Donald (Lucie) Dunklow, both of Lake Leelanau; four grandchildren and two step grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her sister Eva; and three brothers, Gerald, Marvin, and her twin brother Henry Dunklow.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Immanuel Lutheran Church’s Balcony Fund or to the American Heart Association.
Dale W. Brown
2/5/2003
Services will be planned for the spring for Dale W. Brown of Northport who died at home Feb. 5. He was 74.
He was born May 6, 1928, in Omena, to Carl and Evelyn (Von Holt) Brown. On Jan. 21, 1951, in Northport, he married the former Helen M. Transue, who preceded him in death in 1997.
He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. A business owner and commercial fisherman, Mr. Brown was an avid outdoorsman, a woodworking craftsman and a gardener who loved to share the harvest.
Mr. Brown is survived by his four children, Gary R. (Diane) Brown, Barbara K. (James) O’Rourke, Laureen M. (Tim) Galligan and Donna J. Brown; his brother, Keith (Joanne) Brown; his sister, Joan Pavia; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Burial will be in the Leelanau Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Northport Masonic Lodge #265, P.O. Box 516, Northport, 49670.
Robert S. Harper
1/27/2003
A memorial service will be held in the spring for Northport resident Robert S. Harper who died Jan. 27. He was 82.
He was born March 10, 1920, in Akron, Ohio, the son of Robert and Mabel (Sanford) Harper. In 1993, he married Vera Sue Higdon, who survives. He was preceded in death by his first wife, the former Anne Hough.
A veteran of the Army Air Force, Mr. Harper was retired from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company where he was employed as an account executive for 28 years.
A former resident of Grosse Pointe, he had resided in Northport for 10 years and Omena Point for 10 years before that. An avid boater, he was a former member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary-Power Squadron and the Omena Traverse Yacht Club. He was also a member of the Northport Village Voices, the Lions Club, and the Northport Pilots Association.
Also surviving are his three sons, Hugh, Bruce (Nicolette) and John Harper; and five grandchildren.
He was also preceded in death by his sister Jean Harper.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Northport Library and the Northport Village Voices.
Dora May McClary
12/20/1999
A family gathering will be held at a later date for Dora May McClary, who died Dec. 20 at her Empire home. She was 74.
Mrs. McClary was born on May 15, 1925. In 1947, she married David C. McClary, who survives.
After graduating from Royal Oak High School she worked for the FBI, then graduated with a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1947. The couple lived for 28 years in Bloomfield Hills. Mrs. McClary was a graduate assistant at Michigan State and Wayne State universities, and a member of the MSU Alumni Board, president of the Bloomfield Hills Estates Association, and volunteer at Clinton Valley Hospital and Bloomfield Hills Nursing Home. She was poltically active and dedicated to improving health care for the mentally ill. The couple moved to Empire in 1988, where she was chairperson of the Empire Beautification Committee.
Also surviving are a daughter, Bonnie J. (Tom) McKeirnan of Woodbridge, Va.; a son, Dr. David P. McClary of New York, N.Y.; sisters Jeanette (Richard) Daniel of Empire and Carolyn (Frank) Mancuso of Hollis, N.H.; and one granddaughter. She was preceded in death by her twin sons, Patrick and Michael.
Donations may be made to Munson Hospice. At Mrs. McClary's request, no funeral services will be held.
Helen Marie Harrelson
2/4/2003
Memorial services were held Friday in Owosso for Helen Marie Harrelson, an Owosso resident with family ties to Suttons Bay, who died Feb. 4 in Flint. She was 84.
She was born in Owosso on Oct. 10, 1918, the daughter of Edward A. and Katherine (Cooper) Putnam. On June 4, 1939, in Owosso, she married Robert E. Harrelson, who preceded her in death in 1996.
A homemaker, she was a Red Cross volunteer in Shiawassee County for more than 50 years, and was a noted research historian. She was a lifelong member of Christ Episcopal Church in Owosso.
She is survived by two sons, J. David Harrelson of Owosso and James R. (Brenda) Harrelson of Suttons Bay; a daughter, Elise Harrelson Brooks of Saginaw; and three grandchildren, all of Suttons Bay.
Virginia M. Ripper
2/4/2003
Funeral services were held Saturday for Lake Leelanau resident Virginia M. Ripper who died Feb. 4 at Grand Traverse Pavilions. She was 85.
She was born in Jamestown, N.Y., on Jan. 24, 1918, the daughter of Richard and Florence (Henderson) Maxwell. On July 12, 1941, in Baltimore, Md., she married David Harold Ripper, who preceded her in death in 1997.
Mrs. Ripper was a volunteer at Munson Medical Center. She enjoyed reading, knitting, crocheting and traveling with her husband.
She is survived by three sons, Dr. David Ripper of Cedar, Richard Ripper of Sioux Falls, S.D., and Stephen Ripper of Fenton; seven grand children and four great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Debra Ingles.
Burial will be in Beechwood Cemetery in Leland.
Joseph Vincent Fisher
2/1/2003
Former Northport seasonal resident, Dr. Joseph Vincent Fisher, died Feb. 1 in St. Joseph. He was 89.
He was born Aug. 6, 1916, in Huntington, Ind.
Dr. Fisher earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He served as an Army doctor during World War II.
He was engaged in general practice in Chelsea for 27 years, and was associated with the emerging Family Medicine discipline. He was a professor of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina for 13 years, and retired in 1985.
He is survived by his children, Barrie Dewane of St. Joseph, Ellen Thompson of Warwick, R.I., Joseph C. Fisher of Sanibel, Fla., Joanne Bordage of Naperville, Ill.; his brother Dr. John Fisher of Goldsboro, N.C.; nine grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Memorials may be directed to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Northport.
