Mary Lee Merriman
12/3/1999
A memorial service will be held in the spring for long-time Lime Lake resident Mary Lee Merriman, who died Dec. 3 in Scottsdale, Ariz. She was 81.
Mrs. Merriman was born in 1918, the daughter of J.L. (Biffy) and Elizabeth Lee, who homesteaded in the Lime Lake area in the 1920s.
She worked with the Red Cross during World War II, performed in the Ann Arbor Civic Theater and Cherry County Playhouse, was a radio show host and yard shop proprietor in Ann Arbor, and organized a steel band in Grenada, West Indies. She summered on Lime Lake and in recent years owned an antique shop in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Surviving are her husband, David D. Merriman; a daughter, Dian Lee Guber; a son, David D. Merriman III; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Burial will take place int he Cleveland Township Cemetery.
Vera Cerny
1/18/2003
Funeral services have been held in Flat Rock for former Leelanau County resident Vera Cerny of Romulus who died Jan. 18. She was 90.
She was born July 10, 1912, in Glen Haven, to Oliver and Mabel Inman. On March 31, 1934, she married Joseph Cerny who preceded her in death in 1972.
She is survived by one son, Donald (Dorothy) Cerny of Taylor, and four daughters: Jean (Gerald) Eggert of Northport, Virginia (Robert) Profitt of Temperance, Phyllis (Robert) Jardin of Gig Harbor, Wash., and Carol Cerny of Romulus; 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by one son, James Joseph, in 1954.
Burial was in Michigan Memorial Park.
Walter Carboneau Jr.
1/15/2003
Funeral services were conducted Saturday in Suttons Bay for Walter James Carboneau Jr. of Traverse City who died Jan. 15 at Leelanau Memorial Health Center in Northport. He was 77.
He was born June 13, 1925, in Eastlake, the son of Walter James and Mary (Mandziara) Carboneau, Sr. On Sept. 17, 1947, at St. Francis Church in Traverse City, he married Phyllis E. Juckett, who preceded him in death in 1963.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later worked for both the Sinclair and Marathon Oil companies.
Mr. Carboneau was a member of the American Legion, the Elks Club and the Traverse City Golf and Country Club.
He is survived by three children, Ann E. Sarenius, Walter J. Carboneau III, and Beverly S. Carboneau; two sisters, Dolores Brown and Gloria Hodler; three brothers, Leonard Carboneau, Charles Carboneau and Arthur Carboneau; and three grandchildren.
Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Traverse City.
Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s research or to the charity of one’s choice.
Claude L. Porter
1/16/2003
Memorial services will be held on a date to be determined at Keswick United Methodist Church in Suttons Bay for longtime Leelanau County resident Claude Lorraine Porter who died Jan. 16 in Niceville, Fla. He was 87.
He was born Dec. 12, 1916, in Traverse City, the son of Clark and Florence (Wyckoff) Porter. He was preceded in death in 1998 by his wife of 28 years, Eleanor Weaver Porter.
He was a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and became a prisoner of war in Germany after being shot down. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1976. He subsequently retired from the Pere Marquette and C&O Railways in Grand Rapids, then started his own business, Porter Saw and Tool Company, in Traverse City.
He was an active participant and supporter of many veterans organizations. He was a member of Keswick United Methodist Church in Suttons Bay.
He is survived by a son, Jim (Polly) Weaver of Jackson, Wyoming, and three grandchildren.
His remains will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery in the spring. Memorial gifts may be made to the Eleanor Weaver Porter Nursing Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 3933, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, or to the Leelanau Conservancy, 105 N. 1st St., Leland, 49784.
Roger L. Weinheimer
1/17/2003
A private family service has been held for Roger L. Weinheimer who died Jan. 17 at his home in Leland. He was 75.
Born in Portland, Oregon, on March 21, 1928, he was the son of Ray and Thelma Weinheimer. His wife, Marjorie, survives.
A retired businessman, Mr. Weinheimer had been in the public practice of Christian Science for many years. He regularly addressed Christian Science associations around the country.
He served on the board of the Leelanau Historical Society and was a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Glen Arbor, and the Leland Country Club.
Also surviving are his two daughters, Gayle Finger of Rochester Hills, Mich., and Sara Pura of Bedford, N.Y.; a son, Roger Jr., of Seattle, Wash.; a sister, Suzanne, also of Seattle; and eight grandchildren.
Memorials may be directed to the Leelanau Historical Society or to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Glen Arbor.
J. Duane Smith
1/16/2003
A memorial open house will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Smith residence, 488 S. Shore Drive, Suttons Bay, for J. Duane Smith who died Jan. 16 in Ozona, Texas, en route to a vacation in Arizona. He was 77.
He was born August 18, 1925, in Suttons Bay to Alfred and Edna (McGovern) Smith. His wife, Barbara (Ort) Smith, survives.
He graduated from Suttons Bay High School in 1943 and went on to earn a degree in biology from Central Michigan University. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy and was a charter member of the Leelanau County VFW.
He taught briefly at New Haven High School before becoming manager of Frigid Food Products in Mt. Vernon, Wash., and subsequently in Suttons Bay, until shortly before the plant closed down. During his retirement years he enjoyed traveling and was an avid outdoorsman.
Also surviving are his four children: Robert (Marge) Smith of Mt. Vernon, Wash., Catherine (Vernon) Gunsch of Bellingham, Wash., Marry Ellen (Ort) Marvin of Winter Park, Fla., and Robin (Rufus) James of Suttons Bay; four brothers: Leon (Jane) Smith, Lynn Smith, Jerry (Catherine) Smith, and Harley (Bonnie) Smith, all of Suttons Bay; one sister, Janet (John) Morrison of Otsego; 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one sister, Virginia (Bud) Cook of Northport.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in the name of J. Duane Smith can be sent to either the Leelanau Conservancy or the Suttons Bay High School Boosters Club.
Ethel V. Goeringer
1/13/2003
A memorial service will be held this spring at a cemetery in Chicago for Ethel V. Goeringer who died Jan. 13 at Leelanau Memorial Health Center in Northport. She was 91.
She was born Dec. 20, 1911, in Chicago, the daughter of Frank and Mathilda (Sladek) Zboril. She was preceded in death in 1956 by her husband Conrad Goeringer.
She was a member of Shorewood Park Bible Church in Chicago.
Mrs. Goeringer is survived by her three children: Arlene D. Heckl of Northport, Conrad Goeringer of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Ronald Goeringer of Medinah, Ill.; a sister, Ann Reinke of Lake Zurich, Ill.; a brother, Richard Schellenberg of Florida; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Leelanau Conservancy.
