John M. Kalchik 7/15/2002
A funeral liturgy was celebrated last Thursday for John M. Kalchik, who died July 15 at his Muskegon home. He was 84.
Mr. Kalchik was born in Leelanau County on Sept. 11, 1917, the son of Martin and Anna (Kroupa) Kalchik. On Nov. 20, 1963, he married the former Lena Houdek Kolarik, who preceded him in death in 1996.
Mr. Kalchik was a communicant member of St. Thomas Catholic Church. He served in the Army during World War II. Prior to retirement, he was employed in the core room at Lakey Foundry.
Surviving are three stepchildren, Charlie Kolarik of Suttons Bay, and Helena (Frederick) Schaub and Marie (James) Lewis, both of Muskegon; and one brother, Joe Kalchik, and one sister, Kathryn Schaub, both of Northport.
Entombment was at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the St. Thomas Building Fund.
Charles M. Smith 7/17/2002
A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Plymouth Congregational Church in Lansing for former Suttons Bay resident Charles “Chuck” Maywood Smith, who died July 17. He was 81.
Mr. Smith was born in Traverse City on Sept. 29, 1920, the son of Voiley and Theresa (Prasil) Smith. Following the death of Theresa, he was raised from infancy by Voiley and Carrie (Middaugh) Smith.
Following 1938 graduation from Traverse City Central High School, he attended Ferris State College before joining the Navy. He served as a radioman on aircraft search for submarines off the coast of Brazil. He spent more than a week floating on a life raft before being rescued after his plane crashed.
Mr. Smith attended Michigan State College after the war, earning a degree in wildlife management. He worked for 35 years with the Soil Conservation Service, including lengthy assignments in Suttons Bay and East Lansing.
He was a fan of big band music and a talented drummer, a devoted MSU fan, enjoyed fishing the Pine River and kept in contact with his WWII flight crew members.
Surviving are his wife of more than 55 years, Barbara; daughters Susan (Dave) Jonas of Grand Ledge and Alison (Tom) Dayton of Traverse City; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was already held Saturday at the Presbyterian Church in Traverse City. Cremation and internment have taken place. Memorials may be made to the Knights Templar of Traverse City, Plymouth Congregational Church of Lansing, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy/Ransom Lake Fund, alumni association of Michigan State University or a charity of one’s choice.
Joseph John Kurina 7/26/2002
A memorial Mass was celebrated Saturday at St. Rita/St. Joseph Catholic Church for Lake Ann resident Joseph John Kurina, who died July 26 at Munson Medical Center. He was 78.
Mr. Kurina was born on June 16, 1924, in Chicago, the son of John and Antonette (Horak) Korina. On March 26, 1945, in Detroit, he married the former Mary Melvina Miller, who survives.
Mr. Kurina was a long-time resident of the Maple City area, and had also lived in Detroit. He was the former owner and operator of M-72 Auto Parts. He loved to dance, and as a musician played in the groups Zip and the Zippers and Joe and the Melody Boys.
Also surviving are one son, Larry (Diane) Kurina of Maple City; three sisters, Milllie, Rose, and Anna; a brother, Anthony; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a sister, Agnes.
Memorials may be directed to the Joseph Kurina Memorial Fund in care of his family.
Lillian Pearl Van Looy 7/21/2002
A private family service was held last Wednesday for Northport resident Lillian Pearl Van Looy, who died July 21 at Leelanau Memorial Long Term Care Center. She was 90.
Mrs. Van Looy was born in Detroit on Aug. 27, 1911, the daughter of James and Pearl Lillian (Perrin) McCadie. On March 24, 1934, in Ypsilanti, she married Henry Albert Van Looy, who died in 1986.
Mrs. Van Looy assisted in her husband’s dental practice, and was active in many civic and charitable organizations. She was a member of the Northwestern Baptist Church, and for many years was active in the PEO sisterhood. The couple lived in the Detroit area for 39 years before retiring to Bellaire in 1971. She moved briefly to North Dakota in 1990, returned to Bellaire in 1992, and then moved to Leelanau County.
Surviving are her sons, Henry (Margie) Albert Jr. of Bellaire and James (Nancy) William of Grand Forks, N.D.; a daughter, Barbara Susan (Larry) Graves of Suttons Bay; 11 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Interment was in Lakeview Cemetery, Bellaire.
Richard M. Flohe 7/11/2002
Funeral services were held Tuesday at Martinson Funeral Home for Hicksville, Ohio, resident Richard M. Flohe, who died July 11 at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was 68.
Mr. Flohe was born in Suttons Bay, the son of Emil and Margaret Flohe. He was a captain in the Air Force during the Korean War, specializing in disarming unexploded bombs. An excellent pilot, he was a member of the American Rifle Association and the Antwerp Conservation Club. He also liked to hunt.
Mr. Flohe was an engineering and design specialist and master machinist for Deister Machinery in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was still working at the time of his death. He always had a soft spot in his heart for homeless children, and greatly enjoyed time spent with his own children and grandchildren.
Surviving are his daughter, Anita Reichert of Bourbon, Ind.; six sons, Shane Flohe of Cedil, Ohio, John Pendergrass of Ft. Wayne, Charles Pendergrass of Georgia, Ronnie Pendergrass and Dwayne Pendergrass, both of Tucson, Ariz., and Robbie Theis of Texas; four brothers, Jim (Lucille) of Lake Leelanau, Don (Joanne) of Indian Harbor Beach, Fla., Noel (Mary Lee) of Traverse City and Mark of Manton; a sister, Judy (Dave) Harvey of Traverse City; and 18 grandchildren.
A military graveside service was held in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lake Leelanau. Memorials may be made to St. Mary’s School, 310 St. Mary, Lake Leelanau 49653.
Leonard Overmyer II 8/28/2002
Funeral services have been held for former Leelanau County resident Leonard G. Overmyer II, who died Aug. 28. He was 60.
Mr. Overmyer was born on Sept. 8, 1941, in Flint, the son of Bruce and Lillian Marie Overmyer.
After graduating from Copemish High School in 1959, he entered the Army Rangers 101st Airborne Division, in which he won Pan-Am medals on the Army Track Team. He later served on the Flint Police Force, worked for the Defense Dept., and held various engineering positions with General Motors. He served on the Glen Lake Board of Education, was an avid deer hunter and was the former state commander for the American Legion.
Surviving are his wife, Betty; children Ginger (Dave) Boerkircher, Sherri (T.J.) Castor, Leonard III (Jill), Larry (Sleepy-Bear), Jackson II (Claudia), and Leann (Richard) Owen; brothers Bruce Jr. and Gerald; his sister, Kay; brother-in-law Ken Melton; foster brother Ron Bordeaux; and 10 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father; a sister, Gale; and a daughter, Shannon.
Elliott Hunter Phillips 7/4/2002
Elliott Hunter Phillips of Grosse Pointe Farms and Vero Beach, Fla., died July 4. He was 83.
Mr. Phillips and his wife, the former Gail Isbey, are long-time Leland summer residents. A Navy veteran of World War II, he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1946. He practiced law at the Detroit firm of Hill, Lewis (Now Clark, Hill), and retired as senior partner in 1989.
He was known for his lifelong commitment to philanthropy, and served three terms on the Vestry of Christ Church, Grosse Pointe, and an additional four terms as senior warden.
Surviving are his wife of 52 years; a son, Elliott Hunter Phillips Jr. of Los Angeles; and his daughter, Alexandra R. Phillips of Chicago. Memorials may be made to the Elliott H. Phillips 1940 Scholarship Fund, Harvard University, Office of Development, 124 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, MA 02138; or the Sigma Gamma Foundation, P.O. Box 36373, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236.
Ralph ‘Bucky’ Szot 6/29/2002
Funeral services were held Saturday for Colby, Wisc. resident Ralph Stanley “Bucky” Szot Jr., who died June 29. He was 64.
Mrs. Szot was born on May 11, 1938, in Chicago, the son of Ralph Stanley Szot Sr. and Marie Zuber-Szot. He met and married in Empire Delores A. McDowell-Wilcox of Sun City Center, Fla., the mother of his four children.
He retired from the United States Air Force in 1976 after 20 years of service, and made his home in Gulfport, Miss., where he met his lifelong companion Ramona Rouse, and relocated to Colby in 1996. He had a strong desire to be close to his family, hunting and fishing.
Surviving are four children, Simone Marie (Fred) Baillergeon of Sun City Center, Fla., Douglas James (Pamela Magee) Szot of Baton Rouge, La., Dwayne Ralph (MaryAnn) Szot of Bayfield, Wisc., and Holly Ann Szot of Frankfort; a brother, Gene (Carol) Szot of Addison, Ill.; his sister, Joyce Marie Szot of Hoffman Estates, Ill., and three grandchildren.
Lucille Dustin 6/27/2002
Funeral services were held yesterday at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City for Suttons Bay summer resident Lucille Dustin, who died June 27. She was 94.
She was a resident of Suttons Bay and Port Charlotte, Fla.
John H.K. Shannahan 7/2/2002
A memorial service was held Sunday at Suttons Bay Congregational Church for Suttons Bay resident John Henry Kelly Shannahan IV, who died July 2. He was 88.
Mr. Shannahan was born on Nov. 1, 1913, at Sparrows Point, Md., the son of John H.K. and Beulah Day Shannahan. In 1939 in Fort Wayne, Ind., he married the former Mary Reynolds Kline, who preceded him in death in 1995.
Mr. Shannahan graduated from Princeton University in 1934, and from the senior executive program at MIT in 1959. He worked for 41 years with electric utilities, a span interrupted only by serving as a major in the Army during World War II. He earned the Bronze Star and Oak Leaf Cluster while directing field artillery with the 10th Armored Division.
The Shannahans were summer visitors of Leelanau County before moving here permanently in 1976. He was a trustee of Suttons Bay Congregational Church; director of the Friends of the Suttons Bay Library, and Leland Day Care and Nursery School; director and treasurer of the Leelanau Christian Neighbors and active in their food pantry; and a member of the Suttons Bay Rotary Club.
Surviving are two sons, John H.K. Shannahan V of Montgomery, Ala. and James R. Shannahan of Milwaukee; a daughter, Mrs. Jennifer S. Koerner of Stephenville, Texas; a sister, Mrs. Colegate O. McShane of Baltimore; and three granddaughters.
Memorials may be directed to the Congregational Church of Leelanau Christian Neighbors.
