Richard H. Senter
2/18/2003
Funeral services were conducted Feb. 22 in downstate Birmingham for seasonal Glen Lake resident Richard H. Senter who died Feb. 18 at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. He was 83.
He was born in Santa Fe, N.M. in 1919. His wife of more than 60 years, the former Hortense Miller, preceded him in death in October 2002.
Mr. Senter was educated in Detroit Public Schools and at Wayne State University. From 1942 until 1969 he was a Special Agent of the FBI. From 1969 to 1979, he served as the grievance administrator for the State Bar of Michigan. After retiring, he maintained a private law practice until 1999. He was active in a variety of public service efforts in the Detroit area.
For many years, he and his wife rented a cottage on Big Glen Lake. In the 1950’s they bought a cottage there.
He is survived by four children, Richard (Mary) Senter of Mt. Pleasant; Stephen (Debby) Senter of Piedmont, Calif.; Robin (Peter) McKenna of Durand, Mich.; Laurel (David) Jeris of Naperville, Ill.; and seven grandchildren.
Interment will be at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Empire. Memorials donations may be directed to The Scholarship Fund, Law School, Wayne State University, 471 West Palmer, Detroit, 48202.
Robert J. Rufli
3/12/2003
A memorial service will be held at Suttons Bay Congregational Church on a date to be announced for lifelong Suttons Bay resident Robert J. Rufli who died March 12 at home. He was 83.
He was born Feb. 10, 1920, in Suttons Bay, the son of Adolph and Mary (Heimforth) Rufli. On April 24, 1946, in Traverse City, he married the former Rosamond Clark, who survives.
Mr. Rufli attended Michigan State College. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, returning to the family farm after the war. He was a cherry farmer and meat packer, owning and operating Barney’s 290 Meat Packers in Traverse City from 1951 to the early 1970’s.
He was a member and past president of the Suttons Bay Rotary Club. He was also a former member of the Suttons Bay Board of Education. He enjoyed sailing.
Also surviving are his two daughters, Karen (David) Guardiola of Laredo, Texas, and Elaine (Mike) Mikowski of Suttons Bay; a son, Robert J. (Dory) Rufli, Jr., of Fenton; a sister, Betty Rufli Thacker of Montibello, Calif; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Joanne Rufli Oberlin.
Memorials may be directed to Suttons Bay Congregational Church.
June Stoner Carlson
3/16/2003
Funeral services were held Monday at Northport Evangelical Covenant Church for June Stoner Carlson who died March 16 at the Maple Valley Nursing Home in Maple City. She was 83.
She was born July 18, 1919, in Kent County, the daughter of Jay and Agnes Cuddington Stoner. On Aug. 9, 1980, she married Rudolph Carlson who preceded her in death in 1995.
She was a 1936 graduate of East Grand Rapids High School, a U.S. Navy veteran, and a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. She was a 40-year member of the Grand Rapids Covenant Church and a recent member of the Northport Evangelical Covenant Church.
She is survived by her children, Eric Heline of Lake Leelanau and Karin Kalchik of Northport, stepchildren Don (Lois) Carlson and Jay (Dottie) Craker of Northport, and four grandchildren.
Burial will be this spring in the Leelanau Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Evangelical Covenant Church of Northport.
Thomas J. Wheeler, Sr.
3/29/2003
A memorial service will be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City for Cedar resident Thomas J. Wheeler, Sr., who died March 29 at Birchwood Nursing Center. He was 65.
He was born Oct. 9, 1937, in Empire, the son of Luella (Froatz) and Floyd Wheeler. He was preceded in death by his wife Hattie.
Mr. Wheeler served in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years and was a flight engineer. He enjoyed photography as a hobby.
He is survived by his children, Thomas Wheeler, Jr., Wade M. Wheeler and Tina Marie Wheeler, all of California; his sisters, Lucille Spohn of Cedar and Louise Carothers of Arkansas; a brother, Louis Wheeler of Saginaw; and two grandchildren.
He was also preceded in death by a sister, Mary Ann Baatz, and a brother, Francis Baatz.
Visitation will begin at noon Friday. Burial will be in the Cleveland Township Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Alzheimers Association.
Kimberly K. Wendels
12/25/2002
Former Empire resident Kimberly Kay Wendels of Newport News, Va., died at home on Dec. 25, 2002. She was 36.
She was born Aug. 26, 1966, in Manistee, the daughter of Judith Kulawiak of Onekama, who survives. Kimberly Kulawiak moved to Empire in 1985. On Oct. 19, 1990, in Leland, she married John Leo Wendels, who survives.
Also surviving are her daughter, Samantha Renee, and son, Keenan Lee, both of Newport News; and brother Todd Kulawiak of Thompsonville.
A family memorial will be held at a later time.
Arthur S. Huey
3/7/2003
A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 21, at 2 p.m. in the Milliken Auditorium at the Dennos Museum in Traverse City for Arthur S. Huey of Suttons Bay who died at home March 7.
He was born in VanBuren, Ark., the son of Richard King Huey and Adele (Sandmeyer) Huey. In 1935, in Amherst, Mass., he married the former Helen Mautz, who survives.
Mr. Huey was a 1935 graduate of Amherst College. He first came to Leelanau County as a camper in 1925. He formerly owned and operated The Leelanau School, Camp Leelanau for Boys and The Homestead.
He was active in the Boy Scouts of America, was a lifelong Rotarian, and was involved in numerous other community organizations. He was instrumental in bringing skiing and the ski industry to northern Michigan.
Also surviving are his sons, Richard of Marquette and Arthur of St. Louis, Mo.; daughters Adele McCall of Williamsville, N.Y., and Sara Thompson of Southfield; a sister, Dorothy Huey Hall of Tulsa, Okla.; 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Leelanau School, Camp Leelanau and Kohana, Share Care of Leelanau, Inc., or the Boy Scouts of America.
Emil Simon Bunek
2/23/2003
A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 28 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Lawrenceville, Ga., for former Leelanau County resident Emil Simon Bunek who died Feb. 23. He was 56.
He was born in Traverse City on April 28, 1946, the son of Emil S. and Martha (O’Brien) Bunek. On Feb. 28, 1970, he married the former Mary Wendland, who survives.
He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, and retired from the Army Reserves as a colonel. At the time of his death, he was president of AArrow Group, Inc., in Lawrenceville, Ga.
Also surviving are his daughters, Jennifer (Karl) Lipetzky, Wendy (Ken) Feck, Nicole (Ben) Moudry; brothers John, Julius and Robert of Lake Leelanau, William of Suttons Bay, Elmer of Westminster, Colo.; sisters Glory Leonard of Novato, Calif., Marcia Meade of E. Grand Rapids, Mich., and Emelia Welber of Palm Harbor, Fla; and seven grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Mary’s School Building Fund, 310 St. Mary’s St., Lake Leelanau, 49653.
