Dorothy E. Ranta
Services for Dorothy Ranta, 75, of Livonia were Oct. 28 in Charles R. Step Funeral Home. Officiating was the Rev. Benjamin Bohnsack.
Mrs.Ranta was born July 24, 1927, in Detroit, and died Oct. 24, 2002, in Livonia. She was a homemaker.
Surviving are her husband, Thomas; sons, Thomas (Judy) and Richard (Wendy); daughter, Lorrie (Gary) Bessinger; brother, William (Charmagne) Jenkins; and five grandchildren, Colleen Bessinger, Holly, Eric, Danielle and Victoria Ranta.
Mrs. Ranta was preceded in death by her brother, Stanley Jenkins, and sister, Myrtle Draper.
Joseph Raymond Brobst
Services for Joseph Brobst, 68, of Livonia were Oct. 30 in the Chapel of L.J. Griffin Funeral Home in Westland. Officiating was the Rev. Richard Kelly from St. Thomas a'Becket Catholic Church.
Mr. Brobst was born Dec. 28, 1933, in Detroit, and died Oct. 28, 2002, in Garden City.
He was a millwright in the automotive industry.
Surviving are his wife, Geraldine "Gerri"; children, Janice (Patrick) Genrich, Lawrence (Becky), Gary (Diane), Darlene (Dorin) Lucacel, Daniel (Karen), Joseph (Paula) and Dawn (Matt) Walsh; 21 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Genevieve T. Rafferty
Services for Genevieve Rafferty, 73, of Livonia were Oct. 23 at St. Priscilla Catholic Church, with burial at St. Hedwig Cemetery.
Mrs. Rafferty was born July 20, 1929, and died Oct. 20, 2002, in Farmington Hills. She worked in the medical research field.
Surviving are her children, Terrance, Rose (Carlos) Rafferty-Aquirre, Raymond (Francine), John (Kimberly), Maureen (Randal) Byrne and James (Jennifer); brother, James (Joan) Monahan; sister, Collette Blaschka; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were made by L.J. Griffin Funeral Home.
Virginia Marie Bedard
Servivces for Virginia Bedard, 91, of South Lyon were today, Thursday, Oct. 24, in First Baptist Church of South Lyon. Officiating was the Rev. Robert Beddingfield.
Mrs. Bedard was born Dec. 17. 1910, in Nebo, Ky., and died Oct. 20, 2002. She moved to South Lyon 25 years ago from Detroit. She was a member of First Baptist Church of South Lyon. She enjoyed gardening, raising African Violets and cooking.
Surviving are her children, Bradford (Trudy) Bedard of Gilbraltar, James (Carole) Bedard of New Hudson, Duane (Jo) Bedard of Livonia and Gary (Ruthy) Bedard of Howell; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Bedard was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, in 1969, and one brother.
Arrangements were made by Phillips Funeral Home, South Lyon.
John H. Eisenmann
Services for former Livonia resident John Eisenmann, 87, of Ft. Gratiot will be 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in Thayer-Rock Funeral Home, 33603 Grand River Ave., Farmington, with burial at Oakwood Cemetery. Officiating will be the Rev. Larry Austin.
Mr. Eisenmann was born Dec. 16, 1914, in Spencerville, Ohio, and died Oct. 22, 2002, in Ft. Gratiot, Mich. He was an electrical engineer for Burroughs Corp. (Unisys). He attended Lawrence Technological University.
Mr. Eisenmann was a member of Farmington Elks, Farmington Masonic Lodge, Livonia Senior Citizens and Farmington Senior Citizens-Costick Center. He was an artist and painter and played the organ and guitar.
Surviving are his daughter, Laura Godin of Troy, and two grandchildren, David and Adam.
Mr. Eisenmann was preceded in death by his wives, Patricia Eisenmann 1987 and Rowena Eisenmann.
Mildred M. Walker
Services for Mildred Walker, 85, of Farmington Hills were Oct. 25 in Heeney-Sundquist Funeral Home, Farmington. Officiating was the Rev. James Britt.
Mrs. Walker was born April 12, 1917, in Detroit, and died Oct. 23, 2002, in Livonia. She was a sales person for a photo studio.
Surviving are her children, Janet Walker of Livonia, Mildred (Donald) Nelson, Patricia (Douglas) Maykovich and Robert (Karen) Walker; 11 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Walker was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, and daughter, Arlene Lindsey-Thibault.
Memorial tributes may be made to American Lung Association, 403 Seymour, Lansing, MI 48933
Bernardine B. Rzucidlo
Services for Bernardine Rzucidlo, 82, of Livonia were Oct. 26 in L.J. Griffin Funeral Home, with entombment at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Dearborn Heights. Officiating was the Rev. Leonard Partensky.
Mrs. Rzucidlo was born Aug. 25, 1920, and died Oct. 23, 2002, in Detroit. She was an inspector for an office equipment company.
Surviving are her husband, Frank; niece, Molly McKay; and nephew, Edward Bidek.
Toivo J. Ollikainen
Services for Toivo "Ollie" Ollikainen, 79, of Livonia were Oct. 24 in Thayer-Rock Funeral Home in Farmington, with burial at Glen Eden Memorial Park in Livonia. Officiating was the Rev. T. Nilsen from Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Mr. Ollikainen was born April 12, 1923, in Fitchburg, Mass., and died Oct. 21, 2002, at his home in Livonia. He was owner of Ollie's Trucking Services. He was a member of Finnish Center Association and was also their bartender. He served in the Army Air Corp. during World War II.
Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Lillian; son, Curt (Laura) Ollikainen of Clinton Township; daughter, Carol (Mike) Huey of Manchester; and two grandchildren, Christopher and Matthew Huey.
Mr. Ollikainen was preceded in death by his son, Robert Ollikainen.
Memorial tributes may be made to Finnish Center Association, 35200 W. Eight Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48335.
Allan W. Price
Services for former Garden City resident Allan Price, 57, of Plymouth were Oct. 24 in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Plymouth, with burial at St. Hedwig Cemetery, Dearborn Heights. Officiating was the Rev. Doc Ortman.
Mr. Price was born March 31, 1945, in Detroit, and died Oct. 19, 2002, in Detroit.
He worked for General Motors, retiring after 35 years of service. He was a UAW member and also participated in the Volunteer Fire Brigade at General Motors. He received several perfect atttendance awards during his career. He was a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel 25 years.
Mr. Price attended many continuing education classes, including auto body repair, computer classes and the Dale Carnegie Course. He had an interest in antique and classic cars and enjoyed listening to Motown and Oldies music; attending his sons' basketball games; and playing darts, softball and golf.
Surviving are his wife of 35 years, Marlene; sons, Timothy price of Livonia and Brian Price of Plymouth; siblings, Melvin Price of Florida, Jean Way of British Columbia, Canada, Virginia Marrs of Florida, Ronald Price of Florida, Evelyn Logsdon of Plymouth and Philip Price of Florida.
Mr. Price was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Edna Price.
Memorial tributes may be made to Gift of Life-Lifespan, 2203 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 or in the form of Mass Offerings.
Arrangements were made by Vermeulen Funeral Home, Plymouth.
Clara L. Walker
A memorial service for former Livonia resident Clara Walker, 83, of Iowa City, Iowa, will be 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in Newberg United Methodist Church in Livonia. Officiating will be the Rev. Barbara Wilbaum.
Mrs. Walker was born Dec. 13, 1919, in Detroit, and died Oct. 13, 2002, in Iowa City, Iowa.
She and her late husband, Arthur, were lifelong musicians for many years. They performed together on the East Coast. She was a harpist and taught and worked in the Detroit public school 36 years. She taught private harp students and was a member of the Harp Guild.
Mrs. Walker was the choir director for various churches of which she was a member throughout her lifetime. She was always active in many church activities.
Surviving are her son, Richard (Janet) Walker of Iowa City; brother, Maurice Harris of Detroit; and two grandsons, Michael and Joseph.
Mrs. Walker was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur, and two sisters.
Memorial tributes may be made in her name to the Music Fund at First Christian Church, Iowa City, Iowa. Arrangements were made by Barker Funeral Home in West Liberty, Iowa.
Richard E. Herrick
Services for Richard "Dick" Herrick, 86, of Livonia were today, Thursday, Oct. 24, at Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley.
Mr. Herrick was born April 13, 1916, in Detroit, and died Oct. 22, 2002, in West Bloomfield. He was a salesman in the automotive industry.
Surviving are his wife, Jessie; daughter, Mary Ann (Jim) Tishkowski; brother, Herbert; sister, Virginia McCollum; and three grandchildren, David, Brian and Ann.
Arrangements were made by L.J. Griffin Funeral Home.
Lee Allen Walbridge
Visitation for Lee Walbridge, 39, of Canton was Oct. 19 in Schrader-Howell Funeral Home in Plymouth.
Mr. Walbridge was born March 4, 1963, in Ypsilanti, and died Oct. 17, 2002, in Ann Arbor. He was a chef at Damon's Restaurant in Canton. He was a life-long resident of Canton. He loved the outdoors, snowmobiling and walking.
Surviving are his son, Jessie of Florida; parents, Virginia and Donald Walbridge of Canton; brothers, Raymond Walbridge of Canton, Bryon Walbridge of Livonia and Robin Walbridge of Canton; sister, Tina (John) Bury of Livonia; and niece and nephew, Daniel and Ashley.
Elizabeth Dowden
A memorial service for Elizabeth Dowden, 62, of Livonia was Oct. 21 in R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Home. Officiating was the Rev. Roy Forsyth.
Mrs. Dowden was born Jan. 9, 1940, in Clenchmorr, Tenn., and died Oct. 19, 2002, in Farmington Hills. She lived in the Livonia area 38 years. She was a private caregiver. She enjoyed gardening and was dedicated to her children and grandchildren.
Surviving are her husband, John; children, William (Suzanne) Dowden of Redford and Kathy Stephens; parents, Stella and the late Rev. Link Phillips; brothers, Thomas Coy and Larry Phillips; sisters, Shena Sherrill and Imajean Nighbert; and six grandchildren, Timothy, David, Alexandria, Victor, Nicholas and Brooke.
Memorial tributes may be made to American Cancer Society.
Parke J. Winn
Services for Parke Winn, 78, of Livonia were Oct. 22 in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, with burial at Parkview Cemetery in Livonia. Officiating was the Rev. Sam Laswell.
Mr. Winn was born July 11, 1924, in Columbus, Ohio, and died Oct. 19, 2002. He was a supervisor. He served in the U.S. Navy.
Surviving are his wife, Betty; children, Joy Mahon, Gregory Winn and Steven Winn; sister, Charlotte Messervey; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Memorial tributes may be made to American Heart Association.
Arrangements were made by Neely-Turowski Funeral Home.
Audrey Wiseman Yeagley
Services for Audrey Yeagley, 91, of Livonia were Oct. 23 in Heeney-Sundquist Funeral Home in Farmington, with burial at Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley. Officiating was the Rev. John Boyd.
Mrs. Yeagley was born March 15, 1911, in Delta, Ohio, and died Oct. 20, 2002, in West Bloomfield. She was a teacher for Detroit Public Schools.
Surviving are her daughters, Nann Tyler of Livonia and Kathleen Banchero; and grandchildren, Timothy Tyler, Laura (Ryan) Banchero-Fleur, Steven (Shannon) Banchero, Michael (Maggie) Yeagley and Christopher Yeagley.
Mrs. Yeagley was preceded in death by her husband, Robert; son, Ted Yeagler; and grandson, James Tyler, Jr.
Memorial tributes may be made to South Georgia Medical Center, Valdosta, Ga.
Orval Dull
Former Livonia resident Orval "Mike" Dull, 81, of Elk Rapids died Oct. 20, 2002.
Mr. Dull was born Jan. 1, 1921, in Laverne, Okla.
He was a custodial engineer at Marshall Elementary School, Livonia, retiring in 1972. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. He was a member of V.F.W. in Brooksville, Fla. Mr. Dull enjoyed fishing and playing cards.
Surviving are his wife, Wanda; son, Tim (Christina) Dull of Elk Rapids; daughters, Janice Dull of Redford and Pamela (Cary) LeLoye of Livonia; sister, Eunice Jones of Arkansas; and three grandchildren, Michael Dull of Elk Rapids, and Ryan and Alan DeLoye of Livonia.
Mr. Dull was preceded in death by four brothers.
A memorial service will be at a later date. Arrangements were made by Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.
Frank Wm. Houghton
Frank Houghton, 95, of Northville died Oct. 20, 2002.
Mr. Houghton was born July 27, 1907, in Detroit. He worked for Reliance Alarm Company of Detroit from 1922-1946 when the company was sold. He and another former employee of Reliance Alarm Co. formed a new burglar alarm company, Automatic Alarm Co., where he worked until his retirement in 1968.
Mr. Houghton was a life member of the Detroit Yacht Club, The Venice Yacht Club and Mission Valley Golf and Country Club of Venice, Fla. He served on the Board of the Detroit Yacht Club and the Venice Yacht Club. He was the last charter member of the Venice Sailing Squadron, and the only permanent member. Mr. Houghton was a life member of the Republican National Committee.
Surviving are his son, Daniel Houghton; daughter, Penelope Connors; brother, Paul Houghton; two granddaughters, Tammy Bartlow and Adrian Stintson; and one great-grandson, Billy Bartlow. There are family members in the Livonia area.
Mr. Houghton was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Donna (1999).
Arrangements were made by Ziomek Funeral Home.
Janith Hermann
A memorial service for Jan Hermann of Livonia will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, in Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 30650 Six Mile, Livonia.
Mrs. Hermann was a 1954 graduate of Michigan State College and a member of ZTA sorority. She moved to Livonia in 1956. She taught school in Birmingham and at Lincoln Elementary in Livonia before becoming an at-home mom.
Mrs. Hermann was active in girl scouts, her church, Livonia Civic Chorus and received numerous awards for her volunteer work at Schoolcraft College.
Surviving are her husband of 47 years, Dave; children, David (Donna), Karyn (Jeff) Young and Terri; sister, Lynne (David) Symles; and grandchildren, Dustin and Kayleena Young.
Memorial tributes may be made to the Woman's Resource Center at Schoolcraft College, Karmanos Hospice Center Detroit or St. Jude Children's Hospital.
Frank G. Tima Sr.
Services for Frank Tima Sr., 77, were Oct. 21 in Leonard A. Turowski & Son Funeral Home. Officiating was the Rev. Roy Forsyth.
Mr. Tima was born Aug. 21, 1925, in Detroit, and died Oct. 17, 2002, in Livonia. He was the owner of a home improvement business in the city of Livonia.
Surviving are his wife, Agnes; children, Carol Monczka, Anita (Larry) Cooper, Frank Jr. (Nancy), Paul (Cheryl), Sandra Tima and Dolores (Mark) Skarjune; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Genevieve T. Rafferty
Services for Genevieve Rafferty, 73, of Livonia were Oct. 23 at St. Priscilla Catholic Church, with burial at St. Hedwig Cemetery.
Mrs. Rafferty was born July 20, 1929, and died Oct. 20, 2002, in Farmington Hills. She worked in the medical research field.
Surviving are her children, Terrance, Rose (Carlos) Rafferty-Aquirre, Raymond (Francine), John (Kimberly), Maureen (Randal) Byrne and James (Jennifer); brother, James (Joan) Monahan; sister, Collette Blaschka; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were made by L.J. Griffin Funeral Home.
Virginia Marie Bedard
Servivces for Virginia Bedard, 91, of South Lyon were today, Thursday, Oct. 24, in First Baptist Church of South Lyon. Officiating was the Rev. Robert Beddingfield.
Mrs. Bedard was born Dec. 17. 1910, in Nebo, Ky., and died Oct. 20, 2002. She moved to South Lyon 25 years ago from Detroit. She was a member of First Baptist Church of South Lyon. She enjoyed gardening, raising African Violets and cooking.
Surviving are her children, Bradford (Trudy) Bedard of Gilbraltar, James (Carole) Bedard of New Hudson, Duane (Jo) Bedard of Livonia and Gary (Ruthy) Bedard of Howell; 13 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Bedard was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, in 1969, and one brother.
Arrangements were made by Phillips Funeral Home, South Lyon.
