Obituaries
Gloria I. Kirch
Apr 3, 2020
Gloria I. Kirch of Kalamazoo passed away Friday, April 3, 2020 at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Gloria was born August 26, 1933 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Marvin and Dorothy (Miller) Boughton. She was a graduate of Plainwell High School. She was married in 1954 to Jack D. Kirch who preceded her death in 1982. Gloria was a member of Northeastern...
Victor R. Zidell
Mar 23, 2020
Victor R. Zidell of Kalamazoo passed away Monday, March 23, 2020 at Friendship Village. Victor was born September 9, 1924 in Kalamazoo the son of John and Mary (Slowinski) Zidell. He was a WW II veteran serving in the U.S. Navy. Victor retired from James River Paper as the plant superintendent and was a member of St. Augustine Cathedral. In...
Patricia Jane Piller
Mar 16, 2020
Patricia J. Piller, passed away Monday, March 16, 2020 at Ascension Borgess Hospital. Patricia was born May 8, 1941 in Stevenson, MI the daughter of Robert and Barbara (Rhode) Chapman. She was retired as a hair stylist, was a member of Kalamazoo Seventh-day Adventist Church and enjoyed flower gardening. On September 17, 1961 in Kalamazoo Patricia was united in marriage...
Grant Waite Macdonald
Mar 15, 2020
Grant W. Macdonald of Kalamazoo passed away Sunday March 15, 2020 at home. Grant was born July 2, 1928 in Chicago, IL the son of John and Jane (Porter) Macdonald. He was a Korean War veteran serving in the U.S. Army. Grant retired as the industrial arts teacher from Parchment Schools after 30 years. He was a member of the...
Charles Joseph Kirin
Mar 11, 2020
Charles J. Kirin passed away Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at Brookdale of Portage. Charles was born February 29, 1924 in Chicago the son of Matthew and Anna (Miskulin) Kirin.In April of 1943 he was inducted into the Army Corps of Engineers and spent two years oversees, making the Utah Beach landings in Normandy on D+3 with the 626th Engrs. At...
Ronald John Smith
Mar 10, 2020
Ronald J. Smith of Mattawn, passed away Tuesday March 10, 2020 at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Ronald was born October 5, 1947 in Grand Rapids the son of John and Dorothy (Ainsworth) Smith. He was Vietnam veteran serving in the U.S. Army. Ronald received his master’s degree from Illinois Missionary Baptist Institute and was the pastor of Grace Missionary Baptist Church...
Connye Kay Zeller-Amtower
Mar 9, 2020
Connye K. Zeller-Amtower of Portage, passed away Monday, March 9, 2020 at Rose Arbor Hospice. Connye was born October 29, 1950 in Frankfort, MI the daughter of George and Kay (Gaines) Pilz. She was a graduate of Central Michigan University and retired as a Disability Determination Specialist for the State of Michigan. Connye was a member of Portage Chapel Hill...
Wilhelmina VanderNaald
Mar 4, 2020
Wilhelmina VanderNaald 105 of Kalamazoo passed away Wednesday March 4, 2010 at Crystal Woods Assisted Living. Wilhelmina was born July 1, 1914 in Chicago, IL the daughter of Harry and Jenny (VanderWest) Evenhouse. She was a member of Comstock Christian Reformed Church where she was church organist. Wilhelmina taught piano and organ and enjoyed gardening, sewing, music, word games and...
Carter James Joseph Elsman
Mar 4, 2020
Carter J.J. Elsman passed away Wednesday, March 4, 2020 after an accident in Paw Paw. Carter was born November 1, 2000 in Plainwell the son of Thomas and Jyll (Jablonski) Elsman, Jr. He worked for Lakeshore Construction and enjoyed music, walking, basketball and hanging out with his OTF friends. Carter is survived by his mother, Jyll Elsman of Portage; father,...
Stella Delach
Mar 2, 2020
Stella Delach of Kalamazoo passed away Monday March 2, 2020 at Kairos Dwelling at the age of 97. Stella was born June 14, 1922 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Antoni and Mary (Chodoznik) Socha. Stella was employed at Gibson Guitar and was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church which her parents helped build and establish over 80 years ago....
Barbara E. Allen
Feb 29, 2020
Barbara E. Allen of Kalamazoo passed away Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Golden Care of Kalamazoo. She was born August 4, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan to the parents of Irma J. Watts and Fredrick Watts. She was preceded in death with her husband Dale Ray Allen, Brother Rick Watts. Barbara Allen worked at Meijer's Lottery Desk for years on Westnedge....
William A. Ford, Sr.
Feb 27, 2020
William A. Ford of Kalamazoo passed away on February 27, 2020. Bill was born in Kalamazoo on October 25, 1941, the son of Raymond and Viola (Courtney) Ford. He was very family-oriented and loved hi cat Checkers. He enjoyed having a drink with his brother. Bill was very particular about his yard. He always did it himself. He was preceded...
Ida Marie Ballentine
Feb 20, 2020
Ida M. Ballentine of Kalamazoo passed away Thursday February 20, 2020 at home. Ida was born August 27, 1927 in Ypsilanti the daughter of Carl and Anna (Sprague) Dolbee. She was an activity director for Birch Manor later known as Borgess Nursing Home then she was a cafeteria server at Comstock Schools for many years. Ida volunteered at the Kalamazoo...
Carole Jean Voissem
Feb 18, 2020
Carole J. Voissem of Parchment passed away Tuesday evening, February 18, 2020. She was born in Neenah, Wisconsin on October 4, 1929, the daughter of the late Gregory and Lorraine (Kloepfel) Pottner. On September 4, 1954, she was united in marriage to James F. Voissem, who preceded her in death in 1981. Surviving are her children: Christine (Melvin) English, Mark...
Mary Catherine Shunneson (Donohue)
Feb 13, 2020
Mary Catherine Donohue Shunneson (80) of Portage, MI passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 13, 2020 surrounded by her family and God’s angels. Mary Kaye was born on April 1, 1939 in Chicago, IL the daughter of the late William Edward Donohue and Catherine Lucille (Hudson) Donohue. Following the sudden death of her father in October 1941, her mother relocated with...
Leighton Roy Sage
Feb 7, 2020
Leighton Roy Sage of Kalamazoo passed away Friday February 7, 2020 at home in Portage. Mr. Sage was born July 4, 1926 in Kalamazoo the son of Roy H. and Natalie U. (Leighton) Sage. Leighton enjoyed fishing, metal detecting and traveling with his wife and kids. He managed to visit all 50 states. He worked at Woolf Excavating for over...
Gloria Jeanine Jersey
Feb 6, 2020
Gloria Jeanine Jersey of Kalamazoo passed away Thursday, February 6, 2020 at home. Jeanine was born January 3, 1929 in Battle Creek, the daughter of Emmerson and Jessie (Stanley) Davis. She retired as an administrative assistant for Stan Lassen Auto Dealership and was a member of St. Monica Catholic Church. She loved to bowl, watch old movies from 40’s up,...
Louise Gennieve Hartman
Feb 6, 2020
Louise G. Hartman 94 of Nashville formerly of Kalamazoo passed away Thursday, February 6, 2020 at Thornapple Manor. Louise was born July 30, 1925 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Harm and Jenny (Ritsema) Mulder. She retired as an administrative assistant for Balkema Construction Company and worshiped at Calvary Bible Church. On November 23, 1988 Louise was united in marriage to...
Mary Walgamuth
Feb 5, 2020
Mary Walgamuth, 95, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020 at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo, Mich., surrounded by loving family. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and matriarch of a large, vibrant family that spans the country. Born Mary Emaline Eberly to Loren and Mildred Eberly on October 21, 1924 in North Webster, Ind., she...
Sally Wrench
Feb 4, 2020
Sally Wrench of Kalamazoo passed away Tuesday, February 4, 2020 at Upjohn Community Care Center. Sally was born June 30, 1931 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Francis Newman and Dolores Emelia (Lion) Russell. She worked at the UpJohn Pharmaceutical Company for 24 years retiring in 1994. She was a member of St. Augustine Parish where she was involved with "the...