Obituaries
Stanley Pawlowski
May 19, 2013
Mr. Stanley Pawlowski passed away Sunday, May 19, 2013 at the VA Community Living Center in Battle Creek. He was born February 2, 1926 in Kalamazoo, the son of Joseph and Mary (Steniswiski) Pawlowski. He was a proud Veteran of the US Army, having served in Europe during World War II. Stan was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church...
Jazeps P. Ziemelis
May 13, 2013
Mr. Jazeps P. Ziemelis, age 100, died May 13, 2013 at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital-Living and Rehabilitation Center, Frankfort, MI, where he was affectionately known as "Joe Z." He was born May 16, 1912 in Latvia at Kaupiskos, the family home near the village of Bebrene, to Jekabs and Veronika Butkevics. Having lost his father to the terror of Bolshevik...
Sam W. Holton
May 13, 2013
Sam W. Holton of Kalamazoo, passed away May 13, 2013 at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo. She was born January 17, 1937 in Poplar Bluff, MO the daughter of Virgil and Lena (King) Trimble. Sam retired from Bronson Hospital as a dialysis technician and she enjoyed antiquing. On June 6, 1980 in Kalamazoo Sam was united in marriage to James L....
Jack James Heighton
May 11, 2013
Mr. Jack J. Heighton passed away Saturday, May 11, 2013 at his home with his family at his side. Jack was born May 5, 1920 in Mount Vernon, OH, the son of James and Vera (Bort) Heighton. He proudly served his country as a front line medic in World War II, and also served in Korea. Jack was a life...
James Russell Betke, Sr.
May 10, 2013
Mr. James R. Betke, Sr. passed away Friday, May 10, 2013 in Kalamazoo. James was born June 21, 1944 in Kalamazoo, the son of James P. and Joann M. (Reattoire) Betke. He was preceded in death by his sister Joyce Niewiadomski. He is survived by his wife of almost 35 years, Juliet A. (Fontaine) Betke, whom he married June 10,...
Paul Edward Lewis Kuzman
May 10, 2013
Mr. Paul Edward Lewis Kuzman passed away Friday, May 10, 2013 in Kalamazoo at Rose Arbor Hospice. Mr. Kuzman was born April 21, 1947 in Kalamazoo, the son of Victor and Margret (Bowman) Kuzman. He attended St. Joseph Elementary, St. Augustine School, and graduated Hackett Catholic Central High School in 1966. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church....
Lorraine Rose Zidell
May 9, 2013
Mrs. Lorraine R. Zidell passed away Thursday, May 09, 2013 at Borgess Gardens, Kalamazoo. Lorraine was born August 9, 1924 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Leon and Helen (Ottney) Robarge. Lorraine attended school at St. Augustine and was a lifetime member of St. Augustine Cathedral. She retired after 51 years from the Quality Assurance Dept. at Sutherland Paper Company which...
Joanne Marie Nottingham
May 2, 2013
Joanne Marie Nottingham of Portage passed away Tuesday, May 2, 2013 in Kalamazoo. She was born January 7, 1938 in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Charles and Amelia (Bremer) Zurawski. She began her career in education as an English teacher at Portage Central High School, then as a psychology professor at Georgia Southwestern State University and the University of Maryland, from...
Carolyn Ann Sullivan
Apr 30, 2013
Carolyn Ann (Barclay) Sullivan of Rochester Hills, MI, formerly of Kalamazoo, passed away suddenly Tuesday, April 30, 2013 doing one of her favorite hobbies, gardening. She was born March 28, 1938 in Duluth, MN, the daughter of Glen and Lucille (Maurer) Barclay. She was a secretary for Dr. James H. Simonds, DPM, for 23 years until relocating to Rochester Hills,...
Martine Elizabeth Stoops
Apr 24, 2013
Martine Elizabeth Stoops passed away Wednesday evening, April 24, 2013 at Borgess Gardens in Kalamazoo, MI. She was born February 2, 1925 in Owensboro, KY, the daughter of J. Martin and Anna Mae (Sims) O'Bryan. She was a member of St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Parchment. She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald W. Stoops on March 22,...
Stephen Mark Siwik
Apr 23, 2013
Mr. Stephen Mark Siwik of Kalamazoo passed away Tuesday morning, April 23, 2013 at his home. He was born November 17, 1951 in Kalamazoo, the son of Stanley and Esther (Flera) Siwik. Stephen proudly served his country in the US Army. He was employed with the Burroughs Company for many years. He is survived by his son, Robert Siwik of...
Lewis W. Bashaw
Apr 18, 2013
Mr. Lewis Bashaw passed away Thursday, April 18, 2013 at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo. He was born October 4, 1926 in Dowagiac, MI, the son of Francis and Belle (Johnston) Bashaw. He proudly served his country during WW II in the US Army where he participated in the Berlin Airlift. He also served in the Air Force in the...
William "Stan" Whitaker
Apr 15, 2013
William Stanley "Stan" Whitaker of Kalamazoo, passed away Monday, April 15, 2013 at Heritage Community. Stan was born on February 21, 1929 in Black Oak, Arkansas, the son of Marshall and Cora Whitaker. He was the owner of Whitaker Construction Company in Kalamazoo, and was an icon in the industry, with accomplishments spanning over 5 decades that are too vast...
Elizabeth Crookston
Apr 6, 2013
Mrs. Elizbeth Crookston passed away Saturday, April 6, 2013 in Kalamazoo. She was born March 23, 1918 in Krebs, OK, the daughter of Rosario and Rose (Pietravelle) Finamore. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas A. Crookston in 1985. Also preceding her in death were two daughters, Susan Foster and Mary Elizabeth "Betsy" Budd, two sons-in-law, Jack Budd...
Sr. Sylvia Marx, CSJ
Apr 5, 2013
Passed away Friday, April 5, 2013 at Borgess Gardens. Sister was born Margaret Marx on August 24, 1915 in Detroit, MI, daughter of John and Margaret (Early) Marx. She is survived by her siblings Gertrude Schulte of Detroit, Joseph Marx of Farmington Hills, MI, and Edward Marx of Oak Park, MI; many nieces and nephews, and the Congregation of St....
Perry Allen Stuart
Apr 4, 2013
Perry Allen Stuart passed away peacefully on Thursday April 4th, 2013 surrounded by loved ones at Hoard Manor, his home. He was born July 4, 1953 in Kalamazoo, the son of Harry and Virginia (Weston) Stuart and was the youngest of five children. Perry was a huge fan of rock and roll music (especially oldies,) and collected thousands of 45...
Bernice Eleanor Brown
Apr 3, 2013
Bernice E. Brown passed away Wednesday, April 03, 2013 at Park Place Living Center. Bernice was born, May 3, 1922 in Cadillac, MI the daughter of Leo and Ethelyn (Lamphear) Sweet. She was a member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. On June 12, 1943 she was united in marriage to Howard Brown who preceded her in death on...
M. Evelyn Finder
Mar 31, 2013
Mae Evelyn Finder passed away Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013 at Friendship Village in Kalamazoo. Evelyn was born February 11, 1924 in Marietta, OH, the daughter of Milo and Amanda (Stauch) Reynolds. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Evelyn approached everyone with her "no nonsense" style. She was a long-time member of Central United Methodist Church (Muskegon, MI), UMW...
Joyce Ann Phelps
Mar 27, 2013
Joyce Ann (Christie) Phelps passed away quietly Wednesday, March 27, 2013 after a 34 year battle with MS. Joyce was born to James and Eva (King) Christie on March 15, 1951 and they took her home to grow up on the Christie farm south of Lawrence. She was the third daughter with three more siblings to follow. Her favorite pet...
Marilyn M. Cardiff
Mar 23, 2013
Marilyn M. Cardiff died March 23, 2013 at Bronson Hospital after a brief illness. Marilyn was born June 5, 1928 in Coloma, MI, the daughter of Roscoe and Hazel (Hopkins) Babcock. She graduated from Coloma High School in 1946 and then came to Kalamazoo to attend Bronson School of Nursing, from which she graduated in 1949. She worked in the...