Obituaries

Jan 12, 2023

Paul Ray Abnet II, 56, of Paw Paw, passed away Thursday, January 12, 2023, at the Rose Arbor Residence in Kalamazoo.

He was born March 8, 1966, in Kalamazoo, the son of Paul Ray Abnet and Sandra May (LaPine) Oakleaf.

Paul was a loving and supportive father to his son, Dylan. He loved attending Dylan's...

Jan 10, 2023

Ernest Guy Cramer, 88, of Lawton, passed away peacefully, Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at his home.

Ernie was a lifelong Lawton resident, born in Paw Paw, on November 12, 1934, to Charles Cramer and Winifred (Brown) Cramer. Ernie was a hardworking man that took care of his family. Known by others as "Mr. Fix It" there wasn't...

Jan 10, 2023

Our precious Mother, Josefa Rangel Romo, went to her eternal home in Heaven on January 10, 2023 at 2:05pm.  She passed peacefully surrounded by her most treasured blessings; her children.

Josefa, who went by Josie, was born on September 28, 1933 in Schleicher, Texas.  Josie was one of eight children.

Josie was attending a dance...

Jan 10, 2023

Cecil Thomas Eddy, age 78 of Paw Paw, passed away in his sleep on January 10, 2023. He was born on July 30, 1944, to Hulon and Dolly Eddy. Cecil married the love of his life, Betty Carol Mills, on December 7, 1964. They had 3 children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather,...

Jan 10, 2023

Rita “Darlene” McAuliffe-Craig, age 80 of Lawrence, died on January 10, 2023. She was born on January 7, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Mayme Polich. Darlene was a graduate of Lindblom Tech High School. She married Ed McAuliffe and the couple moved to Southwest Michigan in 1980. She retired as a billing clerk from Crystal Flash in...

Jan 9, 2023

Marty Galbraith led a life that simply cannot be summed up in a paragraph. He was born in Chicago, IL on February 4th, 1961 to Marilyn and Marshall Galbraith. He spent his young years in the city, developing his love for sports and his Chicago Bears, before moving to Paw Paw, MI where he grew up and became such...

Jan 8, 2023

Greg began his life in Hart, Michigan, July 15, 1961, son to the late Bernard Leo Schaner and Margaret Mary (Jensen) Schaner. He was one of ten children, having seven sisters and two brothers. Greg was an avid outdoorsman and had a passion for hunting, especially deer hunting. He was also an avid fisherman, often on the Paw Paw...

Jan 7, 2023

William Scott Conklin, 61, of Lawrence, passed away Saturday, January 7, 2023, at his home.

He was born December 8, 1961, in Paw Paw, the son of William Glenn Conklin and Fern Elizabeth (Crippen) Conklin.

Scott was raised in Lawrence and graduated from Lawrence High School class of 1980. Following his graduation, he enlisted in...

Jan 1, 2023

David was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on August 22, 1987, to Marcia Hoke (Heuser) and Scott Reed. He was killed in a tragic accident on January 1, 2023.

He was an incredibly devoted father, husband, beloved son and brother.

David was an extremely talented welder, metal fabricator and artist. He founded David Reed Welding. He...

Jan 1, 2023

Barbara Jean Evans, 77, of Paw Paw, passed away Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Barb was born in Hammond, Indiana, September 2, 1945, the daughter of Casimir Tyrka and Ella (Artim) Tyrka.

Word searches and criminal Tv shows occupied much of Barb's free time. She loved nature and enjoyed feeding and watching the hummingbirds around her...

Jan 1, 2023

Mary Veronica Dick, 77, of Lawrence, MI, passed away Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Mary's life began in Paw Paw on June 24, 1945, daughter to the late Waldo Dick and Hellen (Fritz) Dick. Mary grew up on the family farm in Lawrence with her two brothers. She lived on the farm her entire life. She graduated from...

Dec 30, 2022

Lawrence Lee Glidden, 83, of Paw Paw, Michigan, passed away on December 30, 2022, at his home with loved ones.

Lawrence, known as Larry, was born September 4, 1939, in Lawrence, Michigan, the son of Glenn Glidden and Nettie (Banks) Glidden.

He graduated from Paw Paw High School in 1959. During high school he played...

Dec 26, 2022

Norman Raymond Pfeifle, 85, of Paw Paw, MI, passed away Monday, December 26, 2022, at Bronson Lakeview Hospital.

He was born May 14, 1937, in Ashley, North Dakota, the son of Gottlieb G. Pfeifle and Emilia (Goltz) Pfeifle.

Norm grew up on a "small" thousand-acre farm in North Dakota, where he began school in a...

Dec 25, 2022

William Ward Phillips was born in Chicago on October 16, 1938, to Walter and Eva Phillips and was raised in Decatur Michigan.  He married his loving wife Ruth, and they celebrated 59 years this past June.

Throughout his life, Bill served his community by serving in several different capacities in the Masons, Shriners, and both the Portage...

Dec 25, 2022

Chester E. Merwin, 68, of Paw Paw, MI, passed away Sunday, December 25, 2022, at his home in Paw Paw with his family by side.

Chet was born in Battle Creek, MI, on May 13, 1954, the son to the late Forrest Merwin and Marian (French) Merwin.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela (Bean)...

Dec 24, 2022

Carol Irene Lowes (Belsey) was born at home in Midland, Ontario Canada, May 3, 1934, the fifth of six children to Dora and Alfred Belsey. She married Hubert Lowes July 3, 1954. Hugh, husband and best friend, preceded her in death May 25, 2010. Five children were born from this union: Timothy (Kimberly) Lowes, Kimberlay (Michael) Meyers,...

Dec 21, 2022

Sandra Mitchell Wallace, 76, Paw Paw, passed away December 21, 2022. She was born August 18, 1946, in Paw Paw, the daughter of the late Dorothy (Klazura) and Joseph Mitchell. Sandy was a graduate of Paw Paw High School Class of 1964, and Kalamazoo School of Practical Nursing in 1966. She worked at Lakeview Hospital Emergency Room for 12...

Dec 20, 2022

Maynard Lewis Hewitt, 90, of Gobles, passed away Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at his home in Gobles with his loving wife and dog, Lola, at his side. He was born September 15, 1932, in Kalamazoo, the son of O.D. Hewitt and Sarah (Harris) Hewitt.

In his early years, Maynard developed his love for baseball. He was an...

Dec 20, 2022

Mary Louise Sherburn passed away December 20, 2022, at home with many family members in attendance, surrounding her with love, prayers and memories.

Mary was born November 28, 1934, in Unionville, Michigan to Alois and Helen (Kata) Pachner.  She was nicknamed Mary Lou by her brother Leon.  As a child she lived in a few places in...

Dec 14, 2022

James passed away far too soon, on December 14, 2022 from Stage 4 melanoma.  He died at home with his wife beside him.

While his birth certificate reads “James Stephen Koehn,” few ever called him that.  He more often responded to, “Jimmy”, “Jim”, “James”, “Mr. James”, “Jimmy Bonz” or “Chief.” Regardless of what name you used, James...