Obituaries

Bonnie Sue Lindley, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Lawrence Township, at the age of 73, on Feb. 21, 2021. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Bonnie was born on June 4, 1947, to Bud and Dorothy Roper in Paragould, Ark. She married Bill Lindley on Mar. 6, 2006, and she worked at Consolidated/Sealed Power from 1966-2009. She retired after 43 years of service. She will...

Mary Wanda Phillips, 89, of Coloma passed away Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Hartford Township. Mary was born April 13, 1931. in Pleasant Grove, Ark., the daughter of Robert and Opal (Rhodes) Southard, both of whom precede her in passing. Also preceding her in passing are her husband, George; two sons: Gary and Kenneth; two sisters; and one brother. Mary was formerly employed at Midwest Timers in Hagar Township. She loved gardening and tending to her flower beds and cooking, but her most...

Rusty Ray Phillips, 41, of Lawrence passed away suddenly Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Rusty was born March 8, 1979, in Berrien Springs, the son of Randy and Sharon (Yawberry) Phillips. He dedicated his life to his children, whom he loved dearly. He loved to fish and hunt. Rusty is survived by three children: Tarynn, Delaney, and Maddox; his parents; a brother, Shawn (Michelle) Phillips of Hartford; a grandmother, Charlotte Phillips of Watervliet; his girlfriend, Maggie Wilkinson of Dowagiac;...

Norine Lucille (Bisnett) Arnt went to meet her savior on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. She was born on Oct. 1, 1928, in her parents’ farmhouse in Keeler Township. She was the second youngest in a large family of 11 siblings. While they never had a lot of money, there were plenty of hand me downs, food, and an abundance of love. To have enough students to keep Sykes School open, Norine attended at age 4. In seventh grade, she kept herself busy doing the eighth-grade work as well, so her...

Thomas Willard Cross, 66, of Lawrence passed away Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. Thomas was born May 20, 1954, in Paw Paw, the son of Willard and Betty Cross. He was an accomplished welder, who could fix just about anything. He was very active in the Lawrence community, serving as a member of the township board for several years. In his spare time, he was an avid racer at heart, whether it was building cars or working on them, loved to fish, enjoyed...

Diana Lynn Eaton, 69, of Hartford, formerly of Kalamazoo passed away suddenly at home on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. She was born on Jan. 21, 1951, to Wallace and Bettye (Wood) Harvey in Kalamazoo. She was raised by her mother and step-father Wilbur Long. She worked as a CNA with home health care for several years. She enjoyed reading, watching her favorite TV shows especially Jeopardy and playing games on her tablet. Diana is survived by her daughters: Ronda (Erick) Johnson of...

Terry Lee Simons, 65, of Keeler Township passed away Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, at Rose Arbor Hospice Center, Kalamazoo. Terry was born Feb. 23, 1955, in Kalamazoo, the son of Frank and Iva (Flett) Simons, both of whom precede him in passing. He is also preceded in passing by four brothers: Donald Simons, Richard Simons, Frank “Sonny” Simons and Robert Simons; three sisters: Rita Reaume, Brenda Keckler and Dorothy Cole; and a stepsister, Jean Ann Flett. Terry was heavily...

Patricia Ann Chappell-Gerencser, 80, of Hartford passed away Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, at Pine Ridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Stevensville. Pat, as she was known by most everyone, was born in Bangor on April 17, 1940, the daughter of Allen and Marian (Smith) Prouty. She graduated from Hartford High School in the class of 1957. She was formerly employed as a secretary in the Hartford Public School System. Her most special times were spent with family and friends, especially her...

Jerome (Bud) Henry Pitcher, 89, of Hartford passed away Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph. Bud was born Aug. 2, 1931, in Watervliet Township, the son of Jerome and Ethel Pitcher, both of whom preceded him in passing. Also preceding him in passing were five sisters and one brother. Bud was formerly employed at Haxon Dairy, Watervliet, as a milk delivery man. In the early 1960's, he purchased The Dairy Bar in Hartford, which became the “go to”...

Christine Elaine Tillman, 66, of Galien passed away Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph. Christine was born June 15, 1954, in Benton Harbor, the daughter of Charles and Caroline (Zachary) Avery, both of whom precede her in passing. Also preceding her in passing are a sister, Pamela Champ; and a brother, Lawrence Avery. Christine was a 1972 graduate of Hartford High School. She was the families “lynchpin”, knowing when everyone’s birthday and...