Obituaries

Stephen Bryan Zuhl, age 67, of St. Joseph passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 25, 2020. Steve, as he was known, was the son of the late Dorothy and Frank Zuhl; loving and devoted father of Megan (Raquel) and Andrew Zuhl; and soulmate to Peggy Radom. He is also survived by his loving caregiver and sister, Beverly (Chris) Dasse; and siblings: Scott Zuhl, Dave Zuhl, Jeana Gilliam and Phillip Zuhl. He was preceded in passing by a sister, Joann Dixon. Steve was a warrior and was...

Reta Jane Geisler was born Aug. 29, 1929, the daughter of Clarence and Hazel Pomeroy. She passed away at the age of 90 on March 12, 2020, at Caretel Inns of Lakeland in St. Joseph. On Dec. 30, 1951, Reta was united in marriage with David Geisler. She was a beloved mother and grandmother, farm wife and homemaker, who loved music, cooking, gardening, flowers and being with her grandkids. Reta will be deeply missed by her devoted husband, David; her daughters, Becky Clark of Seattle, Nancy...

John Ray Gipson, 63, of Lawrence passed away Monday, March 9, 2020 at home. Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, is assisting the family with arrangements. A full obituary will be forthcoming.

Stan Downey, 63, of Dowagiac entered into rest Wednesday, March 4, 2020, at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind. Stan was born May 15, 1956, in Watervliet, to Woodrow Wilson Downey and Dovie Marie (Crowder) Downey. He attended Coloma Public Schools. Stan met the love of his life, Diana, and they were married July 25, 1986. Stan was a loving husband, proud Dad and adoring Grandpa. He loved his family and being with his brothers and sisters. Stan enjoyed classic movies, westerns...

Bill Michael Purchase, 75, of Lawrence Township was born on Aug. 28, 1944, to Gerald and Genevieve (Kowalski) Purchase, both of whom precede him in passing. Bill, or Mike as he was known by most all whom knew him, passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2020, at his home. On June 22, 1974, Bill was united in marriage to the former Sandra Panter. He was formerly employed at Bosch Corporation, was a bee keeper, loved to fish and hunt, just enjoyed being outdoors and loved spending time with his...

Carmen Elaine Goodson, 65, of Hartford passed away suddenly on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo. Carmen was born March 10, 1954, in Sturgis, the daughter of Elroy and Audra (Babcock) Bupp, both of whom precede her in passing. Carmen was formerly vice president and secretary of Wiltse Fencing in Watervliet for 35 years. She loved tending to her garden, planting flowers and watching the birds –  especially her favorites, hummingbirds and eastern...

Christopher Frederick Lovelace, 59, of Dowagiac passed away suddenly on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020, at his home. Christopher was born Dec. 22, 1960, in South Bend, Ind., the son of Otho and Virginia (Francis) Lovelace, both of whom precede him in passing. Christopher was employed with North American Forest Products in Edwardsburg. Christopher is survived by two children, Cory Lovelace (Kasie Rank) and Courtney Lovelace, both of Dowagiac; five grandsons, Dylan, Julian, Gavin, Aiden and...

Juanita Nelson, 87, of Plainwell, Mich., went home to be with our Lord on Feb. 21, 2020, after a brief illness. Born to Walter and Gladys (Mann) Morgan on May 23, 1932, in Sitka, Ark., Juanita married Clyde W. Nelson on Feb. 4, 1949. He passed away on Feb. 1, 1990. Also preceding her in passing are her parents; and a daughter-in-law, Melba Nelson. Juanita and her husband lived most of their married life developing Nelson Blueberry Farm in Covert, which they proudly passed on to their...

Virginia R. Barnes, 88, of Allegan, formerly of Decatur passed away Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, at Ely Manor, Allegan. Virginia was born Dec. 23, 1931, in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of Wyman and Rosa (Kirby) Pettit, both of whom precede her in passing. Also preceding her in passing were her husband, Kenneth Barnes Sr., on July 8, 1997; a son, Kenneth Barnes Jr.; a sister, Martha Pettit; and three brothers, Arthur Pettit, Richard Pettit, and Thomas Pettit. Virginia is survived by six...

Mike Downey was born on Sept. 22, 1949, in Black Oak, Ark., to Woodrow and Dovie Downey. He left this world on Feb. 18, 2020, at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph. Mike was married to Florence (Sue) Brinsfield on Oct. 25, 1969. Two weeks after their wedding, Mike left to serve his country in Vietnam. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne. Mike and Sue are parents to Kristen (Scott) Dixon, Holly (Brandon) Wolfe and April (Mike) Brown. Being a "girl dad"...