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Obituaries

Gerald E. Shepard

Thomas Joseph Nongueskwa

Isabel "Sherry" LaFollette-Zabriskie

George E. Feldpausch

Kimberly K. Ohlemacher

Barbara Ruth Wirick

Nancy Wolf

Wayne Nargang

Doreen (Wilcox) Hawkins

Marcia Rae Davis

Aileen H. Henning, DeWitt, MI Born Aileen Hansett on March 28, 1914 in Schenectady, New York to Matthew and Zillah (Benjamin) Hansett; died Sunday, November 24, 2002 at the age of 88. In 1932, Mrs. Henning won a New York State George Washington Bi-Centennial essay contest which sent her to Washington DC where she met President Hoover in the Rose Garden.  She first met Dyle L. Henning in 1938, when giving a church conference report at the Scotia Methodist Church youth group, and they married September 9, 1939. Their first child, Dyle Gregor, was born in 1942 and their second, Holland Lisa, in 1947. Aileen and Dyle were married 60 years. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, father's second wife, Ella, sister-in-law, Elvera and her husband Louis Wilson and their daughter, Jean.

Surviving are her daughter, Holly Henning; son, Dyle Gregor and his wife, Oanh Thu Pham Henning; grandchildren, Christene, Joylynn, and Dyle David; cousin, James (Beyrl) Hansett; extended family, Ethel Mulbury and Vicki (Mark) Allen; sister-in-law's son, Charles (Carol) Wilson and their children, Susanne (Jeff) Slager, Karin (Keith) McGrath, Lisa Wilson; other relatives and many dear friends.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, November 30, 1 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 3827 Delta River Drive at Waverly Road, Lansing, with the Rev. Steve Weinberger, officiating. The family will receive friends at the Church following the Memorial service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Church or to the Michigan 4-H Foundation, (Henning Family Fund), 4700 S. Hagadorn Road, East Lansing, MI 48823 in memory of Mrs. Henning.

Mary Kay Ryan

Mary Kay Ryan died November 26, 2002 at the age of 78.  Born in Pocahontas, IL on October 12, 1924 the daughter of Alfred and Lola (Snow) Johnson.   She retired from Beck’s Farm Market after 28 years of service.  On November 12, 1949 she married Carl Kenneth Ryan and he survives her. 

Also surviving are two daughters, Patricia (Steve) Eckert & Cheryl (Gary) Boettger of St. Johns, two sons, Ronald (Amy) Ryan of St. Johns and Randal (Carol) Ryan of Maple Rapids, ten grandchildren, Kenneth Sillman, Joel Ryan, Nathan Ryan, Jared Ryan, Justin Ryan, Jamie Ryan, Todd Boettger, Craig Boettger, Tina Weber and Brent Ryan, seven great grandchildren, Michael Sillman, Angela Bennett, Tori Boettger, Ashleigh Boettger, Austin Scott Ryan, Kayta McKenzie Ryan and Katelyn Weber, and one sister, Grace (George) Decker of Mississippi.  She was preceded in death by her parents, two sons, Roger & Richard Ryan, two brothers, Alfred Johnson, Jr. and Harold Johnson, and two sisters, Rose LaRosa and Wilma Hindermeister.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 P.M. Friday, November 29, 2002 at Abbott Chapel of Osgood Funeral Homes, Maple Rapids, burial at Payne Cemetery.  The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Wednesday and 6-8 P.M. Thursday at the funeral home.   Memorials may be made to American Arthritis Association.

Barbara Ruth Wirick

Barbara Ruth Wirick died unexpectedly on November 25, 2002 in St. Johns, Michigan.  Barb and her husband Dwane were long-time St. Johns residents and spent their abundant retirement years between Naples, Florida and Birch Lake in northern Michigan. They recently made St. Johns their home again. Born on September 15, 1919 in Onsted, Michigan, Barbara was the only child of John and Bertha (Curtis) Maxwell. She graduated from Central Michigan University and taught in St. Johns Public Schools before retiring. Barbara and Dwane were married on March 28, 1942 in St. Louis, Missouri while Dwane was on active military duty.  They had four children: Jack, Susan, Deborah and Elizabeth.  Her son Jack died in an accident in 1959. Family was most important to Barbara.  She looked forward to her times with her children, grandchildren and her young great grandchildren.  Barb enjoyed bridge with friends, golf, a tough crossword puzzle and she was an avid reader. 

She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Dwane Wirick and her three daughters: Susan Kuntz, Winooski, Vermont, Deborah Sirrine and her husband John, St. Johns, Michigan, Elizabeth Yanson and her husband Christopher, Naples, Florida and six grandchildren and four great grandchildren: Kathryn Kuntz and Peter Nevin and their daughter Isabella, Aaron Kuntz and Marni Presnall and their daughter Anna, Bridget Sirrine and Stan Willis and their children Christianna and Austin,  Bekah Sirrine, Alexandra Yanson, Peter Yanson.

In addition to her son Jack, Barbara was preceded in death by her son-in-law Norbert Kuntz and her grandson, Jack Kuntz.

Funeral services will be 2:00 P.M. Wednesday, November 27 at the Osgood Funeral Home with burial at Mt. Rest Cemetery.  The Rev. Matthew Olson, First Congregational Church, will officiate the ceremonies. The Family will receive friends 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Tuesday at the funeral home. The family suggests Memorial gifts be made to the Briggs Public Library.

Nancy Wolf, St. Johns, MI Age 63, died November 24, 2002. Born February 27, 1939 in Steubenville, OH. Mrs. Wolf was a prep cook and dishwasher at Bill Knapp's in Frandor for over 30 years and also, in the childcare business at Hope Lutheran Child Development Center (DeWitt) for 8 years and 1 year at Okemos Christian Childcare Center. She was a charter member of Hope Lutheran Church of DeWitt. She was preceded in death by her brother, Leonard Woods.

Surviving are her husband of 44 years, Jack L.; 1 daughter, Cheryl A. Pugsley of St. Johns; 2 sons, Charles C. of Holt and Jack L. (Sharon) of Eagle; 8 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; 1 brother, Arthur H. (Daisy) Woods, Jr. of Toledo; 2 sisters, Laura A. Poston of Akron, OH and Anna May Walkup of Avon Park, FL.

Funeral services will be held Friday, November 29, at Noon at Hope Lutheran Church, 1180 W. Herbison, DeWitt, with the Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, Pastor, officiating. Interment will follow in Gunnisonville Cemetery, DeWitt. The family will receive friends at the church Friday 1 hour prior to the service. Those desiring may make contributions to Hope Lutheran Church, Nancy L. Wolf Memorial Fund. The family is being served by the Gorsline-Runciman Co. DeWitt Chapel.

Gerald E. Shepard,  St. Johns, MI Age 89, died November 24, 2002 at Clinton Memorial Hospital, St. Johns. Mr. Shepard was born in Ashley, MI November 7, 1913 to Archabald and Mary Jane (Robbenolt) Shepard. He graduated from Bath High School with the class of 1932 and has resided most of his life in Bath Township and St. Johns. He married Ila M. Foulds in Lansing on September 17, 1933. He was a dairy farmer and the former Clinton County Treasurer retiring in 1982. Mr. Shepard was a member of the Bath United Methodist Church, Bath Township Lions Club and Clinton County Republicans. He was Former Bath Township supervisor and the president of the Michigan County Treasurers Association 1982-1983. He is predeceased by his parents; daughter-in-law, Nancy Shepard; son-in-law, Daniel Cogswell; 2 sisters, Geneva & Velma.

Surviving are his wife, Ila M. Shepard; 2 daughters, Linda Cogswell of Lansing and Mary (Warren) Falloon of St. Johns; 2 sons, James (Judy) Shepard of Lansing and Russell (Marja Lee) Shepard of Grayling; 10 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; 1 sister, Vinu Fish of Ashley.

Funeral services will he held Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 10:00 A.M. at the Smith Family Funeral Homes, St. Johns Chapel with Pastor Nancy Besemer of Bath United Methodist Church officiating. Visitation will be Monday 2-8 P.M. with family present 2-4 & 6-8 P.M. Memorials may be given to the Bath United Methodist Church in Mr. Shepard's memory.

Thomas Joseph Nongueskwa,  DeWitt Age 80, died November 23, 2002. Born November 8, 1922 in Brutus, MI. Mr. Nongueskwa served in the Army during WWII in the 112th Regiment, 28th division and was a ex prisoner of war. He was a member of the VFW in St. Ignace and an avid traveler and outdoors man. A very special thank-you and appreciation to the caregivers at Liberty Court. He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, son, David and great-granddaughter, Abbey Curtiss.

Surviving are his daughter, Diane (Boyd) Curtiss of DeWitt; 2 sons, Michael A. (Mary Ann) Gardner of CA and Thomas R. (Susan) of DeWitt; 8 grandchildren, Russell, Cynthia, Richard, Ross, Chad, Jennifer, Stacey and Mashaun; 9 great-grandchildren, Bryant, Kyle, Taylor, Cassidy, Harley, Kirsten, Hunter, Justin and Jordan; 2 sisters, Margaret Martell of Lansing and Melvina Vertz of Trout Lake; and many, many friends.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, November 27, 10:00 AM at the Gorsline-Runciman Co. DeWitt Chapel, 111 S. Franklin, DeWitt. Interment will follow in DeWitt Cemetery, DeWitt, Michigan with Military services provided by the Edwin J. Leyanna VFW Post #671, DeWitt. The family will receive friends at the Chapel Tuesday from 7-9 PM. Those desiring may make contributions to Hospice of Lansing, 6035 Executive Drive, Suite 103, Lansing, MI 48911-5338 in memory of Mr. Nongueskwa.

Wayne Nargang, Formerly of Grand Rapids Husband, son, father, died November 22, 2002 at the age 52. Born in Waterloo, Iowa on November 30, 1949, he was the son of Glendon D. and Ala E. (Denniston) Nargang. He was an avid outdoorsmen, enjoyed camping, fishing, family pets and the Iowa Hawkeyes but the one thing he enjoyed the most, was his love for sweets. He took special delight in taking his children and their friends out for a shared social experience. Wayne was currently the C.E.O. of Clinton Memorial Hospital in St. Johns. Spectrum Health Care System and Blodgett Memorial in Grand Rapids formerly employed him. Wayne married Marti (Neill) Nargang August 10, 1974.

He is survived by his wife Marti Nargang of St. Johns; two sons, Michael Nargang of Norfolk, Va., Eric Nargang of St. Johns; one daughter, Kenzie Nargang of St. Johns; his father, Glendon Nargang of Waterloo, Iowa; and one brother, David Nargang of Waterloo, Iowa. His mother, father-in-law, Sam W. Neill, mother-in-law, Truth Neill and brother-in law, Sam Neill preceded Wayne in death.

Farewell services will be 10:30 AM, Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at Osgood Funeral Home, with Deacon Robertson officiating. The family will gather with friends 5-8 PM Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to His Children's Educational Fund or charity of your choice.

Isabel "Sherry" LaFollette-Zabriskie,  Laingsburg, Formerly of Brooklyn, NY Actor, film director, and author died of cancer on October 29, 2002 at the age of 66. Sherry was born on February 22, 1936 in Madison, WI, the daughter of Wisconsin Governor, Phillip Fox LaFollette and Isabel Bacon LaFollette and the granddaughter of Governor and Senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" LaFollette. She attended Bennington College and chose theater over politics. Her acting credits include appearing on Broadway in Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse's last play, "Tall Story". Most recently she appeared as a recurring character on the Conan O'Brien TV show. She was a member of the Screen Actors' Guild and Actors' Equity.

In 1962 she married documentary film maker, George A. Zabriskie. Together, they made dozens of films throughout much of the world. They were the first American film makers behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe. They were in Budapest during the Cuban Missile Crises. They produced films in Egypt, Western Europe, and North and South America. In Argentina they made "Far Away and Long Ago", a dramatic documentary based on William H. Hudson's book about the Argentine gaucho way of life. They produced, "Barge Music, Brahms and Olga Blume" about Brooklyn's unique floating Concert Hall. In 1974 they produced, "Summerdog", a "G" rated feature film which opened at the Guild Theater in Rockefeller Center in New York City and is still available on video.

Sherry's writing credits include the screen play for "Summerdog", a cookbook, "Empanadas" (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.) published in 1983 and "Belle" (Beaufort Books), the biography of her paternal grandmother published in 1986. Sherry's most recent employment was with the law firm of Thacher, Proffit and Wood, which, until September 11, 2001 was located in the World Trade Center.

She and her husband lived for many years in Brooklyn Heights, NY. In September of this year they moved to Laingsburg, MI to be with her family. Sherry is survived by her husband, George A. Zabriskie; her son, Oliver Zabriskie (Rebecca Mushkin) of Framingham, MA; her daughter, Tavia LaFollette (Gary Huck) of Pittsburg, PA; her granddaughter, Madeline Nunez of New York City; her brother, Robert M. LaFollette III and sister-in-law, Lou LaFollette both of Laingsburg, MI; her sister, Judith Sorem of Pullman, WA; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held in the Chapel of St. Katherine's Episcopal Church in Williamston on Saturday, November 30 at 11:30 a.m. and in New York City at Trinity Church in Manhattan next spring--date to be announced. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the caring doctors, nurses and other medical and non-medical staff of the Breslin Cancer Center and Ingham Medical Hospital. The family is being served by Gorsline-Runciman Williamston Chapel.

Doreen (Wilcox) Hawkins,  DeWitt Born May 23, 1929, in DeWitt; died November 23, 2002, at the age of 73.

Surviving are her 2 daughters, Linda (Jeff) Oman of Fremont, OH and Susan (Richard) Tate of Corunna; 3 sons, Robert (Stella) Hawkins of Owosso, Craig (Lynette) Hawkins of Bath and Kevin (Brigette) Hawkins of Fremont, OH; 15 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; her mother, Doris Wilcox; 5 brothers, Bob (Jeanne) Wilcox, Dale (Lil) Wilcox, Jack Wilcox, Richard (Kitty) Wilcox, and Wayne (Jackie) Wilcox; 1 sister, Molly (Charles) Ruble; and special friend, Mary Ann. Mrs. Hawkins was preceded in death by her father, Clifton Wilcox; 3 brothers, Bruce, Bill, and Charles Wilcox; and 1 sister-in-law, Mary Wilcox.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, November 26, at 10 a.m. at the Gorsline-Runciman Co. DeWitt Chapel, 111 S. Franklin St., DeWitt with Pastor Herb Smith of Shaftsburg officiating. Interment will follow in DeWitt Cemetery, DeWitt. The family will receive friends at the Chapel on Monday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Clinton Memorial Hospital, 901 S. Oakland, St. Johns, MI 48879, in memory of Mrs. Hawkins. The family would like to thank Mary Ann for all her kindness.

George E. Feldpausch

George E. Feldpausch,  Grand Ledge Age 78, passed away November 21, 2002. He was born February 10, 1924 in Fowler. He retired from General Motors, was a World War II U.S. Army Veteran, and a member of American Legion Cole Briggs Post #48, and VFW.

He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Helen; son, Michael of Charlotte; and daughter, Susan (Steve) DeBor of Grand Ledge; grandchildren, Alina, Matthew, Ryan, and Jeremy; and great-grandson, Conner; 3 sisters, Pearl Longanbach of Portland, Dorothy Esckilsen of Laingsburg, and Janet Folkens of DeWitt.

Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, November 26, 2002, 12:30 p.m. at St. Gerard Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. John Klein, Celebrant. Military graveside services will follow at Wacousta Cemetery. Visitation Monday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m., vigil 7:30 p.m. at Holihan-Atkin Funeral Home Grand Ledge. Memorial contributions may be made to National Kidney Foundation.

Marcia Rae Davis

Marcia Rae Davis died November 21, 2002 at the age of 65. She was born in St. Johns on May 6, 1937, the daughter of Stanley and Fannie (Conn) Weir. She was a school bus driver for 30 years with St. Johns Public Schools, a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and choir, and Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel, enjoyed flower gardening, crafts, shopping, cross stitching and aerobics. Marcia married Duane Davis in St. Johns on February 11, 1978 and he survives her. 

Also surviving are her children, Mary (Marty) Ciezadlo of Lansing, Allan (Sue) Sehlke, David Sehlke, all of St. Johns, and Pam Martin of Lansing and special grandson, Jordan Martin. Also surviving are Duane’s children, Cindy (Larry) Kindel of St. Johns, Diane (Bob) DeFauw of Saline, MI, Brian (Mary) Davis of Minneapolis and Mary (Jerry) Krupp of New Castle, IN, her mother, Fannie Weir of St. Johns, brother, Doug (Marcy) Weir of St. Johns, eight step grandchildren and two nieces. She was preceded in death by her father.  

Funeral services will be 12 Noon, Monday, November 25, 2002 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, burial at South Bingham Cemetery with the Rev. George Brinley officiating. The family will receive friends 6-8 P.M. Saturday and 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Sunday at the Osgood Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church. Sympathy may be expressed in the form of memorials to St. John’s Lutheran Church Music Fund in memory of Marcia.

Kimberly K. Ohlemacher

Kimmy K. Ohlemacher passed away November 20, 2002 at the age of 35. She was born in Lansing on June 17, 1967, the daughter of Ronald and Carole Ann (Vick) Helsel. Kim was the Director of Communications for the Michigan Restaurant Association and a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Kimmy married Matthew Ohlemacher in Las Vegas on June 6, 1993 and he survives her. 

Also surviving are two sons, Matthew and Ronnie Ohlemacher, parents, Ron and Carole Ann Helsel of DeWitt, sister, Andrea (Gregg) Reed of Kentucky, grandmothers, Helen Finkbeiner of Pontiac, MI and Victoria Vick of Flagstaff, AZ, mother-in-law, Mary Jane Ohlemacher, sisters-in-law, Janet Shepard, Lisa (Mark) Rosner, Pam (Pete) Empie, Elizabeth (Garrick) Puffer, Amy (Jason) Moorash and Ann Marie (Bill) Butcher, brother-in-law, Mark (Lori) Ohlemacher, and many nieces and nephews. 

Funeral services will be 10:00 A.M. Saturday, November 23, 2002 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, burial at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Lansing, with Rev. Fr. Eoin Murphy officiating. The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Friday at the Osgood Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to her children’s education fund.