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Obituaries |
| Emmogene R. Castner | Alice M. Henthorn |
| Alice
M. Henthorn
Surviving are one brother, John Rice of Bloomington, Illinois, one niece, Mary May of Oregon, one nephew, Charles Rice of Kentucky, 2 step-grandsons, Arthur “Charlie” (Abigail) Caudy of Wilmette, Illinois and John “Jack” (Diane) Caudy, Jr. of Grand Ledge, 2 step great grandchildren, Christopher (Dawn) Caudy of Kentwood and Kathleen Caudy of Grand Ledge, 2 step great great grandchildren, Tyler & Nicole Caudy, special friends, Susie and Dave Schroeder and their children, Tori, David and Kami Jo. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, and one brother, Thomas Rice, one step son, Arthur Carter “Buck” Henthorn and one step daughter, Evangeline Caudy. Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:00 A.M. Saturday, February 15, 2003 at St. Joseph
Catholic Church, burial at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Rev. Fr. Eoin Murphy officiating.
The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Friday at the Osgood Funeral Home
with a vigil service being prayed at 7 P.M. Memorials may be made to St. Joseph
Catholic Church or Clinton Memorial Hospital.
Emmogene is survived by her children, David Castner, Margaret Castner, Amy (John) Dush and two grandchildren, Eric and Ryan Dush. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur J. Castner and her parents, Howard and Viva Johnson. Visitation will be at the Osgood Funeral Home in St. Johns from 4-8 P.M. Thursday, February 13, 2003. A memorial service will be held at the First Baptist Church Friday, February 14, 2003 at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Tim Knaus officiating. Memorial donations can be made to Great Lakes Hospice in memory of Emmogene. Harriet L. Barber, 81, St. Clair, MI Formerly of St. Johns, MI Age 81, died February 10, 2003 in her home surrounded by her children. She was born in Standish on March 12, 1921, the daughter of Herbert and Doris (Colombe) Palmer. Harriet married William W. Barber on September 8, 1946 in Owosso. He preceded her in death on July 4, 1984. Harriet was in the retail business for over 57 years and currently owned Hayes-St. Clair, a women's apparel shop in St. Clair. She is survived by her children, David (Judy) of Surprise, Arizona, Robert of Ann Arbor, Mark (Terry) of St. Johns and Anne Sallaz of St. Clair; 6 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers, Edwin (Eva) of Pinconning, MI and Burton (Mary) of Standish, MI; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parent, Harriet was preceded in death by her step-mother, Helen Palmer. Funeral services will be 11 AM Friday, February 14, 2003 at the Osgood Funeral Home, burial at Mt. Rest Cemetery with Rev. Cayle Beagle officiating. The family will receive friends 4-8 PM Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Blue Water Hospice, 1422 Lyons, Port Huron, MI 48060. Lewis J. Schumacher, 78, of Arizona and formerly of St. Johns and Elsie, passed away Jan. 19, 2003, in Mesa, Ariz. He was born in St. Johns and spent his childhood in Elsie. He attended Michigan State University and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1943 where he served as a navigator in the 25th bomb group in World War II. He worked for an automatic sprinkler corporation in Chicago and Detroit. He was co-owner of Ace Sprinkler Corporation in Highland Park before his retirement. Mr. Schumacher was an active member of the Beaverton Lions Club and enjoyed fishing, hunting and golfing. Survivors include his loving wife, Betty; daughters, Beth (Patrick) Shoenut of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Carolyn (Fred) Tate of Grand Rapids, and Nancy (Mike) O'Brien of Battle Creek; grandchildren, Meredith, Michael, Jennifer, Katie and Kevin; brother, Guerdon (Paula) Schumacher of Beaverton; and sister Catherine Rumbaugh of St. Johns. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jacob O. and Hilda Schumacher. Services were held Jan. 21 in Mesa, Ariz. A memorial service will be held in the spring in Beaverton. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Parkinson's Foundation, Inc., 1501 N.W. 9th Ave., Bob Hope Road, Miami, Fla., 33136. Mary Lynne (Bontrager) Howd, 47, of Ithaca, died Feb. 9, at Ashley Healthcare Center following a long struggle with multiple sclerosis. She was born Oct. 26, 1955 in St. Johns to Faorl and Margaret (Schlarf) Bontrager. A 1974 graduate of Fulton High School, Mary continued her education by earning an associate degree from Montcalm Community College, and a bachelor degree in social work from Central Michigan University. She worked as a corrections officer at the Carson City Correctional Facility. She enjoyed riding horses, gardening, sewing and making crafts. Mary is survived by her two children and their families, David and Coresa Howd and their children, Gabriel, Clayton, Isaac and Monique; Sara Howd and her fiancŽ Matt Shattuck, all of St. Louis. Also surviving are her parents; her maternal grandmother, Mary Schlarf of St. Johns; two brothers, Brian Bontrager of Vermont, Duane (Marti) Bontrager of Ashley; one sister Annette Bontrager of Hemlock; and four nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Truman and Clarice Bontrager, and Glenn Schlarf. A memorial service was held Feb. 15 at the Bethel Mennonite Church (Ashley) with Rev. Joe Pendleton officiating. Memorials may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Arrangements were by Lux-Moody-Wolfel Funeral Home, Alma.
Funeral Services will be held Thursday, February 13, 2003 at 11:00 A.M. at Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie Chapel. Mr. Thomas Bradley will officiate with burial at North Star Cemetery in North Star, Michigan. Visitation will take place Tuesday from 5-8 P.M. and Wednesday from 2-4 8 6-8 P.M. Samuel was born October 14, 1910 in Chicago, Illinois the son of Steve and Julia (Michoiko) Sopocy. He attended Linley High School. On January 1, 1937 he married Anna Grigar in North Star, Michigan. Samuel resided most of his life in Ashley and Bannister, Michigan. Survivors include his wife, Anna Sopocy of Bannister, daughter, Betty Lorraine Collier of King Wood, TX, daughter, Judy (Jerry) Dick of Dewitt, daughter, Violet (Bruce) Johnson of Hanover, son, John (Marilyn) Sopocy of Bannister, son, Samuel Jr. (Connie) Sopocy of Bannister, 12 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, three sisters, one brother and one granddaughter. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society. The
family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie Chapel. Daniel Lee Brown, 57, of St. Johns, died Feb. 10, 2003 at Clinton Memorial Hospital. He was born Dec. 4, 1945 the son of Arley and Dora (Chinnery) Brown. He graduated from Lansing Eastern High School. He was a member of the DeWitt VFW and a former Victor Township 4-H Leader. He was in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam and worked for Allied Disposal for 34 years. He married Betty C. Hodge July 29, 1967 in St. Johns. Surviving are wife, Betty of Laingsburg; children, Teresa and fiance' Roy Fike of St. Johns, Kevin L. (Emily) Brown of Bath and Shawn Brown of St. Johns; grandchildren, Makayla and Shelby Brown; sister, Mary Ann Moulder and friend Bill of Lansing; brother, David (Carol) Brown of Harrison; half brother and sisters; Roy Brown of Howell, Anna Marie and fiance' Rusty of Mason, James (Shelly) Brown of Lansing; step mother, Cora (Glen) Sherwood, two sister-in-laws and one brother-in-law; several nieces and nephews. Funeral services were held Feb. 13 at Watkins Brothers Funeral Home, Laingsburg with Pastor Steve Weinberger officiating. Burial took place at Reed Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Sparrow Hospital, DeWitt VFW and 4-H Club.
Jean is survived by one daughter, Pamela (Tom) Jeppesen, Loudon, Tennessee, three sons, Gerry (Jeannie) McFee of Anoka, Minnesota, Jonnie (Mary) McFee of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Sam (Melode) Staley of St. Johns, eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. In addition to her husband, Jean was preceded in death by one grandson, Kevin Staley. Funeral Services will be 1:00 P.M. Thursday, February 13, 2003 at Osgood Funeral
Home, burial at Mt. Rest Cemetery with Rev. Matt Olson officiating. The
family will receive friends 6-8 Tuesday and 2-4 & 6-8 Wednesday with an O.E.S. Service
6:30 P.M. Wednesday. Memorials may be made to the Capital Area Humane Society,
7095 W. Grand River, Lansing, MI 48906.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jane; three daughters, Barbara A. Idzkowski (Thomas Pile) of West Virginia, Elizabeth K. Idzkowski of Charlotte, and Rebecca S. Idzkowski of East Lansing, granddaughter, Emily Jo Zuker; two brothers, Richard J. Idzkowski of Lansing and Joseph Idzkowski (Joy) of Jackson and a sister, Dorothy Matkowicz (Gene) of Crown Point, Indiana. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:00 AM Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church,
St. Johns with the Reverend Father Eoin Murphy officiating. Burial will follow
in Mt. Rest Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Osgood Funeral Home
Tuesday from 6–8 PM and Wednesday from 2–4 and 6–8 PM. with a vigil
at 7 PM. Sympathy may be expressed in the form of memorials to Sparrow Hospice
Services, 1210 W. Saginaw, Lansing, MI 48915; R.A.V.E., P. O. 472, St. Johns, MI 48879 or
The Nature Conservancy, World Wide Headquarters, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100,
Arlington, VA 22203.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, February 10, 2003 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Cyril’s Catholic Church in Bannister, Michigan. Rev. Fr. Wolfgang Streichardt will officiate with burial at Ford Cemetery, Gratiot County, Michigan. Visitation will be Sunday from 2-8 P.M. at Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie Chapel. There will also be a Rosary Service Sunday evening at 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. William was born on July 31, 1926 in Pompeii, Michigan, the son of Joseph and Anna
(Skriba) Porubsky. He married his sweetheart Florence Parks on July 7, 1951 at the
Methodist Church in Bannister, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Army and was a Korean War
Veteran. He loved hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling. He enjoyed all sports especially
baseball. Most of all he loved his family which brought him great joy. He made every
effort to attend Saturday night polkas with his wife and liked the neighborhood card
parties. He was a member of St. Cyril’s Catholic Church in Bannister and resided most
of his life in Bannister, Michigan. He is survived by his wife Florence Porubsky of Bannister, 1 son, James & Lori Porubsky of Bannister, 2 daughters, Diane & Brent Ballinger of St. Johns, Shirley & Gary Malski of Lake Orion, and 8 grandchildren, Ron, John, Jeremy, Jay, Carmen, Kara, Celia, and Joe. He was predeceased by his parents, 4 brothers, Joseph, Rudolph, Emil, and John, and 4 sisters, Mary, Anna, Julia, and Margaret. Memorials may be made to the VFW. The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral
Homes, Elsie Chapel.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. Johns Knights of Columbus and a
volunteer for St. Vincent DePaul, Meals-on-Wheels, and the Giving Tree Farm in Dewitt.
Charles also served his country as a lieutenant in the US Army during Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:00 A.M. Monday at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Rev. Fr. John Esper & Rev. Fr. Eoin Murphy con-celebrating. Graveside Services will be 2:30 P.M. Monday at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Dearborn Heights. The family will receive friends Saturday 6:00 - 7:00 P.M. and Sunday 1:00-3:00 P.M. and 6:00-8:00 P.M. at the Osgood Funeral Home, St. Johns with a Knights of Columbus rosary being prayed at 7:00 P.M. Sunday and a vigil service being prayed at 7:30 P.M. Sunday. Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Educational Trust Fund or Hospice for Clinton County. Ashton Walter Lee Sanborn, age nine months, died Feb. 6, 2003 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. He was born April 15, 2002 in St. Johns to Eugene and Karol (Suchek) Sanborn. Ashton loved to 'patty cake' and be tickled. We were blessed to have him in our care for nine months. His beautiful smile, eyes and enthusiastic wave will never be forgotten. Ashton is survived by his parents, Eugene and Karol Sanborn of Hubbardston; brother, Avery; grandparents, Harry and Jeanette Sanborn of Hubbardston and Walter Suchek of St. Johns; aunts and uncles, Paul (Karen) Suchek of DeWitt, Linda (Ernie) Walters of Hudsonville, Steve (Kim) Suchek of Lansing, Bob (Nicki) Suchek of Hubbardston, Gary (Dawn) Sanborn of Hubbardston, Cindy (Phil-Godfather) Glowacki of St. Johns, Tammy (Joe) Scheuller of Chesaning, Steven Sanborn of Hubbardston, and Dianne Sanborn-Godmother of St. Johns; many cousins and special great-aunts and uncles, Joan Bozung of St. Johns, Veronica and Bille Rozen of St. Johns, and Nancy (Sam) Alguire of Lansing. Ashton was preceded in death by his grandmother, Margaret Suchek. Funeral services were held Feb. 10 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Hubbardston with Fr. William Reitz and Fr. Jim Bozung officiating. Memorials may be made to the Make a Wish Foundation or St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Gilbert Anthony Konecny, 56, of Ithaca, died Feb. 3, 2003 at Ingham Medical Hospital in Lansing. He was born Aug. 7, 1946 in St. Johns, the son of Benjamin F. and Mary F. Sedlar Konecny. He married Glenda Peet in Ithaca April 7, 1972. He was employed by the Michigan Milk Producers Association, working as a butter churn operator. He loved fishing and participating with his Bible Study Group at the Ithaca United Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Glenda, of Ithaca; son, Michael, of Royal Oak; mother, Mary Konecny, of Durand; sisters, Ann (Monica) and Lonnie Oswald, of Ithaca and Mary (John) Geller, of St. Johns; brothers, Tony (Barb) Konecny of Durand, Fred Konecny of Durand, and Ben Konecny of Lansing. He was preceded in death by his father, Benjamin Konecny, Sr. Funeral services were held Feb. 6 at the Ithaca United Methodist Church, with the Rev. David McBride officiating. Burial in the Ithaca Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Ithaca United Methodist Church or the American Heart Association. Paul E. Fowler, 62, of Elsie, died Jan. 30, 2003, at Clinton Memorial Hospital. A private funeral service and burial was at Riverside Cemetery, Henderson. The family was served by Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie Chapel. |
Alice M. Henthorn died February 11, 2003 at the age
of 91. She was born in Waukon, Iowa March 14, 1911, the daughter of Theodore and
Florence (Ward) Rice. She was a graduate of Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and
earned her post graduate degree in surgical technology from Grace Hospital in Detroit.
Alice retired as a Registered Nurse in 1970. She was a member of St. Joseph
Catholic Church, Ladies Altar Society, Michigan Nurses Association and an honorary member
of the Clinton Memorial Hospital Auxiliary having volunteered at the CMH Gift Shop for 33
years. On August 23, 1940, she married Dr. Arthur C. Henthorn in South Bend, Indiana
and he preceded her in death May 15, 1970. 
Emmogene R. Castner, age 75, went home to be with her Lord and
Saviour on February 12, 2003. Emmogene was born August 4, 1927 in Isabella County. She was
a member of the First Baptist Church in St. Johns, MI where she taught Sunday School for
many years. She was a homemaker, enjoyed gardening, helping on the farm and doing things
with her family. She resided most of her life in the St. Johns area. 
Samuel John Sopocy age 92 of Bannister,
Michigan passed away Sunday, February 9, 2003 at his home. He was a Machine Operator at GM
in Flint and Midland-Ross in Owosso. He was also a farmer who loved animals. 
Jean M. Staley died Sunday, February 9, 2003 at the age of 78. She was
born in Calumet, Michigan July 28, 1924 the daughter of John and Marian (Harrison)
Gerry. Jean was a member of the First Congregational Church, St. Johns Womens Club
and Order of Eastern Star. On June 18, 1965, she married Jeddie Staley and he
preceded her in death April 22, 1988. 
Edward Anthony Idzkowski, age 79 died February 9,
2003 at home. Edward was born March 22, 1923 to Joseph and Amelia Idzkowski in Whiting,
Indiana and grew up in East Chicago, Indiana. Ed served in the Army Air Corp as a
machinist during WW II and achieved the rank of sergeant. Following World War II, Ed
graduated from MSU in 1950 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a member of
Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. On August 2, 1952, Ed married Jane Anderson in East
Lansing. Ed and Jane moved to St. Johns where he was employed by Federal Mogul as an
engineer. Ed became the Chief Engineer and later the Plant Manager. In the early 1970s Ed
left Federal Mogul and purchased the FC Mason Co. and served as president until his death.
The FC Mason Co. holdings include Maco Tool and Engineering with locations in St. Johns
and Blacksburg, VA and part owner of AGCO of St. Johns. Ed served on the Board of
Directors of Old Kent Bank in St. Johns for over 25 years and on the Board of Directors of
Bement Public Library. Besides the love for his family and friends, he was a devoted
businessman and loved fishing, canoeing, gardening. Two daughters, Joan M. Zuker and
Christine J. Idzkowski, preceded Ed in death. 
William D. "Bill" Porubsky, Age 76 of
Bannister, Michigan passed away Saturday, February 8, 2003 at Carson City Hospital in
Carson City, Michigan. He farmed all his life, which included trucking and dairy farming.
He was also employed at Motor Wheel. 
Charles E. "Chuck" Wieser died Saturday,
February 8, 2003 at the age of 73. He was born April 18, 1929 in St. Marys, Ohio the
son of Lawrence and Rose (Danaher) Wieser. He earned his masters degree from Ohio
State University and was a certified public accountant retiring in 1994 as a senior
financial officer for an industrial company. Charles was a member of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accounts, Michigan Association of Certified Public
Accountants and the Financial Executives Institute.