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Obituaries |
| Diane I. (Temple) Casey | Fred Thompson |
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Lee D. Reasoner, Lansing, MI Formerly of Bath, MI Born February 10, 1915, in Holt; died February 21, 2003, at the age of 88. Mr. Reasoner was a survivor of the Bath School disaster, a graduate of J.C.A.S. and Michigan State Agricultural College, receiving a degree in Engineering. He was co-owner of R & R Hardware in Bath, worked at Oldsmobile during the war and Diamond Reo until it closed, retired as Bus Transportation Supervisor for Bath Community Schools. Mr. Reasoner was the Bath Township Clerk for 25 years, a member of the Bath Township volunteer fire department, lifetime member of the DeWitt Lodge #272 F&AM, Bath Lions Club and a founding member of the Bath Shooting Stars Square Dance Club. Mr. Reasoner was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Marie, on May 23, 2002. Surviving are his 2 daughters, Ruth Lee Gross of Lansing and Carolin (Chris) Sage of Bath; 3 grandchildren, Craig L. Mallon, HyDee M. (Christopher) Stehlik and Nicholas N. Sage; and 3 great-grandchildren, Tucker, Cannon and Shyler Stehlik. Funeral Services will be held Monday, February 24, at 2 p.m. at the Gorsline-Runciman Co. Lansing Chapel, 900 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, with Masonic Services. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Lansing. The family will receive friends at the Chapel on Sunday from 6-8 p.m. Those desiring may make contributions to the DeWitt Lodge #272 F&AM or to the Bath Lions Club in memory of Mr. Reasoner.
Fred is survived by his wife of 25 years, Ruth Thompson, his children, Brent (fiance Jessica Snyder) Thompson, Kelly Thompson and Rachel Thompson, father, Walter Thompson of Stanton, mother, Marlene Thompson of Eureka, brothers, Phillip Thompson and Lewis Thompson, both of Eureka, sister, Laura Thompson of Alma, mother-in-law, Lucille Fox of St. Johns, sisters-in-law, Pat Fox and De Smith of Battle Creek, Bernie (Greg) Wagner of St. Johns, Linda (Dan) Lee of Columbia, South Carolina and Leslie Fox of Haslett, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister, Marie Rudy, father-in-law, Hugo Fox, brother-in-law, Ken Fox and nephew, Aaron Wagner. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, February 25, 2003 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, burial at South Bingham Cemetery with Rev. Fr. Eoin Murphy officiating. The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Sunday and Monday at the Osgood Funeral Home with a Rosary prayed 8 P.M. Sunday and a Vigil service 8 PM Monday. Memorials may be made to his children’s education fund, St. Joseph Catholic Church or Hospice for Clinton County. Grand Rapids lost one of its vibrant best when Diane I. Casey died on Monday, February 17, 2003. Diane was a feisty, feminist free spirit who will be dearly missed by her family and her amazingly wide circle of friends. Born in St. Johns, Michigan in 1942, Diane received her Bachelor's Degree at Michigan State University and was a proud Master's Degree recipient from Aquinas College. Diane was a noted speaker, consultant and trainer. Her original speech, "Dare to be Average" spoke volumes about how she looked at life, yet ultimately, her life was anything but average. Her career included social service work at the Direction Center, the Kent County United Way, Grand Rapids Junior College, the YWCA, and the Women's Resource Center; the insurance industry, the Casey Insurance Agency, which she co-owned with her husband, Bill; and free-lance training and facilitating at numerous Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations, often with her sister and business associate, Mary Temple. Diane was a volunteer who made a difference wherever she served. In 1987, she was named Festival Co-Chair, and continued to be a tireless volunteer for the event throughout her life. She contributed her leadership talents as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Visiting Nurses Association, the Alumni Board of Directors of the Communication Arts and Sciences College at MSU, the Advisory Center for Teens, and the Grand Rapids Community Media Center. She involved herself with causes that stirred her heart: the local United Way, the Michigan Trails Girl Scout Council, the YWCA, Civic Theatre, and Circle Theatre. Diane was a trusted friend and confidante to many. Survivors include her husband, Bill; children, David and Mabel Casey and Damian and Molly Casey; grandchildren, Timothy and Meghan; mother, Jeanne Temple of St. Johns; brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Kathy Temple; nephews, Jeff and Andrew; sister, Mary Temple; nieces, Sarah and Rachel; and numerous friends, each of whom has a million "Diane" stories waiting to be told. The Casey family will meet friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the O'Brien-Eggebeen-Gerst Funeral Home on East Paris at Cascade Road in Grand Rapids. Services will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids. Contributions in Diane's memory may be made to Festival of the Arts or the Visiting Nurses Association.
Beulah was born on September 18, 1913 in Oakley, Michigan the daughter of John & Mary (Leiner) McKay. On January 25, 1936 she married Frank Gross Sr. in Oakley. She was a homemaker who worked at HJ Heinz Co. in Saginaw, and she retired from Universal Electric in Owosso. She loved to work in her yard and tend to her flower gardens. She also loved and enjoyed her little dog Casey. She was called Grandma by many that came to her Wixon Lake home. She resided most of her life in the Elsie area moving North to Beaverton in 1976. She is survived by her husband, Frank Gross Sr. of Beaverton, 1 son, Frank Jr. &
Jean Gross of Beaverton, 1 daughter, Mary & Jim Newvine of Chesaning, 2 very devoted
friends, Walt & JoAnn Kroll of Beaverton, 2 daughters in law, Janet Ostrander of
Elsie, and Beverly Teddy of Brant, 17 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, 30
great-great grandchildren, and many nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her
parents, 1 son, Gerald Gross, a grandson, Doug Gross, and 3 great-great grandchildren, 5
sisters, Mary Leader, Florence Eveleth, Catherine McLane, Elizabeth Law, and Alma Davis, 4
brothers, John McKay, R D McKay, Bill McKay, and James (Mac) McKay. She will be sadly
missed by her husband, family and friends.
Barbara leaves behind her loving husband of 49 years, Louis K., four sisters, Martha Brabon, Francis Allen, Kate Augustynski, and Wanda Bogart; two brothers and sisters-in-law, John (Julie) Zelenka and Joe (Irene) Bernath. Barbara was a faithful member of the St. Johns Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses and she loved sharing her hope of Eternal Life in Paradise. A Memorial Service will be held 1:00 P.M. Friday, February 28, 2003 at the St. Johns Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, 1998 N. Lansing Street, St. Johns with Elder Ron Dean officiating. Sympathy may be expressed in the form of memorials to the Kingdom Hall, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Michigan Chapter, 1421 E. 12 Mile Road, Building A, Madison Heights, MI 48071, or family choice in memory of Barbara. The family was served by the Osgood Funeral Home, St. Johns.
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Fred Thompson died February 21, 2003 at the age of 46 following a courageous
battle against cancer. He was born in St. Johns on March 21, 1956, the son of Walter and
Marlene (Jastram) Thompson. He was employed by General Motors in paint repair and was a
member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Fred married Ruth Fox in St. Johns on May 7,
1977. 
Beulah Grace McKay Gross, Age 89, beloved wife, mother and
grandmother passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2003 at her son’s home after a sudden
illness. She was from Beaverton, Michigan formerly from the Elsie area. 
Barbara Jean Minarik, age 70, passed
away on February 20, 2003 after a courageous battle with leukemia. Barbara was born
June 8, 1932 in North Star, worked in retail businesses in Downtown St. Johns for over 40
years and was well known and loved by many in the community. She was very generous
in sharing her wonderful baked goods with all her friends and family and she always had a
smile and conversation for everyone she met.