Obituaries

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Thomas F. Carter

Joseph P. Moriarty

Sharon M. Taylor-VanAcker

Daniel G. Bross

Dorothy Lucille Beck

D. Jean Leon

Mabel H. Jones

Jeffrey P. "Max" Ballinger

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Dorothy Lucille Beck

beck_dorothy.jpg (6184 bytes)Dorothy Lucille Beck, age 90, of Ashley, MI died Saturday, September 6th, 2008 at Ashley Care Center. Funeral Services will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes St. Johns Chapel on Wednesday, September 10th at 1:00 P.M. , Son, Dr. Nolan "Whiz" Beck, will share thoughts for the family. Visitation will be held on Monday and Tuesday from 2-8 P.M. with family present 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. Burial will take place in Eureka Cemetery, Eureka, Michigan.

Lucille was born in Ashley, Michigan on March 25, 1918, the daughter of Roy Carl and Wilhelmina (Reinhardt) Hoff. She graduated from Ashley High School with the class of 1936. On October 24, 1936 she married Paul R Beck in and made Ashley their home their entire lives. Paul and Lucille started their own business running free shows throughout the Central Michigan area. She was a rural letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 27 years until 1967. During the spring of 1969, Lucille and Paul, with their children, opened Beck Furniture and Carpet; which they ran until Paul's death on March 13, 1994. Their commitment to loyal customers and friends kept them in business for 58 years on Main Street, Ashley. In the 1960's, Lucille and Paul, along with the Ashley Citizens Committee, fought relentlessly and successfully to save the Ashley Public School from consolidating. In 1962, they helped organize and start the Maple Valley Nursing Home. She was a member of the O.E.S. Her hobbies included hunting, fishing, playing bridge, and bowling. She loved to travel and visit family and friends throughout the world, which took her to Drummond Island and Crystal Falls, Michigan, Hyattville and Laramie, Wyoming, Chiengmai, Thailand and Victoria, Australia, and Alaska. Her family, especially her children and grandchildren were a very important part of her life and was proud of them. Lucille was known for always having food and coffee available whenever somebody would stop in.

She is survived by her daughter Brenda Beck (Anne Bouts) of Australia; three sons Paul Roy (Bilma) Beck of St. Johns, Nolan "Whiz" (Debbie) Beck of Marathon, WI;, Terry (Sherri) Beck of Ashley, grandchildren Arunee "Zoom" Beck and Boon (Bouts), Martin, Matthew, Holly, Travis, Heidi, Tyler, Troy, Brandon, Katie, Stephanie, and Paul Beck; two great grandchildren Heather and Amber Beck; and one great-great grandchild, Kacey Beck. Her parents and husband preceded her in death.

The family requests any donations be made to the Lucille Beck Memorial Fund; which will be used for some of her favorite organizations. The family is being served by
Smith Family Funeral Homes St. Johns Chapel.

Thomas F. Carter

carter_thomas.jpg (5919 bytes)Thomas F. Carter, 82, passed away peacefully Monday, September 08, 2008 surrounded by his loved ones at Hospice House in Lansing. Tom was born Nov. 9, 1925 in Cumberland City, TN. the son of William L. and Mildred (Pero) Carter. He married Barbara J. Moy on June 8, 1946 in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom was a veteran of the Merchant Marines during WWII, worked as a bridge builder for Raff and Dexter for several years and had retired from General Motors in Lansing where he was a die guard builder at plant 3. Tom was a dog breeder of Sheltie’s, wood toy maker enthusiast, coin collector, World War II and American History buff, and was a passionate loving father, grandfather and great grandfather.

Survived by his wife Barbara, sons Thomas (Karen) Carter of Las Vegas, Richard W. (Kelly) Carter of Buffalo, N.Y., daughters Karen (Roger) Schultz of Ovid, Kitty (Keith) Beard of Cleveland, TN, and Claire Carter of St. Johns.10 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 7 great great grandchildren.Sister in law, Jeanne Carter of Oregon.Preceded in death by his parents and brother William Carter.

Funeral services will be held at Keck-Coleman Funeral Home on Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Rick Alcarez officiating. Burial will follow at South Bingham Cemetery. The family requests memorial donations be made to Sparrow Hospice Services. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday, Sept 11, 2008 2-4 and 6-8 P.M.

Joseph P. Moriarty

moriarty_joseph.jpg (5152 bytes)Joseph P. Moriarty died September 6, 2008 at the age of 93. He was born in Hudson, MI on December 5, 1914, the son of Joseph R. and Eva (Peter) Moriarty and lived most of his life in St. Johns. He was a welder at the Demmer Corporation and the John Bean Company for 22 years, drove bus in the City of Lansing for 10 years and worked for Michigan Sugar for four years. On February 18, 1939 he married Pauline B. Armour and she preceded him in death on June 27, 1999 after 60 years of marriage.

He is survived by one daughter, Carol Skorna of St. Johns, two sons, Earl (Agnes) Moriarty of St. Johns, and Michael Moriarty of Gaylord, eight grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren and special friend Dorothy Harris. In addition to Pauline, Joe was preceded in death by one brother, James Gibbons, and two sisters, Marian Satterlee and Edra Dupree.

Funeral services will be at 11A.M., Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at Osgood Funeral Home, St. Johns, burial at Mt. Rest Cemetery, with Rev. Hugh Banninga officiating. The family will receive friends on Monday 2-4P.M. and 6-8P.M. at the funeral home. Sympathies may be expressed in the form of contributions to Clinton Memorial Hospital or Sparrow Home Hospice.

D. Jean Leon

leon_jean.jpg (4995 bytes)D. Jean Leon died September 4, 2008 at the age of 89. She was born in Mankato, Minnesota on April 29, 1919, the daughter of Ward Edward and Ethel (Roberts) Kuentzel. She graduated from DePauw University with a B.S. degree in English and Home Economics and was a registered dietician for Pontiac General Hospital. Jean married James Leon in Rochester, Michigan on August 28, 1965 and he preceded her in death on July 2, 1998.

Surviving are her son, James W. (Linda) Tavener of Crownsville, MD, daughters, Ann (Dick) Birrenbach of Florida and Christy Soule, stepson, Robert J. (Lorraine) Leon of Carrolton, TX, stepdaughter, Dr. Linda Leon of Lancashire, England, four grandchildren, four step grandchildren and sister, Jane Maulbetsch of Ann Arbor. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents.

Funeral services will be Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 1:00P.M. at the Osgood Funeral Home with Rev. Hugh Banninga officiating. The family will receive friends for two hours prior to the service at the funeral home. Sympathy may be expressed in the form of memorials to Habitat for Humanity.

Mabel H. Jones

jones_mabel.jpg (6158 bytes)Mabel Helen Jones went to be with the Lord on September 2, 2008, at the age of 86. She was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma on June 29, 1922, the daughter of Otto and Helen (Bryant) Hansens. She was a hardworking, dedicated, retired custodian for the St. Johns Public Schools and a devoted member of the Rebekah Lodge. Mabel married William Jones, Sr. on March 8, 1945 and he preceded her in death on August 10, 1971.

Surviving are her two sons, Bill (Sandy) Jones and Ken (Judy) Jones of St. Johns. Mabel was a loving grandmother of five grandchildren, Nathan (Wendy) Jones of St. Johns, Michael (fiancée Sara Heibeck) Jones of St. Johns, Amanda (friend Todd Schultz) Jones of Manton, Kendra (Mike) McNamara of St. Johns and Kelly (Marty) Chapko of St. Johns. Also surviving are her ten great-grandchildren, two brothers, Albert Hansens and John Hansens and three sisters, Hazel Johnson, Alice Dowers all of Oklahoma and Edna Anthony of Washington.

Graveside services where she will be laid to rest will be on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 1:00P.M. at Mt. Rest Cemetery with Pastor Tom Wilson officiating. Sympathies may be expressed in the form of contributions to the Clinton County Senior Center or the Rebekah Lodge. The family was served by the  Osgood Funeral Homes.

Sharon M. Taylor-VanAcker

vanacker_sharon.jpg (3682 bytes)Sharon M. Taylor-VanAcker passed away on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the age of 56. She was born on January 19, 1952 in Lansing. To all that knew her she was a source of inspiration. Although she had been ill for much of her short life, she always had a light in her eyes and a smile on her face. Her fight with cancer of the larynx in her twenties led to the removal of her larynx and the loss of her voice. She never lost her positive attitude and strength to overcome her illness. She headed a support group for people who had lost the use of their larynxes called the "New Tones". In 1992 she was invited to attend a Norwegian Cancer Society voice conference in Oslo, Norway where she instructed others on how to speak with pitch and tone using a breathing control device to help others learn to speak. In her early forties she suffered a massive stroke and was not expected to recover. Her strength and spirit aided in her recovery, but her ability to speak was lost. Those that knew her agree that her eyes and her smile spoke for her when words could not. Her greatest source of happiness was her family and friends. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and sister. She was a role model to many, especially her children. Her love, strength and commitment will never be forgotten. She enjoyed watching her grandchildren play and laugh. She will be greatly missed but the memories of her will be cherished.

She is survived by her husband Dale VanAcker, daughters, Julia (Rick) Prins, Jacqueline Hagerman, Lori (John) Suhr and Elizabeth Taylor; son Andrew (Kristin) Hagerman; step daughters, Brooke and Lindsey VanAcker; grandchildren, Johnathon, Brianna, Bryce, Serenity, Alyssa, Sydney, Caden, Maia, D’Marko, D’Juan; her sister Wanda (Larry) Howell and brother Rick Carlson. She was preceded in death by her mother LeVona Conklin and her brother Carl Carlson. It was Sharon’s wish to have her earthly body donated to Michigan State University, Department of Anatomy Willed Body Program.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, September 10th from 2-4 and 6-8 at Keck-Coleman Funeral Home, St. Johns. In her final two weeks of life she was loved and cared for by a special group of people at the Eaton Community Hospice. Memorial donations may be made to Eaton Community Hospice, 2675 S Cochran Charlotte, MI 48813 so that others can be cared for with love and comfort at the end of life.

Jeffrey P. "Max" Ballinger

ballinger_max.jpg (3975 bytes)Jeffrey P. "Max" Ballinger died Friday, September 5, 2008 at the age of 47. He was born December 25, 1960 in St. Johns the son of Max and Onalee (Bullard) Ballinger. Jeff was a 1979 graduate of St. Johns High School, a member of U.A.W. Local #652 and a retired General Motors employee. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and was an avid sports fan, especially MSU sports. "Max" played slow-pitch softball for several years, loved spending time with his family and enjoyed fishing and hunting, especially deer camp. On October 3, 1981 he married Bev Stump and she survives him.

Also surviving is daughter, Tiffany; son, Max; his mother, Onalee Ballinger; brother, Brent (Diane) Ballinger, and parents-in-law, Eugene and Thelma Stump all of St. Johns and many brothers and sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Max and a brother Lynn.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00 a.m. Monday, September 8, 2008 at St. Joseph Catholic Church 109 Linden St. Johns with Rev. Fr. Eoin Murphy as celebrant. Rite of Committal will follow at Mt. Rest Cemetery. The family will receive relatives and friends 6-8 p.m. Saturday and 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Sunday with a 7:00 p.m. Sunday Vigil Service at Keck-Coleman Funeral Home, St. Johns. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ballinger Children Education Fund, in care of Clinton County Federal Credit Union 1200 Zeeb Dr. St. Johns, MI 48879.

Daniel G. Bross

Daniel George "Dan" Bross, 67, of Traverse City, died Saturday, August 16, 2008, at Munson Medical Center with his loving family by his side.

Dan was born February 22, 1941 in Lansing to the late Hiram and Hila Bross. He married Susan Parks on June 3, 1967, at the Central Methodist Church in Lansing. Dan worked at Meijer for 26 ½ years in the loss prevention unit. Nature, gardening, and animals were things Dan enjoyed being around. Dan was also a Mason.

Surviving Dan is his wife of 41 years, Susan; children, Kisandra Sue and Terry Daniel Bross; sister-in-law, Judy Millar; and many cherished family cats.

A memorial service was held at 7 p.m. on August 19, 2008, at the Masonic Lodge in Traverse City. Burial was at Mt. Rest Cemeter in St. Johns.  The family was served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, Traverse City.