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Obituaries in 1997
Hartford Michigan |
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Please email the webmaster if you have obituaries of
people who have lived in Hartford Michigan, or was active
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Nadine J.
MCLAUGHLIN – Age 66, of Hartford, formerly of Otsego,
died Tuesday, November 11, 1997 at her home after a lengthy
illness.
She was born July 22, 1931 in Otsego to John and Bessie
(RANDALL) GREN. She co-published the Shopper’s Guide with her
husband, Bill for 26 years. She was a member of the Immaculate
Conception Catholic Church of Hartford, and an avid bowler and
bingo player.
Surviving are her husband, Bill whom she married
February 7, 1948 in Otsego; children, Mike MCLAUGHLIN of
Rochester, NY, Linda (Ron) LANGSTON of Stevensville, Ron (Cindi)
MCLAUGHLIN of Benton Harbor, Patti (Gerald) DYCHE of Paw Paw;
several grandchildren.
She was preceded in
death by her parents; 3 brothers; and 3 sisters.
Visitation 6-8 p.m. this evening at Calvin Funeral Home
Hartford, MI and 2-4 and 6:30-9:00 pm. Thursday at the
Winkel Funeral Home, Otsego, where the Rosary will be recited
Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated
10:00 a.m. Friday, November 14, at St. Margaret Church, Otsego,
with Bishop Paul V. Donovan, Celebrant. Burial in St. Margaret
Cemetery, Otsego. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Van Buren
County or West Michigan Cancer Center, Kal.
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Arvon McKinley Collins,
96, of Watervliet, died Nov. 2, 1997 at Golden Place in St. Joseph.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1997 at
Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet, with the Rev. Len Schoenherr
officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service on
Wednesday at the funeral home. Interment will be in Crystal Springs
Cemetery in Benton Harbor. Memorials may be made to the First United
Methodist Church of Watervliet, of which he was a member.
Mr. Collins was born Sept. 13, 1901, in Pipestone Township, to
the late Albert and Clara (Bailey) Collins. He attended the Collins
School and graduated from Eau Claire High School in 1920. He
graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Agricultural
College in 1924 and received a M.A. degree from the University of
Michigan in 1945. He was
principal at Hartford High School for 21 years, retiring in 1964.
He was a life member of Henry Chamberlain Masonic Lodge No.308 F&AM;
life member of Eastern Star No.232; member of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite Club; member Low 12 Club; member of the Michigan
Education Association; member of Berrien County Retired Teacher
Association; and a member of North Berrien County Historical
Society.
On June 25, 1927 in Eau Claire, he married Ruth (LaPlant)
Collins. She preceded him in death in 1986. Survivors include: two
daughters – Mrs. Donna (Roland) Hays of Coloma and Mrs. Yvonne
(Max) Brand of Fort Wayne, Ind.; nine grandchildren; and 16
great-grandchildren.
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Myrtle M. Dyer, 93, of Hartford, Michigan passed away
Saturday, August 23,1997, at County side Nursing Home in South
Haven, Michigan.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 26, at Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. Visitation was held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Monday at the funeral home. Interment was at Maple Hill Cemetery,
Hartford.
Myrtle was born [to
Charles & Dora Belle Srackangast Robinson]
September 2,1903,
on a farm on the north side of Hartford. She loved to tell the story
about, when she was a little girl, sending a letter to Santa Claus
asking him for a toy stove and a pan with a lid on top. On Christmas
morning, she received a miniature cast iron stove, a pan and a lid,
which she still had. Since that day, Christmas and Santa Claus had
been a very big part of her life.
She was married on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1924, to Raymond
Dyer. They lived and worked on a farm on the south side of Hartford,
and he preceded her in death in 1959. Myrtle was also lovingly
referred to as "The
Popcorn Lady" from her 25 years of
service at the Heart Theater in Hartford.
Myrtle had many hobbies, including a collection of thousands of
Santa Claus cards dating back to 1903. She also loved sending cards
and letters to friends and family, including letters to soldiers
during World War II and the Korean War. Another hobby of Myrtle’s
was writing poetry, which included poems for anniversaries,
birthdays, and on the births of her great-grandchildren.
Survivors include: three children —
William
(Virginia) Dyer, Robert (Eleanor) Dyer, and Nancy (George) Huffman;
seven grandchildren — Karol (Donald) Kvorka, Jamie (Carol) Dyer,
Richard (Pamela) Dyer, Denis (Dawn) Huffman, Janet (Joseph)
Camilleri, David Huffman, and Annette (Dave) Huffman-Krause; 12
great-grandchildren—Kristine and Kimberly Kvorka, Krystal Dyer, Andy
and Tim Dyer, Kyle and Jami Huffman, Joshua and Ty Huffman, Brianna
Huffman, and Emma and Anna Camilleri.
Life in a Little Town
(one of Myrtle’s favorite poems)
I like to live in a little town
Where the trees meet across the street;
Where you wave your hand and say, "Hello",
To everyone you meet.
I like to stand for a moment
Outside the grocery store
And listen to the friendly gossip of
The folks that live next door.
For life is interwoven
With the friends we learn to know
And we hear their joys and sorrows
As we daily come and go.
So I like to live in a little town
I care no more to roam.
For every house in a little town
Is more than a house, It’s home.
NOTE:
Myrtle was a 1923 Hartford High School graduate.
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Parnelli K. Gregory,
34, of Paw Paw, formerly of Hartford, beloved husband, father, son
and friend, died Friday, July 25, 1997 at Lakeland Medical Center,
St. Joseph.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, July
28, 1997, at Hartford Federated Church, with Pastor Timothy Nyhuis
of the Hartford Federated Church presiding. Burial will be at
St. Mary’s Cemetery, Paw Paw. Visitation will be held from 5
to 7 p.m. today at Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford. Memorial
contributions may be made to the Gregory Children’s Trust Fund. Mr. Gregory was born June 12, 1963,
in South Haven to Roscoe and Irma (Calabrese) Gregory. He was
a member of Hartford Federated Church. For the past two years
he was employed at Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor Division and
formerly was employed by Patterson Printing, Benton Harbor for nine
years.
Survivors include his wife, Ellen (Kawka)
Gregory, whom he married Aug. 27, 1988, in Paw Paw; a daughter,
Briana Gregory at home; his mother, Irma Gregory of Hartford; and
many dear aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He was preceded
in death by his father, Roscoe Gregory, in 1985.
The following article appeared in the Herald Palladium:
Paw Paw man dies in crash A 34-year-old Paw Paw man died Friday after a
two-car head-on collision on westbound Interstate 94 in Benton
Township, according to a township police press release.
Parnelli Keith Gregory died in a 9:15 a.m. crash after
his westbound pickup truck collided with an eastbound car that had
crossed the median near the Interstate I-96 junction, sergeants
Michael Krugh and Kim Fowler said. The driver of the
eastbound car, Roger Gibbs of Hartford, was taken by Medic I to
Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph.
Gibbs was reported in fair condition, as hospital
spokeswoman said. The accident remains under investigation.
Note: Parnelli
was a 1981 Hartford High School graduate.
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Anna Cecelia
Chidester, a lifelong resident of Hartford, Michigan, died
Tuesday, April 1, 1997, at her home.
A private graveside service was held Friday at Maple
Hill Cemetery, Hartford. Arrangements were made by Calvin
Funeral Home, Hartford. The family has asked that any
memorials be made to the Hartford United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Chidester was born on August 5, 1909. She
was co-owner of Mi-Ladies Dress Shop in Hartford from 1954 through
1978.
Survivors include: Her only daughter,
Dona
(Chidester) Sherman, and her son-in-law,
Leroy Sherman of Hartford;
a sister, Mrs. Wilma Strong of Brethren, Michigan; her only
grandchild, Cindy (Sherman) Booth of Dowagiac, Michigan; two
great-grandchildren – Jason Booth of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and Sara Booth of Dowagiac; and numerous nieces and
nephews.
She was preceded in death by: her husband,
Donald Chidester, in October 1972; a brother, Louis Gay; and a
sister, Maxine (Gay) Tomsa.
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Myron
Barrows Dowd died on Feb. 17, 1997. He was 81 years old.
He was born June 28, 1915, in Hartford,
Michigan,
to Arthur J. Dowd and Amy B. Reynolds-Dowd. He was residing at Lake
View Continuing Care Center in Lawton, Michigan.
There will be a memorial service for Myron at noon on
Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Hartford Federated Church. A luncheon will
be provided after the service.
Myron married Ailsa Elizabeth White in 1946. They
remained happily married until her death in 1995.
For much of his life he worked in partnership with his
brother, Arthur Dowd, on the Dowd Orchards farm, west of Hartford.
He served briefly on the Hartford school board during the late
1950s. He was active in collective bargaining efforts on behalf of
asparagus growers and did similar work in the mid-1960s with the
Michigan Cherry Growers Association. He served as the 1961 president
of the Michigan State Horticultural Society. From 1962 to 1977, he
was the general manager of Shafer Lake Fruit Inc. Throughout his
life, he was an active member of the Hartford Federated Church.
NOTE: Myron was
a 1932 Hartford High /school graduate. |
Philander James Avery,
89, of Hartford, Michigan, died Saturday, January 25,1997, at
Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The funeral was held at 11a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at
Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford. District Elder James Sumners
officiated. Burial followed in Maple Hill Cemetery, Hartford.
The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday at Calvin
Funeral Home.
Mr. Avery was born August 24, 1907, in Meade, Kansas,
to Thomas and Martha Avery. He retired from Farm Bureau of Hartford
after 31years of service and also was a retired farmer.
Survivors include: his wife, Margaret, whom he married
on August 3, 1933, in Hutchinson, Kansas; a son, Richard Avery of
Paw Paw, Michigan; a daughter, Suzan Lachman of Flushing, Michigan;
five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in
death by a daughter, Roberta Bean, on July 12, 1984; nine brothers;
and one sister.
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