Obituaries Week of April 2, 2000, Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan Copyright © 2000 by Carol Morrison. This copy contributed for use in the MIGenWeb Archives. MIGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed MIGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the MIGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ___________________________________________________________ __________ HURON DAILY TRIBUNE, Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan Obituaries Week of April 2, 2000 Mary Rey Mary E. Rey, 72, of Port Hope died Wednesday, April 5, 2000, at Covenant-Cooper in Saginaw. Mary Reed was born June 1, 1927, in Minnesota. She married Lawrence Rey on Oct. 19, 1962, in Mount Clemens. He survives her. She was employed by the U.S. Postal Service and retired in 1982. She is survived by her husband, Lawrence Rey, of Port Hope; and a brother and sister-in-law, James L. and Dorothy Reed of Sumpter, S.C. Cremation has taken place. Arrangements were handled by McIntyre Funeral Chapel in Saginaw. Ronald Simmons Ronald D. Simmons, 46, of Florida passed away Feb. 26, 2000, in Florida following a short illness. He was born Oct. 3,1953, in Bad Axe to Dorothy Kanaby Toruk and Charles Simmons. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Germany for more than five years. He was working with the U.S. Air Force at Patrick Air Force Base at the SpaceCoast Inn outside of Cocoa Beach, Fla. He moved from Detroit to Florida in 1993. Ronald is survived by a son, Danny Simmons of Wurzburg, Germany; a daugher, Chelsea Simmons of Warren; his mother, Dorothy Kanaby Toruk and her husband, Nicholas, of Cedarville; his father, Charles Simmons of Port Huron; two brothers, Kenneth Simmons of Pine Valley, Calif., and Robert Simmons of Rockledge, Fla.; and two sisters, Karen Whitmore and Diane Hedblad, both of Emmett. Cremation has taken place in Florida and a memorial service will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2000, in Ramsey Funeral Home, Harbor Beach, with the Rev. Ronald Wagner, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, officiating. Interment will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Ruth. Visitation will be from noon to the time of services at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Helen Lindeman Helen E. Lindeman, 96, of Sebewaing died Thursday morning, April 6, 2000, at Bay Medical Center in Bay City. Arrangements are incomplete. A complete obituary will appear in Friday's Huron Daily Tribune. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing. Lewis Esch Lewis Clayton Esch, 98, of Glendale, Ariz., and formerly of Pigeon and Caseville, was called home by his Heavenly Father on Sunday, April 2, 2000, following a brief illness. He was born on Dec. 28, 1901, in Centralia, Mo., the second of four sons of the late Daniel C. and Elizabeth (Guengerich) Esch. At age 15, he moved to Pigeon with his parents and three brothers. On Dec. 25, 1924, he was united in marriage to Maggie (Margaret) Wideman in Pigeon. On his 98th birthday, the couple gathered with family and friends to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Mrs. Esch survives him. In 1928, he graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He practiced for a short time before taking over the family farm at the time of his parents' retirement in 1934. He was a past member of the Michigan Avenue Mennonite Church, Pigeon, where he took an active part, serving as Sunday school teacher, superintendent, board member and elder. After retiring, the Esches began spending the winter in Arizona and made Glencroft Retirement Center in Glendale their permanent home in 1974. He was a member of Sunnyslope Mennonite Church and associate member of Glendale Community Church. Mr. Esch had many interests and spent many hours reading. Along with his daily Bible reading, history and biography were his favorite topics as well as an interest in politics and world events. He enjoyed gardening, playing pool and his favorite board game, Scrabble. Along with his wife, Maggie, Mr. Esch is survived by four children and their spouses: Clayton Esch and his wife, Freda, of Pigeon, Eldora Eicher and her husband, Lloyd, of Littleton, Colo., Dwight Esch and his wife, Ofelia, of Valley Center, Calif., and Maryiln Ludwig and her husband, Jack, of Peoria, Ariz.; six grandsons; one granddaughter; 11 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; a foster sister, Grace Kauffman of Flint; a sister-in-law, Barbara Esch of Glendale, Ariz.; and many nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by four brothers, Jacob, Henry, Paul and an infant child. Interment will take place at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2000, at the Resthaven Park Cemetery in Glendale, Ariz. There will be a memorial celebration of his life at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Glencroft Chapel at Glencroft Retirement Center. Memorials may be made to Glencroft Zion Fund, Glencroft Retirement Community, 8611 North 67th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85302. Cards may be sent to Mrs. Lewis Esch, 8611 North 67th Ave., No. 152, Glendale, AZ 85302. Arrangements were handled by Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, Glendale, AZ 85302. Henry "Hank" Marcum, Jr. Henry "Hank" Marcum, Jr., 63, of Caseville died Tuesday morning, April 4, 2000, at his home. Funeral services will be conducted at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6, 2000, by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie No. 3690 at Champagne Funeral Chapel in Caseville. Visitation will be 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Lewis Mouton Lewis D. Mouton, 67, of Port Austin died Tuesday, April 4, 2000, at the Aleda M. Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw. He was born April 17, 1932, in Detroit, the son of the late Marshall and Viola (Miller) Mouton. Lewis served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. He is survived by three sons, Michael Mouton of Caro, Mark Mouton and his wife, Lesa, of Utica, and Robert Mouton of Detroit; two daughters, Mary Howard and her husband, Rodney, of Wixom, and Lori Mouton of Port Austin; nine grandchildren, Christopher, Kendra, Cory, Sean, Cody, Kody, Gabrielle, Andrew and Emily; one brother, Jack Mouton and his wife, Jane, of Belle Aire; and one sister, Janice Frosch and her husband, Joe, of Morris, Ill. Funeral services will take place at noon Friday, April 7, 2000, at the Knoblock Funeral Home in Kinde with the Rev. Robert P. Garrett officiating. Burial will be in the Port Austin Township Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services at noon Friday at the funeral home. Betty Beeney Betty Ann Steinman Beeney, 73, of Lady Lake, Fla., formerly of the Caseville area, died Sunday, April 2, 2000, in Florida. She was born Aug. 28, 1926, in Chandler Township, at the home of her parents, the late Clarence and Jessie (Beadle) Steinman. Betty graduated from Elkton High School in 1944 and moved to the Detroit area a short time later. She lived in Madison Heights until retiring from the GM Tech Center in Warren. On Dec. 3, 1996, she married Jim Beeney and moved to Florida where she continued to enjoy her hobby of painting. Surviving are her husband, Jim; three step-daughters; a sister, Jane E. Steinman of Port Austin; three brother, Clarence "Cass" Steinman and his wife, Barb, of Detroit, Robert Steinman and his wife, Irene, of Port Austin, and Edwin Steinman of Caseville; an aunt, Dr. Laurena Beadle of Mankato, Minn.; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death were two brothers, William "Bud" Steinman and Hazen "Nub" Steinman. There will be no local visitation or funeral at this time. A memorial service is being planned later this month. Information was provided by Champagne Funeral Chapel in Caseville. Beatrice Leppek Mrs. Beatrice M. Leppek, 81, of Ubly died Saturday, April 1, 2000, at Courtney Manor in Bad Axe after a long illness. She was born on Jan. 28, 1919, in Harbor Beach, the daughter of the late Joseph and Josephine (Klaska) Gatza. She married Michael Leppek on Aug. 28, 1943, at Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church in Harbor Beach. He preceded her in death on Jan. 4, 1972. She attended school in the Harbor Beach area and moved to Ubly in 1946. She was a member of St. John Catholic Church in Ubly since 1946. She is survived by one son, Michael Leppek and his wife, Mary Ann, of Harbor Beach; one daughter, Shirley Smith and her husband, Jerry, of Bad Axe; three grandchildren, Sherry Susalla and her husband, Wayne, of Ruth; Al Leppek and his wife, Jennifer, of Ubly, Rachel Landucci and her husband, Ronald, of Golden, Colo.; five great-grandchildren, Joshua and Jennifer Susalla, Loren, Sara and Dominic Landucci. Mass of Christian burial will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2000, at St. John Catholic Church in Ubly. The Rev. T.J. Fleming, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. There will be a parish wake service at 8 p.m. today at the Zinger-Smigielski Funeral Home in Ubly. Visitation is from 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. today and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Frances Gregory Frances Irene Gregory, 72, of Severn, Md., formerly of Port Austin and Elkton, died March 28, 2000, of natural causes in Glen Burnie, Md. She was born April 23, 1927, in Elkton, daughter of the late Amos and Beatrice (Deming) Hewitt. She was married to Lloyd C. Gregory for 32 years. She lived in Severn for 27 years and was a homemaker. She enjoyed crafts and gardening and was a crafty lady and a great cook. She is survived by a son, Terry Parks of Severn, Md.; brothers Robert Hewitt and Lowell Hewitt of Michigan; and a granddaughter, Samantha Underwood of Severn, Md. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd; a son, Mike Gregory; two daughters, Jackie Parks and Laurie Parks; and two brothers, Jay Bird Hewitt and Ernie Hewitt. Funeral services took place Friday, March 31, 2000, at Singleton Funeral Home in Glen Burnie, Md. with Deacon John Boscoe officiating. Interment was in Chesapeake Cremation Center in Stevensville, Md. Flossie Lackie Flossie E. Lackie, 94, resident of Bad Axe in Meade Township, died Saturday morning at the Huron County Medical Care Facility in Bad Axe. She was born on June 12, 1905, in Bad Axe. She was the daughter of the late John and Alice (Gurnsey) Gifford. Miss Flossie Gifford and Mr. Roy Lackie were married on Dec. 2, 1933. He preceded her in death on Feb. 28, 1979. She attended the Elkton Missionary Church, was a member of the Huron County Farm Bureau, the Huron County Homemakers Extension, the Colfax Ladies Missionary Society and assisted with 4-H. She was a cook at the former Hubbard Hospital in Bad Axe. Flossie also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, cooking and visiting with family and friends. She is survived by her daughter, Pauline J. Lackie of Traverse City; one brother, Floyd William Gifford and his wife Lucile, of Kawkawlin; special nephew and nieces, Bill and Barb Lackie of Filion and Bev Lackie of Elkton; several other nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister, Vella Mae Nugent and her special nephew, Ralph Lackie. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday, April 3, 2000, at the MacAlpine Funeral Home in Bad Axe with the Rev. Larry Salsburey, pastor, and Brent Kriesch, youth pastor, of the Elkton Missionary Church, officiating. Burial will follow in Colfax Township Cemetery. Visitation is from 3 to 9 p.m. today and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service Monday at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the Elkton Missionary Church or the charity of the donor's choice. Paul Ney Paul E. Ney, 38, of Caro went to be with the Lord on Thursday, March 30, 2000, at his residence. He was born on Jan. 14, 1962, in Bad Axe. He was a 1980 graduate of Bad Axe High School. On May 31, 1986, he married the former Linda Anderson in Caro. Paul was a sales representative for Rowley Brothers in Bay City. He served as a volunteer fireman in both Bad Axe and Caro. He was a sportsman and enjoyed hunting with his dog, Gunner. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Caro. Paul is survived by his wife, Linda Ney, and daughter, Alyssa Ney, both of Caro; parents, Peter and Margaret Ney of Bad Axe; one sister, Mary Anne Carder and her husband, Wayne Kinney, of Bad Axe; two brothers, David and Tracy Ney, and his twin, Patrick Ney and his wife, Beth, all of Bad Axe; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Robert and Arlene Anderson of Owendale; brother-in-law, Dennis Anderson, and sisters-in-law, Joyce Anderson and Lee Ann Anderson, all of Caro; several nieces and nephews. Paul was preceded in death by one brother, Michael Ney. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2000, at the First Baptist Church of Caro with Pastor Ronald C. Wigand officiating. Burial will be in Indianfields Township Cemetery. Visitation is from noon to 9 p.m. today at the Collon Funeral Home in Caro and from 10 a.m. until the time of service Monday at the church. Memorials may be made to My Friends Care, the First Baptist Church of Caro or the Arkansas Cancer Research Center. Gwendolyn Potts Mrs. Gwendolyn "Gwen" C. Potts, 90, of Forestville died Friday, March 31, 2000, at Evangelical Home in Port Huron. She was born on March 3, 1910, in Delaware Township, the daughter of the late Joseph and Linda (Geyer) Hiller. She married Frank M. Potts on June 1, 1932, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Palms. He preceded her in death on Feb. 18, 1966. She was a graduate of Delaware No. 1 Country School and Detroit Business Institute in 1919. She was an assistant buyer with Klines Ladies Wear in Detroit from 1928 until 1932. She was the Forestville Village Assessor for 25 years. She was postmaster of Forestville from 1969 until her retirement on May 30, 1987. She was a parishioner of St. John Catholic Church in Forestville and an honorary member and former president of the St. John Christian Mothers. She was a former officer with the National Council of Catholic Women for the Saginaw Diocese. She is survived by one son, John J. Potts and his wife, Joan, of Lansing; one daughter, Janis M. Kalaf and her husband, George, of Port Huron; four grandchildren, Kathleen Kalaf, Robert Kalaf and his wife, Susan, Mary Lynn Kalaf, Dennis Kalaf; two great-grandchildren, Kaylee and Sarah Kalaf. She was preceded in death by one brother, Melvin Hiller. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2000, at St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church in Forestville. The Rev. Ronald Dombrowski, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. There will be a parish scripture service at 7 p.m. Monday at the Smigielski Funeral Home in Minden City. Visitation is from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Monday and from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Murray Smith Murray C. Smith, 78, of Harbor Beach passed away Thursday, March 30, 2000, in Port Huron Hospital following a short illness. Born in Harbor Beach on Aug. 7, 1921, he was the son of the late Edison and Alice (Bracknell) Smith. He and Clara Bogus were married in Napoleon, Ohio on June 3, 1950. The U.S. Army called him into action during World War II. He served in Germany in an anti-aircraft battery for almost four years. Murray retired from the Ex-Cell-O Corp. in Detroit in 1979, after working there for 40 years. He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Port Hope and a former member of the American Legion. He is survived by his wife, Clara Smith, of Harbor Beach; two sons, Richard Smirthewaite of San Diego, Calif. and Jeffery Smith of Bay City; five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; a brother, George Smith of Hartford, Wash.; a sister, Helen Popp of Seattle, Wash. At Murray's request, he was cremated and a private graveside service will be conducted at the Rock Falls Cemetery near Harbor Beach. The Rev. Mark Girardin, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, will officiate. Memorials may be given to the Zion Building Fund through the Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach, A Golden Rule Funeral Home, who is handling the arrangements. William Sweeney William T. Sweeney, 86, of Sheridan Township died Thursday, March 30, 2000, at his residence after a long illness. He was born on Jan. 28, 1915, in Ubly, the son of the late Frank and Hannah (Nelson) Sweeney. He was never married. Mr. Sweeney was a graduate of the country school and a life-long Sheridan farmer, retiring in 1998. He was a former member of St. Columbkille Catholic Parish. Bill was a 40-year winter resident of Florida. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and visiting. Mr. Sweeney is survived by his nephew, David Sweeney, and niece, Mary Beth Heilig and her husband, Jerry; many other nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Matthew, Malcomb and David Sweeney; five sisters, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" McCarty, Frances Amanda Sweeney, Sue Young, Isabell McIntosh and Hannah Milliken. Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2000, at St. Columbkille Catholic Church with burial in the parish cemetery. The Rev. T.J. Fleming, pastor, will officiate. A parish wake service will take place at 8 p.m. today at the Zinger-Smigielski Funeral Home in Ubly. Visitation is from 1:30 to 9:30 p.m. today and from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Stella Galubenski Stella Galubenski, 73, of Harrison and formerly of Kingston, died Friday, March 31, 2000, at the MidMichigan Regional Medical Center in Midland. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 3, 2000, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Wilmot with Sr. Ruth Adamites officiating. Interment is in St. Michael Cemetery. Visitation is from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Kranz Funeral Home in Kingston and 10 to 11 a.m. Monday in the church. Ernie McCrimmon Ernest Watkins McCrimmon, 70, life-long resident of Caseville died Thursday, March 30, 2000, at East Point Hospital in Lehigh, Fla. He was born Dec. 21, 1929, in Bad Axe to the late Ernest and Josephine (Jean) McCrimmon. On March 4, 1955, he was united in marriage to Janet Gillingham at the Bay Port Methodist Church. After high school, Ernie began working at Caseville Lumber and remained there for 38 years before retiring in 1992. During those years, he was very active in his community. He served as trustee on the village council for many years and also served as mayor for a time. Ernie was also on the Caseville Fire Department for 30 years, retiring in 1997. He attended the Caseville United Methodist Church and was a past master of the Caseville Masonic Lodge. Ernie enjoyed boating and spending time on North Island in the Summer and spending his winters in Labelle, Fla. Surviving are his wife, Janet; three sons, Michael McCrimmon and his wife, Debbie, David McCrimmon and Mark McCrimmon and his wife, Sherry, all of Caseville; 11 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; a brother, Hector McCrimmon and his wife, Beverly, of Goshen, Ind.; his sister, Jean Osborne, of Sebewaing. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2000, at the Champagne Funeral Chapel in Caseville. The Rev. Michael Quayle, pastor of the Caseville United Methodist Church, will officiate. Burial will be in the New Bay Port Cemetery. Visitation is from 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and after 10 a.m. Wednesday. Memorials may be given to the Church or the Caseville Fire Department. Melinda Parks Melinda Parks, 32, of Laingsburg, died Friday, March 31, 2000, at her home following a three-year battle with cancer. She was born on Dec. 8, 1967, in Detroit. She and Alan Hooper were married on Feb. 22, 1995, in Mason. Melinda was a 1986 graduate of North Huron High School. She attended Michigan State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1994. She enjoyed animals, reading and gardening. She also loved painting, drawing and spending time at the beach. She is survived by her husband, Alan; her son, Jack; her parents, John and Anna Parks of Port Austin; one sister, Luann Parks and her husband, Jim Hass, and their son, Charlie Hass, of Bad Axe; one brother, Dean Parks and his son, Luke, of New Baltimore; her maternal grandmother, Eleanor Kosinski; her paternal grandmother, Frances Parks; godparents, Alice Craig and George Parks; several nieces and nephews; and her dog, Bear. She was preceded in death by her brother, Charles B. Parks. Mass of the Resurrection will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2000, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Port Austin. Rev. John Weiss will officiate. Cremation will follow. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. today at Knoblock Funeral Home and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service at the church. A wake service will at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the funeral home. Memorials may be made out to Hospice or the Humane Society. 1