Obituaries Week of August 20, 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 Local Obituaries Week of August 20, 2000 Paul Konefke Paul Konefke, 59, former Caseville Police Chief, died Thursday evening, Aug. 24, 2000, while under hospice care. A funeral Mass will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, 2000, at St. Roch Catholic Church in Caseville. Visitation will be 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Champagne Funeral Chapel, Caseville. A complete obituary will appear in Sunday's edition of the Huron Daily Tribune. Alex Ross Alex H. Ross, 89, of Grand Rapids passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000. He was born on Sept. 26, 1910, in Cass City to John and Bridget (McCormick) Ross. He married Blanche Morrison on April 17, 1941, in Gagetown. Alex and his wife owned and operated a farm near Ubly until they retired in 1975 and moved to Bad Axe. He was on the Board of Directors of Hills and Dales General Hospital in Cass City for 15 years. He moved to Grand Rapids in 1993. He is survived by his children, Margaret Cole and her husband, David, of Grand Rapids, Barbara Reineck and her husband, Donald, of Blissfield, and Audrey Ross of Novi; his grandchildren, Jeanette Finkel, Deborah Lockwood, David Cole and Matt Reineck; three great-grandchildren; his brothers Bernard Ross of Cass City, Ed Ross of Davison and Fred Ross of Reese; and his sisters Florence London of Grand Rapids, Kathleen Stech of Macomb Township, Helen Jackson of Boca Raton, Fla., and Frances Flynn of Kalamazoo. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Blanche; his sisters June Porter, Mary Howlett and Elizabeth Miller; and his grandson, Scott Cole. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, from St. Columbkille Catholic Church. Father John Weis will officiate. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today, and 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at MacAlpine Funeral Home in Bad Axe. Wesley Netschke Wesley T. Netschke, 90, of St. Clair Shores passed away Monday, Aug. 21, 2000, at Bi- County Hospital. He is survived by a son, Thomas Netschke and his wife, Julie; and two grandchildren. Cremation has taken place. Arrangements were handled by Peters Funeral Services in Grosse Pointe Woods. Martha Wagner Martha R. Wagner, 107, of Sebewaing, Huron County's oldest resident, died Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000, at Courtney Manor in Bad Axe following a lengthy illness. She was born Jan. 1, 1893, in Sebewaing, daughter of the late Carl and Ernstine (Heinitz) Winter. She was baptized Jan. 14, 1894, in New Salem Lutheran Church and was confirmed April 8, 1906, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. She was united in marriage to Omar F. Wagner on May 13, 1915, in Sebewaing. He preceded her in death on March 17, 1959. Martha was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and its Ladies Aid. Surviving are one daughter, Ruth Wagner of Sebewaing; one niece and three nephews; great-nieces and -nephews; great-great-nieces and nephews; and one great-great-great niece; and one great-great-great nephew. She was preceded in death by two sisters, infant Esther Winter and Helen Lindeman; three brothers, Otto, Arthur and Oscar Winter; one nephew, Donald Winter; and one niece, Esther Goebel and her husband, Bernhard. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, 2000, at the Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing. The Rev. Albert W. Bahr will officiate with burial in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Radio Mission Fund or Immanuel Lutheran Church. Monica Grover Monica (Minnie) Grover, 92, of Homosassa, Fla., passed away Sunday, July 2, 2000, after a long illness. She was born Feb. 12, 1908, in Parisville, daughter of the late Frank and Rose (Schornack) Braiza. She was married to Ted Grover who preceded her in death. Her early years were spent working in the Detroit area. She and her husband were Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts. They moved to Canova, S.D., where they owned and operated Grover Pheasant Lodge and Cabins. They retired to Cape Canaveral then Zephyrhills, Fla. Later, Monica moved to Sugarhill Manor, Homosassa, to be near her niece, Eleanor Longuski Landra and her husband, Cyril, where she resided for the past 12 years. She is survived by one sister, Bernice Longuski of Bad Axe; and several cousins, nieces and nephews in Michigan. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband; four brothers, infant Leo, Peter, Bernard and William Braiza and his wife, Helen; three sisters, Anastasia Voytok and her husband, Paul, Regina Bukoski and her husband, Philip, and Gertrude Braiza. Cremation took place on July 6, 2000. Funeral arrangements were handled by Wilder-Fountains Funeral Home in Homosassa Springs, Fla. Private graveside services were conducted on Thursday, July 13, 2000, with Fr. T.J. Fleming of St. John Catholic Church in Ubly officiating. As per Monica's wishes, her remains were buried at the foot of her mother's grave in the church cemetery. Hannah Neumann Hannah L. Neumann, 92, of Sebewaing died Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000, at the Carriage House of Bay City following a lengthy illness. She was born April 4, 1908, in Unionville, daughter of the late August and Lena (Schoening) Gaeth. She was united in marriage to Helmuth A. Neumann on June 12, 1927, in Sebewaing. Hannah was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, its Ladies Aid and Couples Club. Surviving are her husband, Helmuth; two daughters, Carolyn Wilde and her husband, the Rev. Arthur Wilde, of Lima, Ohio, and Loretta Daenzer and her husband, Donald, of Reese; two sons, Richard Neumann and Donald Neumann and his wife, Michele, all of Sebewaing; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two sisters, Linda Marth of Frankenmuth, and Emma Beitz and her husband, Orville, of Unionville; three brothers, Norbert Gaeth and his wife, Thelma, of Punta Gorda, Fla., Wilbert Gaeth of Unionville, Frederick Gaeth and his wife, Viola, of Marysville; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by an infant son, Harold; an infant daughter, Lenore; a brother, Oscar Gaeth; and a sister, Meta Gaeth. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. The Rev. Charles Kuhl will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation will be 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing, and from 10 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Memorials may be made to Immanuel Lutheran Church. Henry Engelhard Henry G. Engelhard, 91, of Bay Port died Monday morning, Aug. 21, 2000, at the Huron County Medical Care Facility in Bad Axe following an eight-month illness. He was born July 31, 1909, in Sebewaing, son of the late John Ernst and Christina Barbara (Blasi) Engelhard. He was united in marriage to Edna M. Baur on July 17, 1938, at the New Salem Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. She preceded him in death on Sept. 10, 1992. Henry was employed at the Bay Port Fish Co. from 1927 until he purchased it in 1949. He operated it until his retirement in 1978. He was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing and served in many offices. He taught adult Bible class for many years. He was a life member of the Bay Port Chamber of Commerce. He introduced the fish sandwich to Bay Port in 1949; and with his wife, Edna, established the Bay Port Fish Sandwich Festival in 1978. He was known as Mr. Public Relations for Bay Port. Surviving are three daughters, Carolyn Smith and her husband, Louis, of Bay Port, Mary Barnett and her husband, Dr. Thomas Barnett, of Ridgecrest, Calif., and Kathleen Engelhard of Bad Axe; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one brother, Herman Engelhard; and three sisters, Ella Ackerman, Clara Grunewald and Frieda Edler. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, 2000, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. The Rev. Albert W. Bahr, assisting pastor, will officiate with burial in the Northlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be 7 to 9 p.m. tonight and noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Radio Mission Fund, Immanuel Lutheran Church Building Fund, Bethesda Lutheran Home or the Lutheran Hour. Thomas Clegg Thomas Clegg, 80, of Cass City and formerly of Eastpointe, died Monday morning, Aug. 21, 2000, at Genesys Hospice Center in Goodrich. He was born April 24, 1920, in Springfield, Mass., to James and Alice (Hooton) Clegg. He married Irene Morowski on Feb. 18, 1944, in Roseville. Thomas served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He served his apprenticeship as a pattern maker in Detroit. He retired from J & I Pattern Co. in 1985 after over 30 years of service. Thomas was a member of the Gowanie Golf Club in Mount Clemens and Verona Hills Golf Club in Bad Axe. Thomas is survived by his wife, Irene; children, Larry Clegg and his wife, Judy, of Grand Blanc, David Clegg and his fiance, Laura Rewitzer, of St. Clair Shores and Maryann Iseler and her husband, Lawrence, of Port Hope; grandchildren, Timothy Iseler of Kalamazoo and Amy Iseler of Bellevue, Wash.; his brother, Wilfred Clegg of California; a sister-in-law, Betty Clegg of Roseville; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Edith Smithers; and a brother, Herbert Clegg. Memorial services will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at Kranz Funeral Home, Cass City, with the Rev. Clarence VanConant of the United Methodist Church of Port Hope officiating. Mr. Clegg will be buried in Elkland Township Cemetery with military rites under the direction of the Cass City VFW Post No. 3644. Visitation will be 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Genesys Hospice Center in Goodrich, the Alzheimer's Association or the American Cancer Society. Lewis Hiller Lewis Hiller, 81, of Port Hope passed away on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000, at Harbor Beach Long Term Care. He was born on Nov. 22, 1918, in Harbor Beach to the late William and Effie (Lang) Hiller. He and Martha Leese were married on May 17, 1939, in Port Hope. He was an employee of Hercules, Inc., for 34 years before retiring in 1981. Lewis was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Port Hope. He is survived by his wife, Martha (Leese) Hiller; three sons, Raymond Hiller and his wife, Mary, of Columbia, Tenn., Burton Hiller and his wife, Sandy, of St. Clair and Stephen Hiller and his wife, Sue, of Port Huron; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; one great- great-grandchild; a brother, George Hiller of Harbor Beach; and one sister, Catherine Barker of Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. A private family graveside service took place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2000, in Lakeview Cemetery with the Rev. Henry Malone officiating. Arrangements were handled by Ramsey Funeral Home, a Golden Rule Funeral Home, Harbor Beach. Clarence Kerr Clarence E. Kerr, 82, of Lake City, formerly of the Bad Axe area, died Sunday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2000, following a long illness. He was born Nov. 29, 1917, in Bad Axe to the late Benjamin and Hazel (Little) Kerr. He moved to the South Lyons area when he was a young man and joined the U.S. Army. Clarence was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the bombing and served in the South Pacific in World War II. He was an active member of the Harrisville VFW Post No. 6466. On April 10, 1945, he was united in marriage to Betty Ann Downing in Howell. They lived in Brighton for 35 years. While in Brighton, he was employed by Vagabond Mobile Homes for 27 years until they closed. Then he was with the City of Brighton maintenance department for 12 1/2 years, retiring in 1979. In 1981, they moved to Black River and last year to Lake City near Cadillac. Surviving are his wife, Betty; two daughters, Betty Lanabille and her husband, John, of Howell, and Patricia Gibson and her husband, Jerry, of Novi; three grandchildren, Bill, Christian and Jennifer; and two great-grandchildren, Lindsey and Dylan. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Richard and Frank in 1991; and a sister, Matilda Briody in 1988. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000, at the Champagne Funeral Chapel, Elkton, with burial in Colfax Township Cemetery. Visitation will be 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and after 10 a.m. Wednesday morning at the funeral home. Grace Rapson Grace E. Rapson, 86, of Caseville died Sunday, Aug. 20, 2000, at Spring Wind Assisted Living Facility in Laramie, Wyo. She was born Oct. 23, 1913, at the home of her parents, the late James and Annie (Lockman) Walsh. On Oct. 24, 1942, she was united in marriage to Merle Rapson in Kenosha, Wisc. They were together for 56 years until his death on April 23, 1998. They lived their summers along the shores of Saginaw Bay and wintered with their many friends in North Fort Myers, Fla. Mrs. Rapson was a schoolteacher most of her life. She taught kindergarten to eighth grade beginning in one- room country schools in Huron County and later in the Bay City School District, retiring to Caseville in 1972. Grace moved to Laramie in March 1999 to be nearer her son, David and his wife, Shelley, for health reasons. She was a very active member of St. Roch Catholic Church, Caseville. She lived at Spring Wind Assisted Living Facility, where she made many friends and enjoyed the warm senior community atmosphere and professional care. Surviving in addition to her son and his wife are four nieces, Pat Goretski of Kinde, Marguerite Ross of Northville, Ann Larabelle of Port Austin, and Irene Flanagan of Livonia. She was preceded in death by three brothers and a sister, Willard Walsh, John (Jack) Walsh and Thomas and Irene who died at birth. A funeral Mass will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 25, 2000, at St. Roch Catholic Church, Caseville. The Rev. Fr. Dennis Kucharczyk will officiate with burial in St. Felix Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will take place after 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Memorials may be given to Hospice of Laramie or St. Roch Church. Champagne Funeral Chapel in Caseville handled arrangements. Arnold Tarzwell Arnold J. Tarzwell, 71, of Deckerville completed his walk through life and went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000, in his home after a long illness. He was born Dec. 27, 1928, in Deckerville, the son of Arthur and Lena (Zweidorff) Tarzwell. He married Eunice M. Reid on Sept. 30, 1950, at the Deckerville Bible Church. He was a lifetime area farmer and drove a school bus for the Deckerville Community School for 17 years. He was the president of the Minden City Snowmobile club, an active member of the M-T Pocket Pullers and East Marion Baptist Church. He valued his family and grandchildren. He had a true love for the out-of-doors and riding his four-wheelers. He is survived by his wife, Eunice; three sons and daughters-in-law, Eddy Tarzwell and his wife, Marcia, of Imlay City, Mike Tarzwell and his wife, Kathy, of Peck, and Jeff Tarzwell and his wife, Terri, of Deckerville; one daughter and son-in-law, Elaine Page and her husband, William, of Harbor Beach; 10 grandchildren, Tricia and Ryan Tarzwell, Christy Haywood, Lee, Sally and Jack Page, Adam, Katie and Ben Tarzwell and Ashley Tarzwell; one great-granddaughter, Samantha Tarzwell Shaw; one future grandson-in- law, Chris Pawloski; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Robert and Archie; and one sister, Alice. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2000, in the Apsey Funeral Home in Deckerville. Pastors Ray Herriman and Aaron Shaw will officiate. Burial will be in East Marion Cemetery. Visitation will be 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. June Stewart Mrs. June A. Stewart, 88, of Fairview died Thursday evening, Aug. 17, 2000, at the Ausable Valley Nursing Home in Fairview. She was born May 9, 1912, in Islen, Penn., daughter of the late John and Louise Horalek. She was married to Edwin Stewart. He preceded her in death on Feb. 13, 1975. Mrs. Stewart was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and enjoyed crocheting. Surviving are her children and their spouses, Robert Stewart and his wife, Lois, of Freeland, Donald Stewart and his wife, Norma, of Caro, Shirley Latty and her husband, Roy, of Saginaw, Geraldine Parker and her husband, Donald, of Mio, Carol Wagner and her husband, Richard, of Fairgrove, and Donna Zagorski of Cass City; 22 grandchildren, 47 great- grandchildren; six great great-grandchildren; sister, Irene Beyer of Warren; brother, Paul Horalek and his wife, Sally, of Hazel Park. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Edwin Stewart; son, Dennis Stewart on August 19, 1968; infant daughter, LaVerne Stewart; three sisters and one brother. Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2000, at the Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Chapel, 9940 Saginaw St. in Reese. Committal services will follow at 2 p.m. in the Caseville Township Cemetery in Caseville. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today, and from 10 a.m. until the time of services Monday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Ausable Valley Nursing Home in Fairview. 1