HURON DAILY TRIBUNE, Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan Local obituaries for the week beginning December 15, 2002 Contributed 2002 by Carol Morrison for use in the USGenWeb Archives. USGENWEB 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 USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Sunday, December 15, 2002 Alberta Bach Alberta Bach, 72, of Sebewaing died on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002, at her home following a three-year illness. She was born on Jan. 3, 1930 in Oak Hill, Ohio, the daughter of the late Edward Sr. and Mira (McCain) Howard. She was united in marriage to Alfred C. "Pete" Bach on March 5, 1949 in Sebewaing. Alberta was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and crafts. She is survived by her husband, Alfred "Pete"; five sons, Bruce Bach and his wife, Joanne, Kenneth Bach, all of Sebewaing, Edward Bach and his wife, Jane, of Windsor, Colo., Joseph Bach of St. Louis, Mo. and Paul Bach and his wife, Lisa, of St. Charles; three daughters, Carol Sattler and her husband, Steve, Debra Kundinger and her husband, Arlen, all of Sebewaing, and Peggy Wilson and her husband, the Rev. Richard Wilson, of Forestville; 22 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; four sisters, Marguerite Hough and her husband, George, Fern VanSickle, Jean Putman, all of Owendale, and Hazel Good and her husband, Ronald, of Gagetown; one brother, Edward Howard and his wife, Shirley, Owendale; numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by one brother, Paul Howard; one sister, Georgia Pavlichek. The funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sebewaing. The Rev. Daniel Hahn will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Dinkel-Juengel Funeral Home in Sebewaing and from 10 a.m. until the time of service Monday at the church. Memorials may be made to the Immanuel Radio Mission Fund, United Hospice or the charity of the donor's choice. Eileen Krueger Eileen M. Krueger, 82, of Port Hope, passed away on Dec. 10, 2002. She was a member of the Grind Stone Port Hope Sportsman Club. She is survived by her daughters, Patricia Quinn and her husband, Robert, of Wixom, Mary Beth Ogg and her husband, Greg, of Englewood, Ohio, Susan Krueger of Lapeer; two grandchildren, Rebecca and Jessica Ogg; one sister, Patricia Collins; one brother, William Schultz. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence. Cremation took place, and a memorial service will be conducted at a later date. Edward Ginther Edward G. Ginther, 79, of Harbor Beach, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002, at TenderCare of Cass City following a long illness. He was born on Aug. 17, 1923 in Harbor Beach, the son of the late Peter and Mary (Jock) Ginther. Edward was a retired employee of General Motors Corp., Pontiac Division in Pontiac. He retired in 1986 after 25 years of employment. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Parisville. Ed is survived by his brother, Casimer Ginther and his wife, Margaret, of Harbor Beach; several nieces and nephews. A funeral mass for Edward will take place at noon on Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Parisville. The Rev. Andrezej Boroch will officiate with burial in the church cemetery. A parish vigil service will take place at 7 tonight in the Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach. Visitation is from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home and from 11 a.m. until the time of services Monday at the church. Ira Allen Ira Russell Allen, 87, of Saginaw and formerly of Pigeon, passed away on Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, at Saginaw Geriatric Home. Mr. Allen was a former McKinley Township building inspector. A funeral memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2002 at Newburg United Methodist Church in Livonia. For additional information, contact Meyersieck-Bussema Funeral Home in Pigeon. Karl Freitag Karl M. Freitag, 85, of Caro, died Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, in Hills & Dales General Hospital of Cass City. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at Kranz Funeral Home in Kingston with the Rev. Terry Butters of Kingston United Methodist Church officiating. Interment is in east Dayton Cemetery in Caro. Visitation is from 7 to 9 p.m. today and from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association - Mid Michigan Chapter. Ida Wells Ida R. McKnight Wells, 83, of Cass City, died Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, in Hills & Dales General Hospital of Cass City. Funeral services will be conducted on Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, in Kranz Funeral Home in Cass City with the Rev. Michael Arp of Living Word Worship Center officiating. Cremation will take place at Sunset Valley Crematory in Bay City. Visitation is from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Family Discretionary Fund. Monday, December 16, 2002 Annie Murawski Annie M. Murawski, 96, of Port Hope, passed away Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002, in the long term care unit of the Harbor Beach Community Hospital. Born in Chessell on March 13, 1906, she was the daughter of the late George and Olivine Gougeon. She was united in marriage to John Murawski in 1930 in Detroit. He preceded her in death on Aug. 20, 1968. Annie was a former employee of the Murry Body Co. in Detroit for 18 years before moving to Port Hope. Together, she and John operated John's Landing, a boat livery business in Port Hope for several years. She is survived by a daughter, Shirley Falcon, of Port Hope. Annie was preceded in death by nine brothers and three sisters. Funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, in Our Lady of Lake Huron Catholic Church in Harbor Beach with the Rev. Gerald Kukla, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. A parish vigil service will be at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 tonight at the funeral home, and from 10 a.m. until the time of the services Tuesday at the church. Clyde Schamel Clyde H. Schamel, 96, of Caseville and Florida, died Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, at the home of his daughter in Florida while under hospice care. He was born March 15, 1906 in Buffalo, N.Y. to the late John and Bertha (Farrell) Schamel. He was united in marriage to Ruth Onetto on Oct. 30, 1929 in Notre Dame, Indiana. She preceded him in death in 1978. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1927. Later they moved to Michigan where he was employed at the GM Tech Center in Warren for 28 years retiring in 1971. Clyde and his family began coming to the Caseville area in 1960 and moved permanently in the mid 1970s. In 1981, he married Stella Emerton. She passed away Feb. 14, 1986. On June 17, 1987, he married Cathryn McIntyre at Notre Dame. She was taken home to the Lord on Aug. 6, 2001. He was a member of St. Roch Catholic Church, Caseville, Epiphany Cathedral in Florida, Society of Automotive Engineers, Elks of Venice, Fla., and the Caseville Retirement Club. Surviving are two daughters, Leonore Bushor of Maitland, Fla., Wilma Ozminski and her husband, Alvin, of Hadley; 10 grandchildren; 10 great- grandchildren; three great-great grandchildren; stepchildren, Bonnie Korn, Janice Spinney, Michele Fratarcangeli and Moni McIntyre. Cremation has taken place in Florida, with a memorial service at St. Roch to be announced in the spring. Burial will be in St. Roch Cemetery. Friends may sign the guest book at CFCcaseville.com. Memorials may be given to St. Roch Building Fund. Tuesday, December 17, 2002 Gary Drabek Gary Drabek, 59, passed away at St. Mary's Hospital after an extended illness. He was born on Aug. 21, 1943 in West Branch, the son of the late Peter and Marion Drabek. He was a postal worker for 30 years, business owner and landlord. He retired in April of 2002 due to illness. Gary is survived by brothers, Leo Drabek and his wife, Aileen, of St. Helen, Bruce Drabek and his wife, Judy, of Bad Axe, Thomas Drabek and his wife, Susanne, of Pigeon, David Drabek and his wife, Sally, of West Branch; sister-in-law, Joyce Drabek of California; nine nephews; nine nieces; 14 great-nephews, 16 great- nieces; four great-great-nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James and Robert; nephew, Jerry Drabek; and a great nephew. Cremation took place and a memorial service was conducted on Monday. Memorial donations may be made to the Tolfree Foundation. Joseph Edwards Joseph "J.R." Robert Edwards, 53, of North Branch and formerly of Bad Axe, died on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002, and is at peace with the Lord after a long battle with cancer. He was born on Dec. 23, 1948 in Bad Axe to Robert and Ilene (Ruth) Edwards. Joseph married Larraine Smohn on Sept. 7, 2001. Mr. Edwards owned and operated J.R. Edwards Trucking & Excavating with his son, Brandon. Joe enjoyed life as an adventure and particularly he loved his work, trips on his Harley Davidson motorcycle, boating and racing. He had a special love for the water. Joe loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Larraine Edwards of North Branch; children, Lisa Halleck and her husband, Brad, of Bay City, Brandon Edwards of North Branch, Andrea Edwards of Port Huron; step- daughter, Amy Hall of North Branch; mother, Ilene Johnson and her husband, Dale, of Bad Axe; brother, Jim Edwards and his wife, Sharon, of Mt. Pleasant; sister, Kate Dubey and her husband, Todd, of Owendale; friends, Glenn Bruce III and Steve Lawson; and many nieces and nephews whom he cherished with all his heart. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Edwards; sister, Diane Forsyth; infant brother, Richard; and special friend, Richard "Dickie" Ludwig. A memorial service was conducted at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at First United Methodist Church in Bad Axe with the Rev. William Wright officiating. Arrangements were handled by Muir Brothers Funeral Home in Lapeer. Memorials may be made to Genesys Hospice, Hurley Children's Miracle Network or the First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Woodworth Street, Bad Axe. Wednesday, December 18, 2002 Norman Carson Norman Theodore Carson, 91, finished a "good life" here and began an eternal life with Christ on Dec. 16, 2002. His earthly life began on Jan. 15, 1911 as a son to George and Effie (Crisman) Carson. He was a graduate of Port Hope High School, Huron County Normal School and Central Michigan University. Norman was a public school teacher for 40 years. His teaching career included New River, Davidson, Dobson, Huron Double Five, Port Hope and Kinde Schools in the Huron County area. In 1968, he married Dorothy Lehner and moved to North Star. He finished his teaching career at Ithaca Public Schools in 1973. He was an active member of the North Star Church of the Nazarene and a member of Gideon's International, giving many years of service to these organizations. Dorothy, his wife of thirty-two years, and Norman received special recognition from the governor for their faithful fourteen years of visitation to Schnepps Health Care Center. Norman loved to have a big garden, spending many hours growing a great abundance of fruits and vegetables so he could give it away. He also enjoyed visiting with friends and to challenge his memory by reciting poetry that he had learned as a child. Norman is survived by one sister, Leona Zinger; three step-children, Carolyn Kimmel and her husband, Harold, Melvin Lehner and his wife, Ruth, Clifford Lehner and his wife, Ginny; 11 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; five brothers, Herbert, Charles, Fred, George, and John; and one sister, Dorothea Purdue. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002, at the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca, with the Revs. R. A. Mosey and Doyle Perry officiating. Burial will be in the North Star Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. tonight. Memorial contributions may be made to Gideon's International. Mildred Gehrs Mildred A. Gehrs, 81, of Frankenmuth, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Frankenmuth. Mildred A. Schalk was born Feb. 16, 1921 in Detroit. She married Martin C. Gehrs on July 1, 1944 in Detroit. Martin preceded her in death on Oct. 26, 2002. Mildred was employed at the Bavarian Inn for several years. She was a member of The Bavarian Singers and a member of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church and it's Treble Choir. She is survived by her children, David Gehrs and his wife, Kathy, of Frankenmuth, Michael Gehrs and his wife, Karen, of Pigeon, Barb Jewell and her husband, Daniel, of Independence, Ky.; four grandchildren, Katie and Chris Gehrs of Frankenmuth, Kari and Kristie Gehrs of Pigeon; sisters, Marge Meier and her husband, Arnold, Eleanor Belanger and her husband, Charles, Doris Schinnerer and her husband, the Rev. Carl Schinnerer, and Gertrude Schalk; and many nieces and nephews. Mildred was preceded in death by six brothers; and two sisters. The funeral service will take place at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, 2002, at the Cederberg Funeral Home of Frankenmuth, 590 N. Franklin, and at 11 a.m. at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church. The Rev. Joel Kaiser will officiate with burial in St. Lorenz Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Memorials may be made to St. Lorenz Media Ministry. Adelaide Gucwa Adelaide "Della" Gucwa, 90, of Bad Axe passed away Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at her home after a long illness under the care of her loving family. Della was born on Dec. 5, 1912 in Rapson to the late Joseph and Frances (Maikrzek) Bureiza. She married Theodore Gucwa at the Sunday mass on May 29, 1938 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rapson. He preceded her in death on April 14, 1977. Della was a graduate of the Lincoln Country School. She farmed with her husband and family. She was a parishioner at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Sheridan Corners. Della is survived by two sons, Tom Gucwa of Bad Axe, David Gucwa and his wife, Barbara, of Schaumburg, Ill.; one daughter, Mary Haley and her husband, Richard, of Bad Axe; two grandchildren, Thomas White and Christine Gucwa; one sister, Evelyn Gucwa of Bad Axe. Della was preceded in death by three sisters, Angelina Wrubel, Rose Heleski, and Emma Bureiza; four brothers, Peter, Thomas, August, and Julius Bureiza. Funeral mass for Adelaide "Della" Gucwa will be 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002, at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Sheridan Corners. The Rev. T. J. Fleming, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. There will be a parish vigil service at 8 p.m. tonight at the Zinger- Smigielski Funeral Home in Ubly. Visitation will be from 1 to 9:30 p.m. today at the funeral home and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursday at the church. Ruth Stromske Ruth E. Stromske, 88, of Hazel Park and formerly of Harbor Beach passed away Monday, Dec. 16, 2002, in William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Born on May 31, 1914 in Rock Island, Ill., she was the daughter of the late Chester and Lucy (Pilgrim) Clapper. On Oct. 26, 1968, she was united in marriage to Edward Stromske in Mount Clemens. He preceded her in death on Sept. 17, 1993. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Harbor Beach. Ruth is survived by a daughter, Nancy Montgomery and her husband, Alfred, of Detroit; son, John Masterton and his wife, Penny, of Huntington Beach, Calif.; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two step-sons; two step-daughters, eight step-grandchildren; nine step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a sister, Neva Froehner; step-son, Joseph Stromske. Cremation took place and a memorial service will be conducted at a later date in the First Presbyterian Church in Harbor Beach. Interment will be in the Rockfalls Cemetery in Harbor Beach. Ramsey Funeral Home of Harbor Beach is handling arrangements and will announce the memorial service later in the Huron Daily Tribune and on their web site at RamseyFH.Com. Thursday, December 19, 2002 Cecilia Gordon Cecilia Mae Gordon, 82, of Port Austin, died Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002, at Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe. She was born on Jan. 6, 1920 in Port Crescent, daughter of the late Peter and Mae (Shall) Krull. Cecilia married Jack Gordon on Aug. 28, 1938 in Flint. He preceded her in death in March of 1968. Cecilia was a member of the United Protestant Church in Port Austin and a past member of the Ladies Aid and Tops. She enjoyed baking, gardening, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Janice Warren and her husband, Robert, of Heber Springs, Ark., Sharon Butterworth and her husband, Tom, of Haverhill, Mass., Peter Gordon and his wife, Nancy, of Tucson, Ariz., David Gordon and his wife, Kay, of Port Austin, Jack R. Gordon and his wife, Gloria, of Troy, Gregory Gordon and his wife, Lana, of Port Austin, Debra Schumacher and her husband, James, of Port Austin, Pamela Finan and her husband, Pat, of Vancouver, Wash.; 25 grandchildren, Wendy, Jeffery, Cindy, Kim, Kevin, Bonnie, Butchie, Scott, Chris, Todd, Mark, Brad, Jack Jr., Heather, Timothy, Samantha, Brandy, Courtney, Erin, Brian, Kelly, Amber, Hollie, Maggie, and Jessica; 20 great-grandchildren; sisters and brothers, Caroline McGuire of Port Austin, John Krull of Enfield, Conn., Theresa Luchtman of Saginaw, Dorothy Guster of Caseville, Nellie Hatch of Port Austin, and Mary Craig of Port Austin. She was preceded in death by her son, Monte Gordon; infant daughter, Patricia; and brother, Edward Krull. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at the United Protestant Church in Port Austin. Burial will follow in Port Austin Township Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. on Friday at the Knoblock Funeral Home in Kinde and from 9:30 until the time of service at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the church. John Smith John Wesley Smith, 72, of Decker, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002, at his home. He was born in McKinley Township on Dec. 7, 1930, the son of the late James Nesley and Grace Maria (Bradd) Smith. On June 13, 1952, he was united in marriage to Mary Blanche Inwood at the Romeo Methodist Church. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June. Mr. Smith received his B.A. from Adrian College and his Master of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary. He received a Master of Arts in Teaching at Oakland University also. He served as a United Methodist minister in Wisconsin and Michigan for 20 years and as a teacher of elementary education for 20 years at Huron Valley Schools. He is survived by his wife, Mary; four children, John William Smith and his wife, Lori, of Pigeon, the Rev. Sandra Blanche Willobee and her husband, Edwin, of Southfield, James Robert Smith and his wife, Victoria, of Chelsea, and Sharon Marie Thomas and her husband, Jerry, of Lathrop Village; eight grandchildren, James and Benjamin Smith, Laura and Barbara Willobee, Michelle and Andrew Smith, and Alan and Ian Thomas; three brothers, Bill Smith of Bad Axe, Robert Smith and his wife, Joyce, of Pigeon, and Sidney Smith and his wife, Kaye, of Bay Port; sister, Lois Chisholm and her husband, Fred, of Pigeon; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two granddaughters, Elizabeth Anne and Wendy Marie. The funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at the Shabbona United Methodist Church in Decker, with the Rev. Ellen Burns, pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Caseville Township Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. tonight and from 1 to 9 p.m. on Friday at Meyersieck-Bussema Funeral Home in Pigeon and at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Shabbona United Methodist Church in Decker. Memorials for Mr. Smith may be made to A.L.S. of Michigan or United Hospice. Friday, December 20, 2002 Anthony Kolter Anthony "Andy" Kolter, 84, of Caseville, died Thursday morning, Dec. 19, 2002, at Berti's Nest Adult Foster Care Home in Bay Port while under hospice care. He was born Feb. 23, 1918 in Detroit to the late Anthony and Mary (Wallace) Kolter. On July 22, 1942, he was united in marriage to Patricia DeBeau in Baltimore, Md. Andy served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a military policeman guarding German prisoners of war. In the early 1950s, he moved to the Thumb area. He settled in Elkton in 1955 where he was employed at Active Industries. He retired in 1979 and then moved to Caseville. His wife preceded him in death on Sept. 16, 1996. He was a member of St. Roch Catholic Church in Caseville, the Knights of Columbus of Caseville-Pigeon and former member of the Caseville Eagles. Surviving are his two children, Mike DeBeau and his wife, Sue, of Lapeer and Patricia Everett of Texas; nine grandchildren; 19 great- grandchildren; and brother, Edward Kolter of Bay City. A funeral mass will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at St. Roch Catholic Church in Caseville. A Knights of Columbus Rosary Service will began at 7 p.m. tonight at the Champagne Funeral Chapel in Caseville. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home and at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the church. Memorials may be given to United Hospice. Friends may sign the guest book at www.CFCcaseville.com. Dorothy Sparling Dorothy Sparling, 82, of Vassar, died Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002, at her home. Arrangements are being handled by Martin Funeral Home Clark Chapel in Vassar. 1