HURON DAILY TRIBUNE, Bad Axe, Huron County, Michigan Local obituaries for the week beginning August 29, 20204 Contributed 2004 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 represent- ative 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, August 29, 2004 Daniel Gottschalk Daniel "Don" C. Gottschalk, 86, of Kinde, passed away Friday, August 27, 2004, at the Huron Medical Center, Bad Axe. He was born on May 26, 1918 at Port Crescent near Port Austin, to the late August and Nellie (Culhane) Gottschalk. Daniel Gottschalk and Alice Lerash were married June 14, 1947 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Dwight Township. They enjoyed 57 years of marriage. Mr. Gottschalk was a member of St. Edward's Catholic Church and served as an usher. He attended Port Crescent Rural Country School and graduated from the Port Austin High School. Daniel served in the U.S. Army during World War II, Pacific Theater. He was a member of the V.F.W. Post No. 4003 of Kinde. He worked at Pontiac Motors, Huron County Road Commission, and at the Kinde Co-op Gas Division, where he retired in 1985 after 37 years. He enjoyed euchre, bowling, pheasant hunting, and visiting with family and friends. Daniel is survived by his wife, Alice; three daughters, Carol Bess and her husband, Lynn, of Craigsville, Virginia, Judy Guthrie and her husband, Ray, of Bridgewater, Virginia, and Colleen Talaski and her husband, Dan, of Bad Axe; four sons, Patrick Gottschalk and his wife, Judy, of Bad Axe, Daniel Gottschalk, of Port Austin, Dennis Gottschalk and his wife, Julie, of Port Austin, and Robert Gottschalk and his wife, Pam, of Kinde; one sister, Christine Hebert, of Bad Axe; 17 grandchildren, David and Michael Healy, of Bridgewater, Virginia, Debbie Patterson and her husband, David, of Bridgewater, Virginia, Kimberly Wisman and her husband, Jeremy, of Hinton, Virginia, Anthony and Amanda Gottschalk, of Bad Axe, Penny Ferreri and her husband, Keith, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sarah Gottschalk, of Port Austin, Shannon Hicks and her husband, Josh, of Warren, Tisha Gottschalk, of Kinde, Brandon, Adam, and Jaclyn Guthrie, of Bridgewater, Virginia, Terry Talaski, of Waterford, and Scott Talaski, of Mount Pleasant, Megan Gottschalk and Carolyn Gottschalk, both of Port Austin; six great-grandchildren, Samantha, Cheyanna, Hunter, Heather, Jakob, and Logan; and several nieces and nephews. Mr. Gottschalk was preceded in death by two brothers, Jack Gottschalk and Sam Gottschalk; one sister, Frances Souva. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Kinde. Fr. Miecazyslaw Oniskiewicz, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery in Port Austin, with military honors. A parish wake scripture service will be offered at 7 p.m. on Monday, followed by a rosary at 8 p.m., at Gage Chapel-MacAlpine Funeral Home, Kinde. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today, from 1 to 9 p.m. on Monday, and from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be offered to the Family Discretionary Fund. Craig Scott White Craig Scott White, 63, beloved friend, died July 28, 2004, in New York City, of heart failure. He was born on May 13, 1941 in Harbor Beach. Craig grew up in Harbor Beach and later moved to New York, where he spent the next 38 years of his life. Over the course of his career, Craig worked in sporting goods, the restaurant and bar business, and security. A tender man with a tough exterior, he had the extraordinary quality of being loved by almost everyone who met him, and will be remembered by many people whose lives were made brighter because of his own. Please honor his memory by being kind to animals. Craig, you left big boots. Craig was the son of the late Pauline (Scott) and Joseph F. White, of Harbor Beach, Hopewell, Virginia, and Muncie, Indiana. He was married and divorced once and had no children. He is survived by his sister and brother- in-law, Pamela and John Craddock, and their children, Scott and Cindy, of Muncie, Indiana. A Memorial Mass was said Monday, August 16, 2004, at St. Francis of Assisi Church, New York City. Monday, August 30, 2004 Elizabeth June Baur Elizabeth June Baur, 66, of Green Valley, Arizona, originally from Sebewaing, passed away Friday, August 20, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona. Elizabeth was born October 25, 1937 in St. Louis, Michigan. She is survived by her three daughters, Tammy Staggs, of Madera, California, Brenda Baur, of Green Valley, Arizona, and Karen Jackson, of Bad Axe; two sons, Elmo Baur, Jr. of Merced, California, and Rick Baur, of Green Valley, Arizona; three sisters Arlene, Dorothy and Laurine, of Michigan; and eight brothers, Arnold, Basil, Dale, Gale, Howard, Louis and Richard, all of Michigan, and Ronald, of Florida. She had eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by her husband, Elmo, Sr.; her parents; and siblings Gordon, Gerald, Clarence and Dorthea. Arrangements were made by Dinkel-Jungel Funeral Home in Sebewaing. Graveside memorial service will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 1, 2004, at New Salem Cemetery with Pastor Mayhew officiating. Tuesday, August 31, 2004 Eleanor E. Messing Eleanor E. Messing, 83, of Bad Axe, moved to her heavenly home on Monday, August 30, 2004. She was born on February 21, 1921 in Harbor Beach, daughter of the late Anthony and Lucy (Wrubel) Swartz. She married Norman Messing on August 31, 1940 in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rapson. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bad Axe. Eleanor is survived by her husband, Norman Messing, of Bad Axe; two daughters, Gloria (Baker) Armstrong and her husband, D. Paul, of Bad Axe, Jane Saunders and her husband, Floyd, of Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada; two sons, Ken Messing and his wife, Mary, of Bad Axe, Don Messing and his wife, Diane, of Sonoma, California; two brothers, Ralph Swartz and his wife, Arlene, of Detroit, Eugene Swartz and his wife, Eddie, of Macomb Township; 13 grandchildren; and three great- grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one son, Dale D. Messing; one brother, Clarence Swartz; and four sisters, Gertrude Susalla, Della Briedrick, Lillian Mounts, and Helen Ulfig. A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 2, 2004, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bad Axe. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kaufman Funeral Home and from 10 a.m. until the service time at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the church. Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Diann Green LaCroix Diann Green LaCroix, 52, of Ubly, passed away at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, on Tuesday, August 31, 2004, after a long battle with cancer. She was born March 27, 1952 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania to her loving parents, Ed and Helen Horvath, of Trenton. She will be missed by all her family, friends and all those whose lives she touched as a nurse at Scheurer Family Medical Center, Hills & Dales General Hospital, McKenzie Memorial Hospital and as LPN National Paramedic with the Bingham and Sandusky Ambulance Services. She will also be missed by her co-workers at the Ford Alliance Plant in Flatrock. Diann was an avid re-enactor of 18th century history and one of her greatest joys was teaching other people and children about life in the founding days of our nation. She was very creative and an excellent seamstress. She was the person that could be counted on to organize any event, from a fund raiser for a hospital charity to an educational program. She is survived by her husband, Russell, of Ubly; daughter, Michelle Green and her special friend, Mike Novak, of Livonia; daughter, Kristie and her special friend, Mario Rios, of Taylor; step-son, Rusty, of Idaho; and her brother, Edward "Skip" Horvath, Jr. and his wife, Alice; and her nieces, Kimarie and Meghan. Funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 3, 2004, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 2665 Third Street, in Trenton. Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. on Thursday at the Martenson Funeral Home, 3254 West Street, Trenton, (734) 672-5400. Memorials may be made to the St. Joseph Catholic Church Building Fund. Wanda Yerkey Wanda Illene Yerkey, 85, of Grindstone, passed away Monday, August 30, 2004, at the Huron County Medical Care Facility in Bad Axe. She was born on October 14, 1918 in Crooksville, Ohio, daughter of the late Aaron and Rilla (Brown) Wells. Wanda married Peter Rothgarber in 1944 in Detroit. He preceded her in death on January 5, 1960. She later married Lester Yerkey on May 26, 1962 at Ss. Peter's Lutheran Church in Kinde. Wanda was one of the original partners who purchased the land from the Cleveland Stone and Quarry that is Grindstone City. She was a member of the Grindstone Sportsman's Club and the VFW in Bad Axe. Wanda enjoyed spending her time fishing and bowling. Wanda is survived by her husband, Lester, of Grindstone; her son, Aaron Rothgarber and his wife, Anita, of Bethlehem, Georgia; her sister, Rita Moats, of Fraser; and several nephews. Cremation is taking place. A memorial service will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 2, 2004, at the Knoblock Funeral Home in Kinde. Officiating will be the Rev. Robert P. Garrett. Burial will follow in New River Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Thursday, September 02, 2004 – No obituaries reported Friday, September 3, 2004 Eva M. Bletl Eva Marie Bletl, 89, of Bad Axe, died Wednesday, September 1, 2004, at the Huron County Medical Care Facility after a short illness. She was born August 23, 1915 in Cincinnati, Ohio, daughter of the late Peter and Eva (Niess) Bletl. Miss Bletl was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bad Axe, and a member of the church's ladies sodality and the 50 and Over Club. Surviving are many nieces and nephews; one brother-in-law, Chris Gayari, of Pigeon; and one sister-in-law, Mrs. George (Marguerite) Hough, of Owendale. Two brothers, Joseph and Peter Bletl; three sisters, Helen Gayari, Katherine Willing, and Rose Bletl, preceded her in death. Services will be 11 a.m. on Monday, September 6, 2004, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bad Axe. The Rev. George Serour will officiate. Burial will be in St. Francis Borgia Cemetery, Pigeon. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the H. W. Weitenberner Funeral Home, Bad Axe. A scripture service will be conducted at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the funeral home. James H. Leckenby James H. Leckenby, 71, of Lake Township near Caseville, passed away on Thursday, September 2, 2004, at his home. He was born July 8, 1933 in Hazel Park, son of the late Leland and Rema (Williams) Leckenby. He was a graduate of Berkley High School, Class of 1952. He served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Leckenby was employed at Detroit Wilbert Vault Company for 21 years and moved to Lake Township after his retirement. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, boating and visiting with his family and friends. He is survived by one son, Leland Leckenby, of Silverwood; two daughters, Mary Mrogikt and her husband, Daniel, of Port Austin, and Fayme Tucker and her husband, Michael, of Lapeer; five grandchildren, Timothy Leckenby, Robert Tucker, Christopher Tucker, Olivia Tucker and Jacob Moore; one great-grandchild, Elizabeth Mobile. He was preceded in death by one daughter, Ann. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be conducted at a later date. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the MacAlpine Funeral Home of Bad Axe. Memorials may be offered to the Saginaw Veterans Memorial, 1500 Weiss Street, Saginaw, Michigan 48602. Elwood McDonald Elwood "Bud" McDonald, 72, of Owendale, died Friday morning, September 3, 2004. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time and are being conducted by Meyersieck-Bussema Funeral Home in Pigeon. A complete obituary will be in Sunday's Huron Daily Tribune. 1