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Theo C. Grootendorst
ST. JOSEPH - Theo Catharinus Johan Grootendorst, 85, of St. Joseph passed away on Friday, May 8, 2009, after a nine-year-long, but dignified, struggle with Alzheimer's.
Theo was born Feb. 22, 1924, in Boskoop, the Netherlands, to Klaas and Wilhelmina (van der Spek) Grootendorst. Theo earned a degree in Merchant Marine navigation as well as a degree in horticulture. On Sept. 20, 1950, he married Catherine (To) Driesprong.
Theo is survived by his wife of 58 years, Catherine (To) of St. Joseph; two sons, Jon A. Grootendorst and his wife Michelle of Chicago and Peter Th. Grootendorst of Baroda; one grandchild, Isabella; two sisters, Sophie Boer and Jo v. d. Bosch; two brothers, Walther Grootendorst and Dick Jan Grootendorst, all from the Netherlands. In addition to his parents, Theo was preceded in death by one brother, Piet Grootendorst; and one sister, Greta Smit.
Theo's life accomplishments were many. During World War II, he was a member of the Dutch Underground Forces resisting the Nazi occupation of Holland. Later, Theo sailed for the Dutch Merchant Marine. In 1954, Theo and Catherine immigrated to the United States where together they started, owned and operated Grootendorst Nurseries and Southmeadow Fruit Gardens in Lakeside. Theo was a charter member of the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association and a longtime member of the United Methodist Church in Lakeside and Saint Joseph.
A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14, at St. Joseph United Methodist Church, 3003 Leco Court, St. Joseph. Friends may call starting at 10:30 a.m. at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jasper Against Batten Fund. Jasper is a wonderful 4-year-old Dutch boy living in Chicago who is in desperate need of an expensive treatment to save his life. Theo and Jasper spent Christmas together in 2008 when Theo served as Jasper's surrogate Opa (Dutch for grandpa). www.JasperAgainstBatten.org or 151 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 2119, Chicago, Ill. 60601.
George Sparke Jr.
ST. JOSEPH - George Sparke Jr., 69, of St. Joseph, formerly of Ohio, passed away Friday, May 8, 2009, at his home.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 11, with the Rosary recited at 5:30 p.m. with Fr. William J. Jacobs, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to the Sparke family. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book on line may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Visitation will also be held at Hale Sarver Funeral Home, 284 N. Miami St. in W. Milton, Ohio, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at Transfiguration Church, 972 S. Miami St., West Milton, Ohio, with visitation from 10 a.m. until noon. Burial will be held in Riverside Cemetery in Troy, Ohio.
George was born April 30, 1940, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to George and Camille (Ostendorf) Sparke Sr. He graduated from Elder High School in Cincinnati. George served his country in the Navy for four years. He received his associate's degree in engineering from Edison College in Piqua, Ohio. On Jan. 24, 1998, he married Teoginesa "Gigi" Sparke in Ohio. George worked for Procter & Gamble for five years in Ohio, Hobart Corp. for 15 years in Ohio, and Whirlpool in Dayton, Ohio, and the Benton Harbor division for 18 years. George was a member of the St. John's/St. Bernard's Knights of Columbus and was an active member of the right to life movement. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, bowling, motorcycling and primitive camping. George also was studying to be a nurse at Lake Michigan College.
George was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Carol Sparke; and brother, James Sparke.
He is survived by his wife, Gigi Sparke of St. Joseph; one brother, Michael (Caroline) Sparke of Ohio; niece, Lisa; 12 children - Christopher (Jackie) Sparke of Texas, Susan (Dennis) Webb of Ohio, Michele Weaver of Ohio, George "Scott" (Sandra) Sparke of Ohio, Ann (Phil) Smith of Texas, Paul (Henriekha) Sparke of Texas, Matthew Sparke of Ohio, Jason (Rachel) Sparke of Indiana, Geralynn (Matt) Vaughn of Ohio, Sarah (Jeremy) Bubeck of Ohio, Elizabeth (Josh) Porter of Ohio and Sister Mary Kathleen Sparke of N.M.; 16 grandchildren - Stephan, Jennifer, Jessica, Heather, David, Julie, Shelby, Andrew, Thomas, Gavin, Garrett, Lillian, Jeremiah, Michelle, Christopher and Matthew; and eight great-grandchildren.
Robert J. Nelson
WATERVLIET - Bob's life began Sept. 7, 1957, in Watervliet. Bob spent his childhood growing up in Watervliet, graduating from Watervliet High School. After high school, Bob attended Detroit Barber College and then returned to the area where he owned Nelson's Barber Shop in Coloma for 32 years. Bob loved to hunt, fish and cook. He was an avid Notre Dame and Green Bay Packers fan. Bob will be remembered for how he loved life and would do anything to help a family member or friend. Many people in the area will forever remember him as Barber Bob.
Bob's greatest love was for his family which includes: two children, Heather Nelson and Kevin Nelson, both of Watervliet; his mother, Frances Nelson of Watervliet; two brothers, Gary (Denise) Nelson and Larry (Cathy) Nelson, both of Coloma; and a sister, Jackie (Barney) Hiler of Watervliet.
Bob died Friday, May 8, 2009, at Rose Arbor Hospice in Kalamazoo.
His father, Robert Nelson, preceded Bob in death.
Friends may visit with Bob's family Monday, May 11, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet. A memorial Mass will be celebrated Tuesday, May 12, at 11 a.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Watervliet. Memorials may be made in Bob's memory to Rose Arbor Hospice.
Shirley Joy Turner
COLOMA - Life for Shirley began May 17, 1927, the daughter of Benjamin and Rosalia Iverson. Shirley lived her early life in the Covert area. In 1945, the family purchased a small farm in Coloma between Big Paw Paw and Little Paw Paw lakes. Shirley graduated from Coloma High School in 1946 and attended Andrews University while working as a night AT&T Telephone Co. operator in Coloma.
Shirley was bitten by the travel bug early in life, as her parents traveled to California during the winter months. Her life in Coloma was filled with excitement, water skiing on Big Paw Paw Lake, roller skating at Steve's Roller Rink (where she and her husband, Joe, met) and all of the other things beautiful young ladies enjoyed doing. On Nov. 26, 1950, Shirley and Joe married. Joe was a sales manager for the F.P. Rosback Co. Joining him in his worldwide travel was a big part of her life. On Aug. 1, 1958, son Timothy was born. She introduced Tim to the travel bug and until he started school made many trips across the United States. Life was beautiful for the young family. They later moved to Kalamazoo to be close to son Tim's family and built their dream home in 1995. Shirley also enjoyed tending to her flower gardens and keeping the house and yard beautiful.
Shirley's parents, Benjamin and Rosalia, and her brother, Billie preceded her in death.
Surviving are husband Joe, son Tim and his lovely wife Cyndi (Stanford) Turner, her cherished grandchildren Tom and Laurel Turner, sisters-in-law, Barbara Reck and Norma Turner, brothers-in-law, Jack (Harriet) Turner and Dan (Sherrie) Turner, chosen brother Dr. and Mrs. Adelbert Stagg, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, church family, dear friends and neighbors.
Shirley's life ended May 9, 2009, surrounded by her family. Her trust in God's promises sustained her during her battle with cancer. She was a lifelong member of the Seventh-day-Adventist (SDA) church. She is now waiting for the trumpet to sound that calls those who love and follow God's teaching, and be joined by family in God's new earth. I Corinthians 15:51-58. We will miss her cheery smile and laughter, but we can cherish the treasured memories of her life and look forward to the family reunion God has planned for us.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, May 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South Ninth St., Kalamazoo. There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 22, at the Coloma Cemetery, Coloma. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in Shirley's memory may be directed to the SDA Community Center or SDA Junior Academy worthy student fund. Please visit www.langelands.com for online guest book and for condolences to the family.
Hubert 'Jay' P. Taylor
BENTON HARBOR - Hubert "Jay" P. Taylor, 85, of Benton Harbor passed away Thursday, May 7, 2009, at his home.
Funeral services celebrating his life will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at Davidson Chapel of Florin Funeral Service, 249 E. Center Street, in Coloma. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery in Watervliet with military rites. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Diabetes Research.
Jay was born Dec. 13, 1923, in Trenton, Tenn. He was one of three children born to James and Sally Taylor. He proudly served his county during World War II as an Army Air Corps Engineer. In 1955, he married Roberta Rae Phillips. In 1963, they moved to the area from Chicago. He worked for many years at Auto Specialties in Benton Harbor as a millwright. Jay enjoyed tinkering with electrical and mechanical equipment around his house. He also enjoyed photography.
Jay is survived by his children, Vance (Debra) Beilman of Montana, James (Ruby) Beilman of Baldwin, Mich., Arleeta (Roderick) Bartlett of Baldwin and Michael (Lois) Beilman of Benton Harbor; brother, Thomas (Jinny) Taylor of Roseville in the Detroit area, Louise (Floyd) Humphries of Madison Heights in the Detroit area; sister-in-law, Arleeta (Delbert) Bickers of Watervliet; and by 21 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and 18 great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, Jay was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Roberta Taylor, in 2001.
John C. Petek
GLENN - John C. Petek, 82, of Glenn, Mich., died on May 10, 2009, in Holland, Mich. John was born on May 12, 1926, in Chicago. John served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. John owned and operated the Glenn Standard Service Station for 35 years, retiring in 1984. John was an avid Chicago White Sox and Bears fan.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret Petek, in 1999.
John is survived by his children, David (Laurie) Petek, Michael (Judy) Petek and John E Petek of Glenn; and one daughter, Carol Petek-Bennett of Dublin, Ohio; three grandchildren, Nicole (Allen) Burrows, Danielle Petek and Ryan Petek; one great-granddaughter, Harlee Burrows.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, May 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Filbrandt Family Funeral Home, South Haven. The Rosary will begin a 7:30 p.m. The funeral service will be on Wednesday, May 13, at 11 a.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church with the Rev. Father Tim Cuny officiating. Burial will take place in McDowell Cemetery, Casco Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ganges Township First Responders.
Evelyn Marie Walters
ST. JOSEPH - Evelyn Marie Walters, 91, of St. Joseph passed from this life and entered eternity with her Savior on Sunday, May 10, 2009, at Caretel Inns.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 619 Market, St. Joseph. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. Memorial donations may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or Lory's Place.
Evelyn was born on Aug. 27, 1917, to Henry and Marie (Frobel) Kasischke in Detroit. At age 5, she moved with her family to St. Joseph. She attended Trinity Lutheran School and graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1935. She worked for the Michigan Bell Telephone Co. as a supervisor before becoming a full-time mother and homemaker. She married Fred Walters of St. Joseph on Aug. 22, 1939, and they enjoyed 44 years of marriage.
Evelyn enjoyed gardening, sewing, reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing scrabble, and especially attending the high school athletic events and activities of her grandchildren.
Evelyn is survived by three children, sons, James (Mary) Walters of St. Petersburg, Pa., and Gene (Elsa) Walters of Glastonbury, Conn., and a daughter, Gayle (Bruce) De Schaaf of St. Joseph. She is also survived by a sister, Lois Karsten of St. Joseph, nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, and many nephews and nieces.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her sister, Adeline Kasischke, and her brother, Henry Kasischke.
