Obituaries
Mary Jane Milbourne
Mary Jane Milbourn, age 64 from Charlotte, passed away on June 16, 2023. Arrangements are being handled by Pray Funeral Home.
Pamela Ranee Paton Andrews
Pamela “Pam” Ranee Paton Andrews, 70, of Charlotte, Michigan went to be with the Lord on June 12, 2023, after a short battle with illness. She was born September 11, 1952, to Robert and Barbara (Davis) Paton who have preceded her in death. Pam attended and graduated from Olivet High School in 1970. She was a hard-working woman with a strong will. Pam was a committed employee at Mr. D’s restaurant in Olivet, The Eaton Theatre, as well as Eaton County Health and Rehabilitation, where she worked until her retirement in 2015. She loved to collect angels, lighthouses, and carousels; she was always excited when she was able to add to her collections. Pam would frequent garage sales, always on the hunt for a new treasure. If there was a NASCAR race on TV you could always count on Pam watching it. Pam enjoyed a good word search and going on long drives. She was a loving, kind person who always put her family first. Pam had a giving heart; she would go out of her way to help others. Above all else she cherished spending time with her family and friends, especially her grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Michael Vaughn Paton. Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of 52 ½ years, Donald E. Andrews; children: Donald “Buck” E. (Katie) Andrews, Stacey A. (Jay) Andrews, Dawn M. (Shane) Bartlett, Shawn (Stephanie) M. Andrews; nine grandchildren: Owen, Anastasia, Ashlyn, AJ, Makkena, Cameron, Aubrie, Briley, Tristen; great-grandchild, Sa’Veregin; siblings, Diane Swift, Sheila Siefert; grand-nephew, Caiden Bailey; special friends: Kevin and Junita Thorton, Randy and Debbie Kelley, David and Dora Howe, Bob and Jackie King, Bob and Pam Curtis, Don and Stacey Lieby, Brian and Melissa Haas, Addriett Balgoyen, and Angel Lepere.
A celebration of Pam’s life will be held this summer on a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be directed to the Arthritis Foundation. Arrangements entrusted to Vickers Leslie Funeral Home, 109 N. Church St./P.O. Box 503 Leslie, Michigan 49251. 517-878-6600.
Barbara J. Loveless
Barbara J. Loveless, age 88, of Olivet, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 16, 2023. She was born February 9, 1935, in Charlotte, the daughter of Clayton and Goldie (Baker) Wyble. Barb was an only child and was much loved by her parents. She married the love of her life, Ward E. Loveless, in 1950. They celebrated 65 years of marriage until Ward passed away in 2015. Barb was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She worked side by side with Ward on the farm for many years. She also worked as a substitute rural mail carrier in Olivet and at the Olivet Pharmacy. Barb also served on the local election board until just three years ago and was active at the Brookfield United Methodist Church. In later years her and Ward enjoyed traveling throughout the country in their motorhome. She also loved working in her flower and vegetable gardens. Barb was diligent about keeping a daily journal of the happening of her and her families lives and did so for over 70 years, never missing a single day!
Barb is survived by her children: Larry (Julie) Loveless of Lansing; Linda Loveless of Charlotte, Lori Sedlar of Holt, Lyle Loveless of Eaton Rapids; grandchildren: Terry (Sally) Sedlar of Olivet, Chad (Jennifer) Loveless of Olivet, Jason Becker of Indiana, Brad Hoeve of Holland, Marcus Loveless of Wixom, Kassandra Loveless of Manistique; great-grandchildren: Damien Loveless, Mycaela (Rylan) Ducheney, and Tori Sedlar.
She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Ward.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 12 p.m. at the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. The family received friends on Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home and one hour prior to the service on Wednesday. A private burial took place at Bosworth Cemetery.
Those desiring may make contributions in Barb’s memory to Hospice of Lansing, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, or the charity of their choice.
To view Barb’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.
Nancy Wotkyns
Nancy Wotkyns of Eaton Rapids, passed away on January 20, 2023, at the age of 80. She was born on October 13, 1942, in Hastings, MI, daughter of David and Catherine (Wensloff) Barry. She was preceded in death by her parents and John Priesman, her friend of 38 years. She is survived by her sisters, Marie and Janis Barry and brother, David Barry.
Nancy enjoyed teaching and taught for a while at the Naval Base in Alaska. The vast majority of her teaching was in Eaton Rapids. Nancy had a big heart, she loved animals and children. She donated to numerous groups that helped animals and children over the years. Many Eaton Rapids families were recipients of her generosity. For 20 years she was the anonymous Christmas Angel, providing Christmas Stockings and a bag of gifts for many Eaton Rapids students and their siblings. She purchased and wrapped gifts for over 100 children yearly at her own expense hoping to make Christmas better for those kids and their families.
Traveling with friends was also something Nancy loved. She made numerous trips to Suriname and other places with the Oceanic Society tagging turtles, collecting data, and helping with other projects. Get Nancy talking about turtles, and she could talk for hours!
Nancy was a tough woman who fought through many illnesses and conditions, surprising doctors by coming back strong. When diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer six years ago she once again showed us how tough she was. Working closely with Dr. Srkalovic and the staff at Herbert Herman Cancer Center, helped her to be able to enjoy many more years. Nancy had a rough time her last few months, as she was in and out of the hospital. In the end, she was ready to join her parents, John, and her beloved dogs.
A Celebration of Life Open House will be held on July 1, 2023, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Barry’s Resort, 2875 S. Charlton Park Road, Hastings, MI. The family would love to have her friends join them and write a note or memory on her board and enjoy some food as they celebrate Nancy. To leave condolences for the family, please visit our website, www.millsfuneral.com.
Doris Marie Goddard
Doris Marie (Getter) Goddard of Eaton Rapids, passed away June 14, 2023, at the age of 91. Doris was born in Eaton Rapids, MI on May 19, 1932, the daughter of Harold Getter and Bertha (Don) Phester. Doris was a stay-at-home wife who enjoyed her daily shows, gardening, shopping and going to garage sales with her daughter.
Doris is survived by her daughters, Janet Wallace and Kay (Roger) Parsons; grandchildren, Tammy (Tim) Wallace, Lyle Wallace, Candy Zenker, Kim (Robin) Ghrimes, Lisa (Bill) Adleman and Tara Parsons. She had 12 great grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, George Riverus; son, Walter James; and great-grandchild, Ashlee.
Private memorial services have already taken place. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel in Eaton Rapids. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to the donor’s choice of charity in loving memory of Doris Marie Goddard. To leave condolences for the family, please visit our website, www.millsfuneral.com.