Obituaries
David W. Fuller
David Wendell Fuller, a friend to many with a big heart and an even bigger smile, died Friday May 28, 2021 at the age of 68. Dave was born November 30, 1952, in Lansing to Wendell and Faunita (Mayo) Fuller. Growing up in Charlotte, David graduated from Charlotte High. Following high school, he served his country in the US Army during the Vietnam War. In 1972 he married Mary Frances (Fran) Pawli. Together they raised their son Bradley.
Many people will remember Dave as the owner of Blue Ribbon Meat Products. He sold all kinds of meats, and other delicacies door to door to people throughout Eaton County and beyond. People loved to see Dave pull into the drive, not only for the product he brought with him, but also for his smile and story he might share. His “gift of gab” made him a friend to all he met. After his retirement in 2018, Dave couldn’t sit still so he started driving for Uber, and as a master conversationalist he was the perfect Uber driver.
His unique organizational abilities and his connections made through his business travels enabled him to help develop the Charlotte Junior Orioles Baseball program and help build the CJO baseball fields at the American Legion in Charlotte.
At home Dave would tinker and fix a number of things. His wife referred to him as her “MacGyver” who could fix anything. His favorite times at home were when ALL the family was over. He loved to entertain. Especially if he could share his best bartending concoction, the “BBC.”
Dave is survived by his wife, Fran; their son, Bradley (Melisa) Fuller; and granddaughter, Hazel Fuller; brother, Rod (Betsy) Fuller; and sister, Rhonda Fuller. He was predeceased by his brother, Bill Fuller and his parents.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at St. Mary Catholic Church, Charlotte with Rev. Fr. Dwight Ezop celebrating. The funeral mass was webcast so you may watch it from any computer, smartphone, or mobile device that has internet access. Go to prayfuneral.com, click on Dave’s tribute, then click on photos and videos from your computer, or media from your smart phone. We also encourage family and friends to share memories on Dave’s tribute page at prayfuneral.com. If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to the St. Vincent Food Pantry. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Laurencio Ruiz
Laurencio Ruiz, of Potterville, passed away June 1, 2021, at the age of 86. Laurencio was born in Mexico, June 10, 1934, the son of Demetrio and Beatriz (Gonzalez) Ruiz. He worked for General Motors for 21 years before retiring in 1996. Laurencio enjoyed reading, woodworking, carpentry, working on crossword puzzles and was an active member at St. Peter Catholic Church. He loved being surrounded by his family and attending family gatherings.
Laurencio is survived by his wife, Thelma Ruiz; children, George Ruiz, Beatriz Popp, Carlos Ruiz, Joel Ruiz, and their families; six grandchildren; six siblings. He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister and four brothers.
Graveside services will be held at Rosehill Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 7, 2021. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel in Eaton Rapids. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter Catholic Church, 515 E. Knight St., Eaton Rapids, MI 48827. To place online condolences, please visit MillsFuneral.com.
Earl “John” McCafferty
Earl John McCafferty funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 1 p.m. with visitation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. prior to services at the Pray Funeral Home Gardens.
Gordon E. Bottomley
Gordon Ellis Bottomley, age 78, died on May 16, 2021. He was a resident of Sunfield, Mich. He worked as a welder for Douglas Steel.
Mable R. Benneyhof
Mable Ruth Benneyhof, age 91, died on May 13, 2021. She was a resident of Charlotte and a homemaker. Funeral services were held on Monday, May 17, 2021 at Pray Funeral Home. A graveside service was held the same day at Maple Hill Cemetery, Charlotte, Mich.
Joel Zachrich
Joel Zachrich, 68, a resident of Eaton Rapids, Michigan died on Sunday, May 2 at his residence and in the company of his dear friend Deb Snider. He was a prior resident of Defiance, Ohio, Dearborn Heights, Michigan and Lakewood, Colorado.
Joel was born August 3, 1952 in Defiance, Ohio to Charles and Mary (Hill) Zachrich. He grew up fishing, hunting and exploring nature in Northwest Ohio. He graduated from Crestwood High school in Dearborn Heights, Michigan in 1970. That same year he took his first flying lesson as a graduation present.
Joel continued to fly, adding licenses and time to his aviation career. His career as a pilot began at the Defiance Ohio County airport doing charters and air taxi flights. He did flying stints in Plymouth, Michigan, Birmingham, AL, Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV. All of these stops enabled him to make the progression to turbine engine and, finally jet aircraft. After this period, Joel started flying 747’s internationally. He visited every continent, but Antarctica. Joel had reached his goal in life. His career, family and life goals had been achieved.
In 2015, Joel retired from his corporate flying job. Joel moved to Eaton Rapids, Michigan to hunt, fish and teach soaring. Joel was determined to become involved in his newly adopted residence in Eaton County, Michigan. Though retired, he was active in the local organizations of AARP, CERT, Eaton County Republican Party and with the Eaton County Sheriff Office.
Surviving are his children Robert Zachrich and Sarah Zachrich of Lakewood, Colorado; his brother Charles (Connie) Zachrich II of Castle Rock, CO, and sister, Deborah Z. (Roger) Gunderson of Fort Collins, CO.
Preceding him in death were his father; Charles Zachrich, mother; Mary Zachrich, brother: Michael and Greg Zachrich.
He loved his dog Trapper, who survives him and is now a companion to Deb Snider, a very close friend of Joel’s, who extended kindness in making his last year of life better. The family also appreciates the efforts of the Sparrow Herman Herbert Cancer Center and the Eaton Rapids Medical Center.
An informal memorial gathering will be held at the Eaton Rapids Conservation Club, 4483 Freeman Road, Eaton Rapids, MI, 48827 on Sunday, June 27 from Noon to 4:00 p.m. A lunch will be served at 1:00 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring photos, JZ memories/stories and any interesting items to share. Further information may be seen at the Skinner Funeral Home website. Joel requests any donations may be made to the Eaton Rapids Conservation Club, PO Box 163, Eaton Rapids, MI 48827 in his name.
Aletha M. Beals
Aletha Marguerite Beals of Charlotte, a soft soul who loved her family dearly, passed away on May 21, 2021 in Lansing, Mich. She was born on March 7, 1938 to Herman and Dorothy (Dickerson) Durbin in Lansing, Mich. She grew up and graduated from High School in Potterville. On July 8, 1957, she married Stanley Beals and together they raised four children.
Aletha was a soft soul who was one of the most non-judgmental people you may ever meet. Even though she was one who preferred quiet settings as opposed to big crowds, she loved having her large family gather at her home for holidays and other occasions. Her family enjoyed her talents as a cook. Some of their favorites were her blueberry pies, rhubarb crunch, homemade donuts, and her many wonderful Christmas treats. She also loved to crochet numerous items for her children and grandchildren including blankets and doll clothes. Over the years she even surprised family and friends with her ability to play the organ and the banjo! She loved spending time with her husband, Stanley. The two of them were often fishing partners in both local and distant fishing spots.
Aletha is survived by her two sons, Anthony (Serenia) Beals, Larry (Laurie) Beals; daughter, Lisa Phillips; and her sisters, Harriett (Roy) Eitner, Kate (Charles) Tegethoff, and Dorothy (Jerry) Tegethoff. She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley Otis Beals; and her son, Ron Beals.
A Celebration of Aletha’s life will take place at the Masonic Temple in Charlotte on Sunday, June 13, at 12 noon. Friends and family are also encouraged to share memories of Aletha on her tribute page at PrayFuneral.com. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Ronnie D. Binning Sr.
Ronnie Dean Binning Sr., age 77, of Lansing, formerly of Potterville, passed away Friday, November 13, 2020, at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. He was born June 13, 1943, in Alton, Ill. the son of Everett and Verna (Snider) Binning. On April 4, 1963, Ronnie married the love of his life, Shirley Jean Holtorf in Woodriver, Ill.
Ronnie retried after 30 years of service from Owens Illinois in Charlotte, where he worked as a gage-shop mechanic. Ronnie had a witty sense of humor, loved to talk and everyone called him Grandpa. He would often say “If you lost your sense of humor, you lost it all!” Ronnie enjoyed collecting coins, playing cards, completing crossword puzzles, and raising chickens. He had a big heart and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Family meant everything to Ronnie. He cherished his wife and children but he had a special place in his heart for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ronnie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Shirley; children, Kristine (Mark Boeckmann) Kelso of Lansing, Ronnie Dean Binning Jr. of LaVergne, Tenn., Dawn Binning of Lansing; grandchildren: Ryan (Kelly), Bethany, Benjamin (Heather), Tyler (Iceley), Allison (Austin), Keyanna (Dominque), Morgan; great-grandchildren, Aiden, Braeden, Vincent, Sophia; sister, Connie (John) Clark of Cottage Hills, Ill.; three sisters-in-law; two brothers-in-law; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Richard, Gerald, and Clem (Barb) Binning.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at 11 a.m. at the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Those desiring, may make contributions in Ronnie’s honor to the charity of their choosing.
To view Ronnie’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit burkhead-green-kilgo.com.
Jo Jean Parks
Jo Jean Parks, age 67, of Olivet, passed away on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at Rachel’s AFC in Holt, Mich.Jo Jean was born in Battle Creek to Lester and Grace (Morehouse) Parks on March 23, 1954.
Jo Jean was loved unconditionally by her family and reciprocated that same love back to them. She was a funny person and loved to clown around. Wherever you would find Jo Jean, you could be sure that you would find her having fun!
She will be lovingly missed by her sisters, Jennifer Miller of Olivet, Judy (Gary) Owens of Leesburg, Fla.; niece, Teri (Jim) Trudeau and their daughter Lyndsey of Olivet; nephews, Gary Brown and Brett Reinke. She will also be missed by Rachel Abede, of Holt, who lovingly cared for Jo Jean for the last several years. Those desiring, may make contributions online in Jo Jean’s memory to Feeding America at feedingamerica.org.
Cremation has taken place and no services will be held.
To view Jo Jean’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family, please visit Burkhead-Green-Kilgo.com.
The family is being served by the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home, Charlotte, MI.