Obituaries
Sheila May Gilpin
Sheila May Gilpin passed away Monday, November 28, 2022, at the age of 84. She was born in Hastings, Michigan on December 22, 1937, the youngest of five children to Max and Leila (Wolfe) Gooch. She was a spunky child growing up, never afraid to catch wild animals, run barefoot through the neighborhood or jump off chicken coops. She, along with her sisters and brother, grew up in a loving and caring home. During her childhood, she and her family moved from Charlotte to Eaton Rapids, graduating from Eaton Rapids High School in 1956. After graduating, she met James (Jim) Gilpin and fell in love. She and Jim were married on February 15, 1958. They welcomed two children; a daughter, Toni and a son, Troy. In 1980, they completed the build on their very own home and moved in. Throughout the last 42 years, Sheila and Jim landscaped, tended, and cared for their seven-acre paradise. She loved her gardens, saving every sapling she ever came across. She was an avid rock hunter, adventurous traveler, and antique queen. She enjoyed painting and teaching others how. She was a rebel of sorts, even becoming one of the first women in the area to ride her very own motorcycle. Her nickname was “Yama-hama-mama.” She retired from the Eaton Rapids bus garage after 22 years. After her retirement, she devoted her time to her passions: gardening, decorating, and most importantly, her family. She spent as much time as she could with her four grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and one great great-grandson. Their “GG” held a special connection to each and every one of them. She was always there teaching them and encouraging them to blaze their own path through life. Her motto was, “Keep it simple- just like me.”
Sheila is survived by her husband of 64 years, James Gilpin; children, Toni Matthews of Eaton Rapids, Troy Gilpin of Eaton Rapids; grandchildren: Jessica Seguin of Eaton Rapids, Meagan (Randy) McLouth of Eaton Rapids, Nikolas Matthews of Eaton Rapids, Kelsey (Brandon) Matthews-Trosper of Eaton Rapids; ten great-grandchildren; one great great-grandson; sisters, Mickey Schnepp of Lansing, Kay Love of Eaton Rapids; several nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents; sister, Joyce Elston; brother, Larry Gooch.
A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Thursday, December 22, 2022, at the Mills Funeral Home in Eaton Rapids. Visitation will take place one hour prior. Memorial contributions can be made to the Wildside Rehabilitation & Education Center, 8601 Houston Rd., Eaton Rapids, MI 48827. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel. To leave condolences for the family, please visit our website, millsfuneral.com.
Richard Allen Dunning
Richard “Rick” Allen Dunning of Eaton Rapids, passed away on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at the age of 77. He was born in Charlotte, MI, on June 29, 1945, the son of Fred and Maxine (Rogers) Steward. Rick graduated from Leslie High School. He worked for General Motors until he retired at the age of 48. Rick was a member of the Onondaga Sportsman Club.
While known as a quiet and humble man, Rick had a surprisingly mischievous side. His hobbies included playing practical jokes, losing his drone in the woods, making friends with Phil the pheasant, disagreeing with his friends at the sportsman club, scaring kids at Halloween, and starting but never finishing projects.
Rick is survived by the mother of his children, Gerri Brooks; daughters, Lee (Gregory) Prost of Troy, MI and Nikki (Ronald) Miller of Fort Wayne, IN; grandchildren, Mason (Claire) Miller, Allison Prost, Cassidy Miller, Robert Prost, and Julia Miller; great grandchildren, Zion Miller and Holland Miller; sisters, Sue Foster, Lori (Marty) Seling, Lynn Kita, and Marcy (Richard) Mentink. He is preceded in death by his parents.
Services will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions can be made to Kate’s Kart, 10376 Leo Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46825. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel in Eaton Rapids. To leave condolences for the family, please visit our website, millsfuneral.com.
Gary Clarke
Gary Lee Clarke of Springport, MI passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, November 27, 2022, at the age of 80. Gary was born on March 12, 1942, in Brookfield Township the fourth of seven children born to Laurence and Velma (Harshey) Clarke. He was raised in Eaton Rapids where he attended school. Gary went to work for Cords Well Drilling right out of school and then to Williams Farm Machinery, Eaton Stamping, he worked for General Motors for 16 years, started Gary’s Small Engine Service in 1981 and currently owned and operated the Bargain Shack in Springport. Gary had a great love for his Lord Jesus Christ and faithfully attended the First Baptist Church in Eaton Rapids for the past 21 years. He enjoyed hunting and was an avid fisherman. Gary loved riding his gator on his property and made numerous trails where he could watch the wildlife around him.
He is preceded in death by his parents, siblings, Allan (Marsha) Clarke, Dean (Linda) Clarke, Don (Joyce) Clarke, Marie (Carl) Florian and son-in-law, Jose Cantu III.
Surviving is his wife, Ruth (Wheeler) Clarke; daughters, Cheri Cantu, Suzi Clarke; grandchildren, Jose “Joey” Cantu, Jesus “Jesse” Cantu; brothers, Maynard (Kathy) Clarke, Maurice (Gloria Fleming) Clarke and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at the First Baptist Church in Eaton Rapids. The family will received friends at Skinner Funeral Home in Eaton Rapids on Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the service on Thursday. For those desiring memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church in memory of Gary. To share memories or leave online condolences please visit www.SkinnerFuneralHomes.com.
Larry Herman Weaver
Larry Herman Weaver, 57 of Olivet, a kind-hearted soul that loved bartering and collecting, died November 28, 2022. Larry was born May 8, 1965, in Lansing to Amos and Arlene (Feyerabend) Weaver. Working in many different fields over the years, Larry worked construction, welding, landscaping, and drywall, working hard at every job he did with a great work ethic. Something that gave Larry great enjoyment was buying and selling, including bartering at thrift stores and taking home lots of stuff that he didn’t need. He also enjoyed scratch off lottery tickets and hunting. One of the favorite family stories is when Larry was so excited about deer hunting that he accidentally shot out the back window of his dad’s pickup truck with an “unloaded shotgun,” or at least Larry thought it was unloaded.
Larry is survived by his siblings, Tim (Cindy) Weaver, Karl (Sharan Jones) Weaver, Julie (John) Getts, Jeff (Shelly) Weaver, Chris (Mindy) Weaver, Lori Dumas, Andy Weaver, Wendy (Marc) Sinclair, and Kurt (Sherry Walters) Weaver; and uncle, Roy Weaver. He was predeceased by the love of his life, fiancé Paulette; his parents; brother, Mark Weaver; and sister-in-law, Pam Weaver.
Friends are encouraged to support Larry’s family by sharing memories on his Tribute Page at www.prayfuneral.com or attending a memorial gathering at the Eaton Area Senior Center on Saturday, December 10 at 11:00 a.m. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
James Tew
James “Jim” Vincent Tew, 82 of Hopkins, Michigan, passed away Monday, November 28, 2022, following a valiant fight against leukemia. Born in Battle Creek, Michigan on March 15, 1940, he was the son of the late Shirley Vincent and Opal Lucinda (Varin) Tew. Jim grew up in Bellevue, Michigan and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1958. He enjoyed playing all sports, especially baseball, both vocal and instrumental music, and hunting and fishing, which he pursued for many years. Jim took his basic training in San Antonio, Texas for the Air National Guard and fulfilled his six-year commitment during a more peaceful time. After the service, he went on to attend Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek and graduated from Western Michigan University in 1966 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Primary employment commitments were at Engineering Castings Inc., Marshall, Michigan; Rockwell International, Allegan, Michigan; and Bosch Corporation, St. Joseph, Michigan. He retired in 2002. Jim married his true love, Bertha M. Bayha, on December 5, 1964, and together were blessed with three children which they both took great pride in raising. People always felt comfortable around Jim, probably because he had a wonderful knack of making them feel special and that what they said mattered. His quick wit and great sense of humor made him fun to be around and making things “fun” and helping others, especially family members, was a special gift he nurtured. Being creative, Jim created events like the “Tew Olympics” which was enjoyed by family and friends all summer. Even though he battled leukemia, Jim did all in his power to remain positive and live out his life with love and joy.
Also surviving are his children: James and Wendy Tew of Hopkins, Jennifer and Liam Salisbury of Plainwell, and Jonathan and Debra Tew of Hopkins; grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he loved so much and was proud of are: James, Jessica (Ridge), Jordan, Megan (Jeff), Kelsey (Joe), Allie, Anthony, Nathan, Joshua, Kamdyn, Graysen, Korrah, Rylynn and Theo; and his sister, Sharon Coltson.
Preceding him in death were a brother, Albert; sister, Ellen; and granddaughter, Emilee.
A Memorial Visitation for Jim will be held on December 27, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Hopkins United Methodist Hall on Maple Street in Hopkins. The family invites all to come and share your memories and stories of Jim. If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.