Obituaries
Kurtis S. McCarrick
Kurtis Scott McCarrick of Eaton Rapids, passed away on November 13, 2021, at the age of 60. Kurtis was born in Charlotte, MI., July 30, 1961, the son of Herbert and Joyce (Parsons) McCarrick. He was a 1979 graduate of Eaton Rapids High School and worked at Meijer for the past 42 years. Kurtis was passionate about raising his honeybees, was a member of the Conservation Club and the NRA and enjoyed hunting.
Kurtis is survived by his daughter, Autum McCarrick of Eaton Rapids; son, Spenser McCarrick of Eaton Rapids; mother; grandchildren, Tristan, Ryley, Logan, Jazmine, and Jorden; brothers, Herbert McCarrick and Rodney McCarrick; fiancé, Stephanie DeShong; several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father.
Memorial services will be held at a later date. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home in Eaton Rapids. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to the family to help with expenses. To leave online condolences for the family, please visit our website, www.millsfuneral.com.
Lois Cowles
Lois Edith Solomon Cowles was born June 17, 1929, in Kalamazoo, Michigan at Borgess Hospital. On November 12, 2021, she died peacefully, and the angels carried her home to be with her husband Winfield.
Lois’ first home in Kalamazoo was at Gilbert and Hotop, where the family lived upstairs. Aunt Edna and “Grandma” Phelps also lived there. The family had a victrola and old-fashioned crank phone. She remembers making childhood prank phone calls, saying it was Mr. Pepper asking for Mrs. Salt.
In 1933 the family moved to Jefferson Avenue/Prairie where they rented. In 1937 the Solomon family moved to 615 N. Prairie. At the time, the home still had an outhouse.
Lois attended elementary school on West Main Street. It was there she met Dorothy Tucker, her lifelong friend. She attended Woodwards Junior High and then State High in Kalamazoo, where tuition was required.
She started playing the piano at the age of eight and then learned the old-fashioned pipe organ – operated with foot pedals — as a young adult. Throughout her youth she had two piano teachers, one was a church organist, and she recalls the name of the other as Francis Iney. Lois enjoyed attending recitals and musicals.
Lois went to college from 1947-1951 at Western Michigan University, following in the footsteps where her parents met. She majored in Education with French/History minors. She joined the French Club and an off-campus sorority.
From 1951 – 1952 she student taught at W.K. Kellogg Consolidated, which was a one room (12 grades) school. She lived in a club house for student teachers during those years.
Her father was Pastor of the West Side Gospel Church from 1935 – 1945 then the family attended Gospel Hall in Kalamazoo. He was also a Pastor at the Methodist Church in Alamo.
Lois later attended Calvary Church in Kalamazoo where she played piano and sang in the choir. As an adult, Lois and husband Winfield attended the First Baptist Church in Eaton Rapids where Lois played the piano and pipe organ. Later they joined South Baptist Church in Lansing where Lois played the piano for Sunday School. They joined the Griffith Methodist Church in the 1980s and both taught Sunday School and enjoyed social events including ice cream socials.
In the summer of 1952 Lois noticed an opening of a teaching position in Eaton Rapids and decided to move away from home. Back then schools were one room schoolhouses with all 12 grades and no indoor plumbing. Her first position was at the Bentley school Her room was featured on the back cover of the book “Rural School of Eaton County Michigan” featuring a class photo from March 12, 1954.
When Lois graduated from college, she still desired to be a missionary, but when she moved to Eaton Rapids, she met a handsome young man named Winfield Cowles. Winfield and Lois married May 30, 1954 and married 64 years before Winfield passed away in 2018. They had two daughters, Cheri Lu (Harding) and Sue Ann (Kelch).
Lois was a member of the Eaton Rapids Education Association and Michigan Association of Retired Persons. During her teaching career, she served as a Union Representative for Northwestern Elementary School in the early 1980s where she taught 3rd grade until she retired in June of 1991. She also joined the Home Extension in Eaton Rapids and the Lois Club.
Lois and Winfield enjoyed a long retirement together, and enjoyed square dancing, bluegrass festivals and teaching Sunday School together. Lois also enjoyed retired teachers’ teas, Lois Club luncheons and was known to host neighborhood parties at their Springport Road home. Lois and Winfield enjoyed travelling to many places across the country, including their favorite trip to the Grand Canyon with their daughters and their husbands.
The last four and a half years of her life she lived at Brookdale in Ann Arbor near her daughter Sue. She enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles, playing BINGO and was especially fond of dominoes with Winfield and family. She also joined in all of the fun group activities like going to the Yankee Air Museum, lunch bunch, and trivial pursuit. She never lost her gift to play the piano beautifully – all by memory and no sheet music — even to the last day. She was loved by all of the residents and staff and will be dearly missed by all.
She was preceded in death by her father CL Solomon, her mother Edith (McGowan) Solomon, brother Vincent, sister Ann (Willsea) Solomon and husband Winfield. She is survived by her daughters Cheri (Roger) Harding, Sue (Ray) Kelch; grandchildren Lindsay (Jess) Harding and Hilary (Ruben) Montano; great grandchildren Jacoby William and foster siblings Jabari and Heather; Ruben Joseph and Ryland Griffith Montano; along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Mary Lou Velasquez-Solis
Mary Lou Velasquez-Solis, age 74, of Dowling, formerly of Charlotte, passed away Sunday, November 7, 2021. She was born June 22, 1947, in Stockbridge, MI the daughter of Guillermo and Maria (Vasquez) Velasquez. Mary Lou received her primary education in Laredo, Texas as she traveled with her family early on in life as a migrant worker. After wanting a better life for their children, Mary Lou’s parents moved them to Michigan, where she worked her later teenage years as a waitress and in housekeeping. Mary Lou’s job she loved the most though, was being a homemaker and mother to her children. They were all her pride and joy! She carried a strong work ethic throughout her life and was known a being a woman very strong in her faith. Mary Lou had a heart of gold and was a mother, friend, or grandmother to all that she knew. It made her happy to cook for and feed her family. She was known to cook every meal with just a touch of her soul. She was a nurturer, a giver, and an avid Goodwill shopper- always shopping for bargains and deals she could gift to others. Mary Lou will never be forgotten and will be truly missed by her family and her friends.
Mary Lou is survived by her children: Joey Reyna of Haslett, Marcos (Elsa Grable) Reyna of Fort Wayne, Jessica (Andrew) Gibbs of Dowling; grandchildren: Mercedes (Mark) Tompkins, Jasmine Reyna, Maria Reyna, Anthony Reyna, Andrew Reyna, Colby Lewis, Talia (Bret) Goedert, Janessa Wood; great grandchildren: Vera Tompkins, Amelia Tompkins, Paisley Goedert; siblings: Willie (Jesus) Velasquez, Chris (Maria) Velasquez, Santiago (Sarah Slocum) Velasquez, Margie (Rudy) Soto; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Mary Ellen; and niece, Ann Williamson.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 15, 2021, at 6 p.m. at the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. A time of visitation when the family will receive friends will take place two hours prior to the service at the funeral home from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Those desiring, may make contributions in Mary Lou’s honor to the charity of their choice.
To view Mary Lou’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com
Loraine S. Trudell
Loraine Sue (Barnhart) Trudell, age 80, of Quincy, Illinois, died Saturday, October 30, 2021, in Eastside Home in Pittsfield IL. She had been ill with lung cancer, yet peacefully passed while under hospice care. Sue (Loraine) was born June 11, 1941 in Olivet, MI. the daughter of Bert and Thelma (Goodrich) Barnhart. As a graduate of Olivet High School, Sue continued her affinity for reading, whether for education or entertainment. While quiet on the surface, Sue quickly opened up to engage in meaningful discussion. She was also known as a fountain of information when it came to history and politics. In addition to raising their three sons with spouse Thomas, she was skilled at writing and copy-editing for various publications, working for magazines and newspapers. Sue also worked for the American Heart Association.
Sue is survived by sons, Craig Trudell of Wisconsin, Sean Trudell of Wisconsin, and Kyle (Sandy) Trudell of Quincy Illinois; former spouse Thomas Trudell of Georgia; grandchildren, Alyssa (Jake) Eisch, Marcus Trudell, Cody (Lauren) McLaughlin, Kyle (Katie) Trudell, Carter Trudell, Taylor Trudell, Gage Garner; and 3 great-grandchildren. Sue was preceded in death by parents Bert Barnhart in 2002 and Thelma Barnhart 2014, sister Sally A. (Barnhart) Jeffery in 2014, aunts Doris Goodrich, Naoma Moore, Yvonne Williamson, and great-grandson Logan McLaughlin.
Memorial services will be held on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, at 2 p.m. at the Burkhead-Green Kilgo Funeral Home with Rev. Fr. Dwight Ezop officiating. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. just prior to the service. Interment will be in the Lee Center Cemetery near Olivet, Michigan immediately following the memorial service.
To view Sue’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com
Jaynne E. Simpson
Jaynne Elouise Simpson, 74, of Charlotte, a woman always known to wear a loving smile and a tidy hairstyle, died peacefully on Friday, November 5, 2021, surrounded by family at home. Jaynne was born April 2, 1947, in Lansing, the daughter of Dutch immigrants, Peter and Wilma (Boersma) Jansen. She graduated from Charlotte High School in 1965, and in 1968, married the love of her life, Albert Wayne Simpson. The two settled near the family farm to raise their daughters. Jaynne was known to neighborhood children as “Mama Jaynne” for her ever-open invitation into their home. Jaynne worked many years as Church Secretary at 1st Baptist Church of Charlotte, where she will long be remembered for her kindness and compassion. She was a longtime member of the Women’s Home Fellowship, sang in the choir, and played the piano every Sunday for many years. Her family and friends will always remember her jokes and good humor, her perfect hair and makeup, and her devotion to her family and her Faith.
Jaynne is survived by her husband of 53 years, Albert Simpson; daughters, Susan (Scott) Burton and Sarah (Derek) Fountaine; 3 granddaughters, Hannah Fountaine, Holly Fountaine, and Sophie Burton; sisters, Ruth O’Bryant and Anna Mae (Wayne) Karn; twin-sister, Jeanne (William) Bartlett; brother-in-law, Phil Conklin; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents; brother, John Jansen and his wife, Lucille Jansen; sister, Charlotte Conklin; brother-in-law, John O’Bryant; and nephews, David O’Bryant and Don Karn.
Friends and family are encouraged to support Jaynne’s family by attending services or sharing memories on her tribute page at www.prayfuneral.com. Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 11, 2021, at 1st Baptist Church of Charlotte with Pastor Bryce Feighner officiating. The funeral will be webcast so you may watch it from any computer, smartphone, or mobile device that has internet access. Go to www.prayfuneral.com, click on Jaynne’s tribute, then click on Photos and Videos from your computer (or Media from your smart phone). Visitation was from 2:00 – 4:00 and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at Pray Funeral Home. Memorial contributions are suggested to 1st Baptist Church of Charlotte, Hospice of Lansing, or The Michigan Alzheimer’s Association. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home.