Obituaries
Rosalee Ray
Rosalee Ray—a gentle, kind and caring lady—passed away on September 20, 2021. She was born on May 15, 1933 to Henry and Fern (Aungst) Starks. On December 19, 1959, Rosalee married Pat John Ray and together started their legacy. A fabulous cook, Rosalee’s kitchen was the passion of her home as she created homegrown meals including sandwiches, pies, cakes, jams and jellies. An accomplishment of pride was her seafood salad recipe which was published in a national magazine. Rose also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling around the State of Michigan with her husband Pat. Family was of extreme importance to Rosalee and nieces, nephews and her special friend, Sue enjoyed time in her home. At Christmas time she organized large parties for veterans, wards of the state and senior citizens to make sure each one had a blessed day. Aunt Rose considered anyone who was a friend to be a part of her extended family. Her final words to her loved ones were to go home and hug and kiss those that you love.
Rosalee Ray is survived by her husband, Pat Ray; numerous nieces and nephews; sister-in-law, Hester Root; brother-in-law, Howard Rhodabeck. She was predeceased by her parents; son, Auther Ray; and sisters, Clara Feuss, Evelyn Ebright, Carolyn Massey, and Sarah Stark; sister-in-law, Virginia Rhodabeck; brothers-in-law, Ronald and Ernest Ray.
The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
David W. Hunsaker
David Wayne Hunsaker, 51 of Charlotte, died September 16, 2021. He was a pipe fitter for the family business.
Robert L. Pruden
Robert Lynn Pruden of Springport, passed away surrounded by his family on September 20, 2021, at the age of 66. Robert was born in Charlotte, December 8, 1954, the son of Roger and Dorothy (Shaull) Pruden. He served with the US Army in Germany from 1971-1974. Robert was an over the road truck driver, a jack of all trades and a member of the NRA. He enjoyed fixing up cars, riding his motorcycle, hunting and fishing.
Robert is survived by his wife, Vickie Pruden; children, Dawn (David) Ryan, Jennifer Scalice, Jessica Duby, Danielle (Eric) Coppes, Michael (Jessica) Connely, Joshua (Erin) Connely, Shaun (Steven) Coppes, J.R. Coppes; 25 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; brothers, Tony, Tim and Dean (Candace) Rodriguez; sisters, Annette (Brian) Davis, Sue Rodriguez; numerous nieces and nephews; special friend, Sue Wolcott and his puppy, Sassy. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Doretta (Mike) Malerba-Cathcart; nephew, Michael Malerba III.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 27, 2021, at the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel, 518 S. Main St., Eaton Rapids with visitation taking place one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics Area 8, 2901 Wabash Rd., Lansing, MI 48910. To leave online condolences for the family, please visit our website, www.millsfuneral.com.
David L. Carpenter
David Lloyd Carpenter of Charlotte, a guy who never met a stranger because he was always friends instantly with new acquaintances, died September 4, 2021 at the age of 80. Born in Charlotte, David grew up and graduated from Potterville High School, and lived his entire life in the area. He was born on August 11, 1941 to Rholland and Cora (Bowser) Carpenter. He married his sweetheart, Diane Raglin, 59 years ago and they enjoyed many adventures together, including raising three children and then enjoying being grandparents and great-grandparents. He was very proud of his family and truly enjoyed the relationships he had with them and how involved he was in their lives.
Looking to the positive, David was always in a good mood and could often be heard singing and cracking jokes. Golf was one of his favorite pastimes, belonging to a league at his church, Charlotte First Baptist. He also enjoyed reading westerns, singing in the church choir, using his woodworking skills to make furniture, and traveling whenever possible, with his favorite destination in Tennessee.
Many in Charlotte and the surrounding communities will remember David as Vice President and Loan Officer at Eaton Federal Bank. He was there for over 30 years before his retirement. He was also a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club of Charlotte and Kiwani Homes Board, as well as an active member and volunteer at his church.
David is survived by his wife of 59 years, Diane Carpenter; children, Holly (Jim) Shirely, Becky (Kim) Dahlgren, and Michael Carpenter; grandchildren, Jimmy, Nate, Joey, Austen, Hunter, and Dalton, Audrey and Avery; great-granddaughter, Cora; sister, Carol Carpenter; and brother and sister-in-law, Dallas and Nancy Hamilton. He was predeceased by his parents.
Friends are encouraged to support David’s family by attending services or sharing memories on his Tribute Page at www.prayfuneral.com. A Celebration of David’s Life is scheduled for Friday, October 1, 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Charlotte, with Rev. Robin Crouch officiating.
If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to First Baptist Building Fund. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Charlotte M. Dowding
Charlotte M. Dowding, 91, of Olivet, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Friday, September 17, 2021. She was born August 23, 1930, at the family farm on Narrow Lake Road in Brookfield Township the daughter of Harry and Blanche (McDonald) Hisler. Charlotte grew up during the Great Depression. Her parents worked hard on the family farm raising crops and milking cows and they always had plenty of food on the table. As a child she attended the Verplank School and later graduated from Olivet High School in 1947, at the age of 16. She then attended Western Michigan University where she earned her teaching certificate. Charlotte was the youngest schoolteacher, at age 19, in Calhoun County history. Charlotte had a passion for children and loved teaching. She taught Sunday School and volunteered at Fern Persons Elementary School in their Read to Succeed program. She also volunteered at Hayes Green Beech Hospital as a greeter and worked as secretary of the physical therapy department for many years. She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church in Charlotte. Charlotte enjoyed playing cards, traveling, and playing the piano. Charlotte was a devoted mother and always did her best to ensure her family was well cared for. Whenever you visited her home there were always oatmeal or chocolate chip cookies in the freezer and you never left without them.
The family would like to especially thank Cari Montague, Fred, Carlie, Autumn, and Trevor Marshall for the loving care they provided Charlotte.
Charlotte is survived by her daughters: Susan (Greg) Norton of Charlotte, Nancy (Robert Hewitt) Dowding of Bellevue, Carol (Joseph) Kita of Olivet; grandchildren: Kelly (Brandy) Norton, Jason (Laura) Norton, Daniel (Sherrie) Hewitt, Cory (Becky) Hewitt, Cari (Fred Marshall) Montague, Kathryn (Joshua) Rateike; 11 great grandchildren, two great great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Dorma Hisler.
She was preceded in death by her parents; siblings: Kathryn (Leo) Stevens, Harry “Bud” Hisler, and Virginia (Darrell) Hicks.
Funeral services were held on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. Burial followed at Clarence Center Cemetery.
Those desiring, may make contributions in Charlotte’s memory to the Fern Persons Elementary School Reading Program.
To view Charlotte’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.