Obituaries
Sandra J. Gray
Sandra Jeanne Gray, age 78, of Dimondale, born April 3, 1942 in Lansing, passed away July 27, 2020, daughter to the late Melvin and Eleanor (Barry) Dick. Sandra was a former employee of Michigan State University; lifelong member and former secretary of Grand Ledge Baptist Church. She enjoyed traveling, especially taking cruises with her husband Gale, and was very devoted to family.
Sandra is survived by her husband, Gale Jr. of 57 years; son, Jeffrey Gray; daughter, Traci (Frank) Brune; 4 grandchildren: Allison, Andrew, Blake, and Bailey; 3 sisters: Carol (Del) Meister, Kathy (Wes) Priest, Sue (Steven) Cutter; and brother Allen (Brenda) Savage.
A memorial service was held on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Grand Ledge Baptist Church in Grand Ledge. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation or Grand Ledge Baptist Church in memory of Sandra Gray. The family has entrusted arrangements to Peters & Murray Funeral Home, Grand Ledge, petersandmurrayfuneralhome.com.
Funeral Arrangements by: Peters & Murray Funeral Home, Grand Ledge
Jack Lee Endsley
Jack Lee Endsley, age 65, of Bellevue, died on July 22, 2020 at home surrounded by his loving family. He was born on August 25, 1954 to Rex and Ivas (Manning) Endsley in Battle Creek. He graduated from Olivet High School in 1972. Jack worked as a laborer for Wings Farms in Bellevue for many years. Jack enjoyed being outdoors, woodworking, joking with everybody, taking his sons hunting and listening to old country music. He loved his family and grandchildren more than anything else.
Jack is survived by his wife, Betty (Kimbler) Endsley; his sons, Roger (Renee) Endsley of Bellevue, Amos (Gen) Endsley of Bellevue and Jason (Shannon Odette) Endsley of Bellevue, his daughter, Kelly (Jerry) Aikens of Bellevue; his 13 grandchildren; his brothers, Max (Linda) Endsley of Bellevue and Eric
(Janice) Endsley of Newberry; his sisters, Iris (Mike) Hebenstreit of Olivet and Penny (Paul) Crim of Bellevue. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Sue Rintamaki.
Memorials may be directed to the family. A memorial gathering to honor Jack’s life will be held at a later date. Arrangements were entrusted to Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services in Bellevue. Visit kempffuneralhome.com to view the online obituary, to sign the online guestbook or to leave the family condolences.
Nancy S. Ironside
Nancy Stroman Ironside, age 70, died May 30, 2020. Ms. Ironside had bone cancer. She was born to Ian and Virginia (Potts) Ironside on February 27, 1950 in Lansing. Ms. Ironside was a lifelong resident of the Lansing area. She was a leading Lansing-area non-profit administrator, political activist and someone who enjoyed good and gracious intellectual sparring. Well read, devoted to her work and friends, she loved to talk with people and able to draw out a smile and laugh from even the most crotchety person. She had been a 20-year survivor of breast cancer.
Ms. Ironside was both a Spartan and Wolverine. She earned a B.S. degree in political science from Michigan State University in 1972, following that with a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.
But it was in non-profit and politics that Ms. Ironside made her mark professionally. Alexandra Townsend, D.O., Ms. Ironside’s best friend, said Ms. Ironside’s interest in the welfare of children helped lead her towards work with non-profit agencies.
For more than 20 years she worked for the YWCA in Lansing, becoming director of the downtown Lansing branch. While there she helped create Club Excel for children, and kept a Club Excel t-shirt that showed four little hands in red, yellow, purple, and blue as a prized memento.
Ms. Ironside also worked for a number of years with the Michigan United Way.
Ms. Ironside played a critical role in the campaigns of Larry Owen for the Democratic nomination for governor. She handled many of the logistics statewide for the campaigns and traveled with Mr. Owen and his wife, the late Faylene Owens to campaign events. She was intensely interested in politics and eagerly talked about the subject with anyone no matter their own political view.
A former patient of Dr. Townsend, Ms. Ironside became the administrator for the medical practice in 1999. As such, she was in close contact with patients and able to get them in a good mood before their turn for an examination came up. “She communicated with anybody at their level and made them feel comfortable,” Dr. Townsend said.
As a cancer survivor, she helped patients facing a difficult diagnosis remain confident and hopeful.
She enjoyed going with Dr. Townsend to Lake Powell, a giant man-made reservoir off the Colorado River which includes the Rainbow Bridge National Monument, in Utah and Arizona for vacations. They had a delightful adventure every year.
Ms. Ironside was fascinated with computers and immersed herself in their possibilities. Working with computers and scanning the internet was her major hobby. She also loved reading cookbooks, and collected dozens over the years. She loved reading the cookbooks, but not cooking from them, Dr. Townsend said. Ms. Ironside adored animals, especially cats. Living in a wooded area in Eaton County she also enjoyed watching the wildlife that would come up to her house as well as the changing seasons.
Along with Dr. Townsend, she is survived by her brother, Charles. According her wishes, Ms. Ironside was cremated.
The family is being served by the Peters & Murray Funeral Home, Grand Ledge. Online condolences may be shared at www.petersandmurrayfuneralhome.com.
Linda S. Archer
Linda Sue Archer, age 68, of Bellevue, died July 23, 2020. She passed to the next world peacefully home to her loved ones in heaven. Linda was born July 6, 1952, the daughter of Harry and Velma (Decant) Miller. Linda grew up in Olivet and then met her husband Joe, married 47 years. They moved to Charlotte where they started their family. They then had the opportunity to move the family to a farm in Bellevue and also be close to their dear friends Phil and Dee Vahs. Linda loved taking the kids to the rodeos, camping with friends, sporting events and of course the Eaton County Fair. She would often be seen at the grandchildren’s events and watch them run and show at the Eaton County Fair. Linda loved spending time outdoors. She enjoyed collecting ceramic frogs and decorated her house with them. Linda was known to make great meals and her holiday spreads were always something that everyone looked forward to. Linda’s love, and indominable spirit will always be loved and remembered.
Passing on leaves a heartache that no one can heal, but love leaves memories that no one can steal.
Linda is survived by her children, Lori Briggs (Tim), Tom Archer (Meghann) and Chad Archer (Anne); 7 loving grandchildren, Mikayla, Gabe (Gabrielle), Noah, Nick, Gracie, Teaghann and Cameron. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Carl Joseph (Joe) Archer; parents, Harry (Bill) and Velma Miller; and Virgil and Katherine Archer.
Friends are encouraged to support Linda’s family. Funeral services are Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at 11 a.m. at Pray Funeral Home in Charlotte with Rev. Rick Martin officiating. Visitation is Monday, July 27, 2020, from 5-8:00 p.m. at Pray Funeral Home. The funeral service 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 Linda’s tribute, and then click on Photos & Videos from your computer (or Media from your smart phone). Just prior to the beginning of the service, a link will appear on this page to watch the webcast. If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to Heartland Home Health Care & Hospice of Mason. Friends and family are encouraged to share memories of Linda on her tribute page at www.PrayFuneral.com. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Lizabeth F. Brott
Lizabeth F. Brott, age 62, of Holt passed away on July 20, 2020. She was raised in Vermontville, Michigan, where she was an honors graduate of Maple Valley High School. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree at MSU, she went on to complete her graduate degree at Cooley Law School. Liz would always remain a die-hard Spartan fan. Liz and Tom Brott wed in 1979. Since that time, they’ve enjoyed full professional lives, golfing, traveling, hosting and participating in numerous family gatherings, and loving their house-pet poodles. Liz was an avid flower gardener and animal lover.
Liz had an extensive career. She spent seven years as an Ingham County Sheriff’s Deputy, then went on to become an investigator for the State of Michigan’s Medical and Pharmacy licensing division. Recognized for her expertise and work ethic, she was promoted to the position of Regional Vice President of Risk Management for Proassurance. While serving in this position, Liz was a sought-after speaker at numerous national medical risk management conferences and forums.
Liz was preceded in death by her parents, William and Jarene; her brother, David Fox; brother-in-law, Don Tharp. She is survived by her husband, Thomas Brott; brothers, Chris Fox, and Ted (Pam) Fox; sisters, Katy Fox, Laurine Fox, Mary (Ed) Zbik, Anne Crow, Susan (Andy) Joostberns, and Sharon (Jerry) Harris; sister-in-law, Patricia Tharp; many nieces and nephews, and grand-nieces and nephews. Liz will always be remembered by her family for her graciousness, sense of humor and love-of-life — including her phrase to describe anything extraordinary as “trip the lights fantastic!”
Liz’s family will receive friends for a memorial visitation at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people make contributions to The Capital Area Humane Society, in her honor. Arrangements are by the Estes-Leadley Holt/Delhi Chapel, estesleadley.com.