Obituaries
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.
Connie S. Shaw
Connie Sue (Mominee) Shaw, age 67, of Manistique, passed away at her home on May 24, 2021 with her family at her side. She was born in Lansing, Mich., on March 30, 1954, the daughter of Michael James Mominee and Dreama Lee (McQueen) Mominee. She attended school in Eaton Rapids, Mich. graduating with the class of 1972.
Connie spent the greater part of her life in Eaton Rapids and worked as a customer service representative in the insurance business. She moved to Manistique in 2013. She attended the First Baptist Church in Manistique. She loved coaching softball and baseball, and was a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Cubs and MSU Spartans. What she treasured most was spending time with family, especially her kids and grandkids.
She is survived by her mother Dreama Mominee of Manistique; her sons, Tim (Mary) Noble of Manistique, and Troy (Katy) Noble of Phoenix, Ariz.; daughters, Tricia Noble of Manistique, and Megan Shaw of Eaton Rapids, Mich.; her sister Kerri (Derek Smith) Mominee of Warren, Mich.; and 11 grandchildren, Connor, Alex, Joe, Cecilia, Will, Dreama, Amelia, Trevor, Gracelyn, Georgia, and Ava. She is also survived by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by her father, Michael “Jim” Mominee, and grandchildren Ryan, Lucia, and Maria.
Visitation will be held at Fausett Family Funeral Homes in Manistique on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, from 2 to 5:00 p.m. with memorial services held at 5 p.m. with the Reverend Dr. Jay Martin officiating. Burial will take place at Lakeview Cemetery on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
Memorial contributions in Connie’s name can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Manistique Area Little League at P.O. Box 263, Manistique, MI 49854 or the Manistique Hockey Association at P.O. Box 75, Manistique, MI 49854.
Fausett Family Funeral Homes of Manistique is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be posted on their website at fausettfh.com.
Joseph M. McNamara
Joseph Martin McNamara, age 69, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 in Petoskey Mich. He was born on June 30, 1951 in Eaton Rapids, Mich., the sixth of 17 children of Martin and Evelyn (Lancour) McNamara. As a child with many siblings, Joe kept busy with family chores, backyard games of baseball, hikes to Haskell’s Hill, ice skating on the nearby rivers, swamps and rinks, ending many summer days in long games of neighborhood hide and seek. Joe was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from Eaton Rapids High School in 1969, during the Vietnam War era. Joe immediately entered the US Air Force reaching the rank of Sgt E-4, Station Clerk. He served in Europe and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Good Conduct Medal. Return to civilian life was not easy for Joe and he spent much of his adult life in adult foster homes where he made many lasting friendships. He enjoyed being out of doors hiking, kayaking with family and riding his bicycle. Joe loved spending time with his family, especially playing cards at the dining room table with his mother. He enjoyed family trips to Beaver Island and many outings with his sister Peg and frequent visits with brothers Gary and Pat.
Joseph was preceded in death by his parents Martin and Evelyn; sister and husband Rhea and Mike Seeley; brothers Lawrence and Vincent; brother and wife Patrick and Carol. He is survived by brothers Gary (Julie), Mitch (Helen), Robert (Tom), Christopher (Nancy), Theodore (Nancy), Steven (Brigid); sisters Lynn (Herb) Blue, Nanette (Gerry) Holden, Kathleen (Mike Green), Peg Wilcox (Julie Nathe), Mary and Susan (Floyd) Baker; sisters-in-law Sue (Lawrence) and JoAnn (Vincent); numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation was held at Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel in Eaton Rapids on Monday, May 24, followed by a memorial service, then burial at Rose Hill Cemetery in Eaton Rapids. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the St Vincent DePaul, Eaton Rapids Chapter. To leave online condolences, please visit MillsFuneral.com.
Matthew Vernon Ellsworth
Matthew Vernon Ellsworth
28 December 1948 – 26 April 2021
Matt, the youngest of three children born to Doris (Wilson) and John V. Ellsworth, passed away on April 26th in San Antonio, Texas.
Matt grew up on a farm in Delhi Township, attending Dunn School, just across from his house. He graduated from Mason High School in 1967 and earned degrees from Michigan State University in 1971, and Syracuse University. He attended Grovenburg Methodist Church in his youth.
Matt and his wife, Dr. Jill Harrison Ellsworth, co-authored many books in the early 1990s on Internet use in education, marketing, and leisure. (Online search “Matthew V. Ellsworth” to see some.) Matt was also interested in electronics, shortwave radio, both very early and later models of computers, stained glass, and many forms of photography, including stereoscopic.
In addition to Michigan, Matt has called New York, Vermont, and Texas home. He has lived in Texas for the last three decades, including San Marcos where he built his own house, Austin, and San Antonio.
Matt spent over five years in the care of Wanda and Lerome Dixon, of the Austin area. Later, he was appointed a personal guardian, Susanne Deiter, and was cared for by Honest Care and by Holy Savior Hospice of San Antonio. The family is grateful to all who cared for Matt.
Preceding Matthew in death were his parents. He is survived by his brother Daniel J. Ellsworth (Judy) of Eaton Rapids, Mich. and his sister Rose Anne Pool of Stoughton, Wis. (formerly of Mason, Mich.), as well as five nephews, eight grand-nephews and nieces, and many cousins.
Matt’s final resting place is the Fowler Cemetery, Aurelius Township, Ingham County, Michigan. Many of Matt’s relatives rest in this cemetery.
A simple graveside service will be held at the cemetery on Tuesday, June 1st at 11 a.m. (Eastern).
A live memorial service will be streamed online Saturday, June 12th at 10 a.m. (Eastern). Please contact Matt’s nephew John Pool via email at jpool@wisc.edu for information on connecting to this memorial service.
Memorial contributions in memory of Matthew V. Ellsworth can be sent to Robbins United Methodist Church, 6419 Bunker Rd., Eaton Rapids, MI 48827; or Family Eldercare of Austin, 1700 Rutherford Lane, Austin, TX 78754.