Obituaries
Brittany L. Fender
Brittany Lynn Fender, a firecracker and challenge taker, died July 24, 2020 as a result of an accident. Brittany, 27, was born January 30, 1993 in Hastings, Michigan to Floyd Fender and Sabrina (Dies) Barneko. Brittany had many hobbies and activities she enjoyed; especially those adventures that took her outside. Most recently, with the Covid-19 challenges, she was determined to become self-sustaining, and “feed her family” with her own pigs, cows and chickens. She turned her home into a farm with her natural love for animals making that transition easy for her. She had been employed by Bradford-White, and was studying to become a CNA. She enjoyed the Stay-At-Home-Mom status this past several months; enjoying her kids so very much. Brittany was always ready to bend over backward to help others when needed.
Brittany is survived by her loving children, 7 year old Jaxson and 4 year old Gunner and their father, Jesse Eye; fiancé, Triston Jiles; mother, Sabrina (Scott) Barneko; father, Floyd (Doris) Fender; sisters, Taylor Fender, Addison Fender; step-sisters, Elly Barneko, Kaylee Sientz, Izzabella Swinehart; step-brothers, Jaron Slentz, Parker Swinehart; grandparents, Floyd and Janet Fender, Ginger and Leonard Lake.
She was predeceased by her grandfather, William Dies.
Funeral services were be held July 30, 2020 at Pray Funeral Home in Charlotte with Pastor Steve Olmstead officiating. If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to the family to help cover expenses. Friends and family are encouraged to share memories of Brittany on her tribute page at prayfuneral.com. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Robert V. Green
Robert Vernon Green, age 95, of Bellevue died peacefully Friday, July 24, 2020, at the home of his loving niece, Janae Vogt Hall.
Mr. Green was born on April 5, 1925 in Nashville, Michigan to Harry W. and Ethel C. (Fassett) Green. He had been a resident of the Bellevue area since 1939 and was a graduate of Bellevue High School, class of 1943. Following his graduation, he entered the United States Army and served in the Korean War from 1945 until July of 1946. Due to the death of his brother, Raymond, he then came back from Korea and served stateside.
On July 17, 1950, he married the “Love of his Life” Marian Emma Oaster in Battle Creek.
Robert opened a Sinclair gas station in Bellevue on May 1, 1949 with his friend Don Greenfield. The station went through several changes over the years moving from a Sinclair station to an Arco station until finally becoming a Marathon station. He retired in 1987.
In 1989, Robert and Marian purchased a cabin in Trout Lake, Michigan which was their dream. They had rented a cabin for 22 years prior to 1989 in Trout Lake. Their cabin became a gathering place for family and friends during the years. Everyone was always welcome to come to “The Cabin.”
Robert also served his community by volunteering as fireman, a position that he served for 35 years, and held the office of Secretary/ Treasurer for many of those years. He also was a member of the Bellevue Rescue Squad for 15 years. In 2017, he received the honor of being the “oldest” citizen of Bellevue.
He is survived by a daughter, Sally (Terry) Barr of Biscayne Park, FL; sons, Raymond D. (Dea) Green of Bradenton, FL and Robert A. (Ruth) Green of Carsonville, MI; 6 grandchildren, Jeff (Erica) Green, Michael (Shauna) Sidnam, Robert Anthony Green, Patrick (Leslie) Green Heather Green Graves (Coby) and Jonathan Green; 9 great grandchildren; a sister, Ruth Green Vogt of Mattawan, MI; and many special nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Marian in 2009, after almost 60 years of marriage. He was also preceded in death by his parents, and siblings, Charles Green, Raymond Green, Richard Green and Barbara Green Leeser.
A private family gathering will take place at a later date.
To leave a personal message and sign the online guest book, visit kempffuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services in Bellevue.
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.