Obituaries
Joyce M. Hastings, 93, of Charlotte, died March 15, 2018. She was born March 19, 1924 in Lansing to Henry and Nellie (Kirkby) Smithkey.
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Marion of 50 years; son, Sterling “Skip” Hastings; sisters, Dorothy Parish, Opal Smithkey and Hazel Mae Smithkey.
She is survived by her grandson, Nicholas Dennison; great-grandchildren, Michael Dennison, Brianna Dennison and cousins.
Joyce was a lifetime member of the Alpha Iota Sorority, attended Dimondale United Methodist Church and was active with the Potterville Library. She retired from Motor Wheel after 18 ½ years and was a resident of Charlotte for 50 years. A special thank you to Eaton County Wellness and Rehabilitation and Sparrow Hospital and their staff.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 25 at Dimondale United Methodist Church, located at 6801 Creyts Road in Dimondale. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service.
Those desiring may make contributions to the Eaton County Humane Society, 129 N. Main Street, Olivet, MI 49076 in Joyce’s memory.
Memories and online condolences may be shared with the family at grlansing.com.
John J. Meeder
John J. Meeder, 91, of Boyne City, formerly of Potterville and Bellaire, passed away at home on Saturday, March 17, 2018. John was born on March 12, 1927, three minutes after his twin brother Jack, in Potterville, to Edward and Mabel (Heath) Meeder.
With a Doctorate in Education from Michigan State University, he worked as a teacher before joining the Michigan Education Association as a research consultant, retiring in 1988. John served in the military in both World War II and the Korean War.
In 1956 he married Annabelle LaTorre who preceded him in death in 2005. Also preceding him in death were his parents; brother, Dick Meeder; sisters, Anne Burley and Barbara Archer; and grandson, Stephen Hicks.
Surviving are his twin brother, Jack (Arlene) Meeder of Mancelona; sons, Terry (Johnna) Hicks of Cleveland Heights, Heath (Lori) Meeder of Boyne City and Torre Meeder of Boyne City; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
In accordance with his wishes, the family will remember him privately. In lieu of flowers, those who wish are asked to consider a memorial contribution in John’s name to the non-profit organization of your choice.
Arrangements were made by Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Please share your memories and personal messages with the family at gaylordfuneralhome.com.
James H. Augustine
James “Jim” Harry Augustine, 86, of Bellevue passed away March 13, 2018 at Evergreen Manor Assisted Living Facility in Battle Creek. Jim was born on January 9, 1932 in Battle Creek to Harry L. and Margaret (Burkett) Augustine. He graduated from Bellevue High School with the class of 1950.
Jim enlisted in the United States Air Force on December of 1950 and served our country until his honorable discharge in October of 1954. Jim served during the Korean War and earned many medals throughout his military career, including the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal.
Jim married Elaine Brown on October 10, 1954 in Bellevue. They had four children and spent 63 loving years together. Jim worked at for the Eaton County Road Commission as a Foreman for 37 years. He retired in 2000. Jim was also a farmer throughout his life, raising beef cattle. Jim was a member of the Heritage Hills Bible Church in Bellevue. He enjoyed cutting wood, and hunting deer and squirrel. He as also loved farming and 4H.
Jim is survived by his wife, Elaine Augustine of Bellevue; children, Glenn Augustine of Bellevue, Harry (Louise) Augustine of Bellevue, Dale Augustine of Battle Creek, and Robyn (Bill) Courtney of Bellevue; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Margaret; sister, Marilyn Thornton; and brother Jerry Augustine.
Friends and relatives will be received at the Heritage Hills Bible Church on March 18, 2018, from 5 to 7 p.m. with family present to greet friends at that time. A funeral service will take place at the church on March 19, 2018 at 11 a.m. Jim will be laid to rest in Ellis Cemetery in Assyria Township following the service.
The family is being served by the Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, Bellevue Chapel.
Memorial contributions are requested to Heritage Hills Bible Church, or the Barry County 4H Scholarship Fund. Donations for the church may be sent to 13015 S M-66 Highway, Bellevue, MI 49021. Assistance with memorials for the Barry County 4H is available at the Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, Bellevue Chapel.
Please leave the family a personal message and sign the online guest book at kempffuneralhome.com.
Bruce E. Sherman
Bruce E. Sherman, 80, of Charlotte, passed away Friday, March 9, 2018 at Eaton Community Palliative Care with his family by his side. He was born January 30, 1938 in Charlotte, the son of Allen and Barbara Sherman. Bruce graduated from Lansing Sexton High School with the class of 1956. Bruce loved his family with a fierce devotion and always saw to it that they were taken care of. He worked his entire career in road construction. Bruce was an extremely hard worker who always made sure that the job was done properly. In his younger years Bruce participated in many different sports. He enjoyed bowling, baseball, football, and running cross country. Bruce was also a Golden Glove boxer in Lansing. Bowling was a passion of Bruce’s. He could often be found bowling at many different places across the entire state. In 1990 Bruce was inducted into the Greater Lansing Bowling Hall of Fame. Bruce was a member of First Lutheran Church of Charlotte and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
Bruce is survived by his children, Bruce Dean Sherman of Charlotte, Robin Dixon of Texas, Gregory Sherman of Texas, Camila (John) Grider of Vermontville, Julie (Chris) Frank of Kalamazoo; grandchildren, Jennifer (Meghan Reese) Sherman, Eric Sherman, Lawrence Julson, Samantha Julson, Audrey Dixon, Kaylin Sherman, Regan Sherman; two great-grandchildren; siblings, Duane (Roberta) Sherman, Douglas (Deanna) Sherman, Dennis (Tawni) Sherman, Joy Sherman-Hunt; special friend, Catherine Christiansen.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Kenyon Sherman; and nephew, William Anderson.
A memorial service was held on Thursday, March 15, 2018, at First Lutheran Church of Charlotte, with Pastor Tim Olson officiating.
Those desiring may make contributions in Bruce’s honor to the Eaton Community Palliative Care, 2675 S. Cochran Rd., Charlotte, MI 48813.
To view Bruce’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit burkhead-greenfuneralhome.com.=
Dolly Isham
Dolly Isham was born Zeatha Dolena Smith, the daughter of Allie (McLean) and Joseph “Harry” Smith, on March 11, 1928. Having always preferred the name Dolly, her friends and family remember her by this name.
Dolly passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 in the company and comfort of family.
She was preceded in death by both her parents; her sisters, Cherry Michaud and Isabelle Smith; her brothers, William Smith and Frank Smith; her son, Scott Isham; and her granddaughter, Laura Isham.
She is survived by her husband, Neil G. Isham (Pete) with whom she celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on February 27, 2018. She is also survived by one brother, Donald Smith; her sons Michael (Don) Isham of Atlanta, Ga., Brian (Barbara) Isham of Traverse City, Gary (Terry) Isham of Charlotte, and Mark (Christine) Isham of Durango, Colo.; daughter-in-law, Joan Isham and Gary (Debbie) Christner who long ago become known as the sixth brother; grandchildren, Jason Isham, Alyssa James, Anne Kuhns, Will Ferguson, Casey Ferguson, Allison Isham, Matthew Isham, Erika Isham, Josh Isham; and two great-grandchildren, Kiera Isham and Zadie James. Many loving cousins, nieces, nephews and family friends will miss Dolly’s loving presence.
Dolly was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and maintained her Canadian citizenship throughout her life. She loved spending time with her family in Canada. It was a highlight to take her boys to visit their cousins in Canada each summer. The family bond that was developed during those years continues with the family reunions that were held at Sand Bay, Ontario and recently moved to the Sylvan Shores Estate near Cheboygan. Dolly and Pete married in 1948. During the early years they resided in different communities, including Charlotte. In 1957 they began construction on their family home in Albion, where they resided for over 60 years.
Pete and Dolly retired 31 years ago and early on they enjoyed traveling. They worked as campground hosts at Pictured Rocks National Park in northern Michigan and Junction Creek USFS campground near Durango, Colo. Both gave time and talents to the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Kentucky as well as dedicating many hours to their own church, Caring Community Church of Albion. Dolly was a person of strong Christian faith and she had a special heart for the children of the church.
Dolly’s family would like to thank the many people who honored her life by helping her through her last days. She was blessed to have received the best and kindest of care from all she came in contact with, but especially of note are the staff and friends at Maplewood of Marshall and at Eaton County Health and Rehabilitation Services.
Visitations are scheduled at Caring Community Church in Albion on Friday, March 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, March 17, from 10 to 11 a.m. The memorial service will be Saturday, March 17 starting at 11 a.m. Condolences can be sent to the family through Kempf Funeral Home of Marshall. The family suggest memorial contributions be sent to the Caring Community Church Building Fund. Dolly and Pete were early members of the church and strong supporters of its growth.