Obituaries
Junior Darrell Whipple
Junior Darrell Whipple (Whip), a resident of Charlotte, MI, departed this life on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, at the age of 91. Born on January 1, 1932, in Marengo, MI, he was the son of Bernard and Minerva (Weers) Whipple. His early years were shaped on the family farm in Marengo and as an adult he established his home in Eaton Rapids, MI where he raised his own family.
Proudly serving his country, Junior was a dedicated member of the United States Navy, stationed aboard the USS Newport News during his service in Italy. His professional journey led him to become a skilled electrician and welder, contributing his talents to companies such as Allied Products, Industrial Welding, and Campbell Brothers, where he eventually retired. Junior took great pride in his work and the impact he made in his trade.
Away from his professional pursuits, Junior found solace in the outdoors, reveling in activities like bow hunting and fishing. Enjoying many family camping trips to Roscommon and Swains Lake which became cherished traditions. In his younger years, Junior found excitement in racing midget cars, participating in events throughout Michigan and Indiana. He was a big NASCAR fan and enjoyed attending races at the local tracks in Mason and Springport. Junior was loved by everyone he met. He loved telling stories of hunting and fishing and about his beloved dogs, Smokey, Bandit, and Boomer. He will be greatly missed.
Junior is survived by his loving daughters, Kathy (Ronald) Geiger, Robbie Kipp, and Karen (Brian) Janetzke. He leaves behind a legacy through his grandchildren, Jason (Staci) Whipple, Michael Whipple, Amy Jo (Patrick) Ainsley, Jessica Geiger, Steven Negus, Cody Kipp, Jackson Dudley, and Chris Dudley. Additionally, he is remembered by his great-grandchildren, McKenzee, Mady, Ryan, Matthew, Austin, and Emma, Aiden, and Michelle. He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Richard Whipple; and his siblings, Marion Whipple, Richard Whipple, Roy Whipple, and Edna Smalek.
A celebration of Life will be held in memory of Junior at Swains Lake Campground in the summer of 2024. For those who wish to honor his memory, memorial contributions can be made to their favorite animal shelter. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Eaton County Long Term Care Facility for taking such good care of Junior (Whip) in the years he lived there. A special thank you to Laura, Mary Lou and the palliative nurse, Chelsea. Thank you so much for caring for our father, we appreciate you all. To share memories or leave online condolences please visit www.SkinnerFuneralHome.com.
Leone Hartenburg- Montie
Leone (Gruesbeck) Hartenburg-Montie of Eaton Rapids passed away November 16, 2023, at the age of 95. Leone was born on February 29, 1928, on a farm in the Eaton Rapids area, the daughter of Harlo and Anne Gruesbeck. She graduated the class of 1945 at Eaton Rapids Schools and went on to Western Michigan University and graduated with a teaching degree. In 1948, Leone married and also started teaching in the one room school. In 1954, she gave birth to a son, Ross, two years later she had her second son, Harley. After about six years of teaching, she began working for Eaton County as a Circuit Court Clerk, where she retired after 17 years. In later years, Leone began substitute teaching for schools in the Eaton Rapids area. She raised her children on the farm and was a hard-working farmer’s wife. She enjoyed vacationing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the beautiful scenery. Leone also enjoyed cooking holiday meals for her family and decorating her home with many snowmen. She lost her mate, Wayland, in 1990, and in the year 2002 she married Myron Montie of Charlotte. Leone was privileged to have four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Leone is survived by her sons, Ross (Chris) Hartenburg of Eaton Rapids, Harley (Pam) Hartenburg of Eaton Rapids; four grandchildren, Dustyn (Brittany) Hartenburg, Danielle (Brett) Miller, Joshua (Crystal Dexter) Hartenburg, Jacob (Kasarah Miller) Hartenburg; seven great grandchildren, Jazzlynn, Scarlett, Juliette, Ava Grace, Wayland, Olivia and Jack. She is preceded in death by her husband, Myron Montie; Brother, Leo Gruesbeck and her first husband, Wayland Hartenburg.
Funeral services were held at Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior from 1-2 p.m. For those desiring, donations may be made to the VFW National Home, 3573 S. Waverly Rd. Eaton Rapids, MI 48827. To leave condolences for the family please visit our website www.millsfuneral.com.
Stanley Krawczyk
Stanley Krawczyk passed away at his home in Eaton Rapids, Michigan on November 15, 2023, at the age of 93.
Stanley was born on October 14, 1930, to Adam and Mary Krawczyk in Charlotte, Michigan. He worked on the family farm and went to a county school, having to drop out of school in ninth grade to help take care of the farm. He met his future wife, Elaine Zimmerman when he was 15. They got married February 1, 1950, at Elaine’s home.
Stanley joined the Navy on October 27, 1947, at the age of 17. He had a long career in the Navy retiring after 22 years. In those 22 years he saw combat in Korea aboard the USS Hyman fighting the North Koreans and the Chinese. The ship was hit, but thankfully did not get a lot of damage. He did lose one of his friends while on the ship in Korea. Many years later he was part of a group of veterans from the Hyman who raised money to put up a memorial monument in New Castle, Indiana for the men lost over the years. In 1948 he also saw combat in one of the many wars between Israel and Palestine.
In 1952 he was an instructor at the Machinist Mate Class A School in Great Lakes, Illinois teaching steam engineering. There were lots of moves during his career including Great Lakes, Illinois; Newport, Rhode Island; Groton, Connecticut for submarine and nuclear power school. He was assigned to the USS Jefferson which was under construction at that time. The boat did many tours to Holy Loc, Scotland, doing testing when they were out to sea. Stanley was also in Norfolk, Virginia; Long Beach, California; and two years in the Nea Makri, Greece which the family loved. During his career he served on the USS Hyman, which was a destroyer; the USS Forestal, which was an aircraft carrier; and two nuclear powered submarines, the USS Skate and the USS Thomas Jefferson.
On the personal front, after he and Elaine got married, they had three children – two daughters and a son. The family enjoyed the traveling, especially the two years spent in Greece where they had all kinds of new experiences – including camping on a trip to northern Greece to see Mount Olympus, swimming in Marathon Bay and taking a cruise to visit many of the Greek islands. Stanley and Elaine took a cruise from Greece back to the United States after he was transferred. There were many trips between wherever Stanley was stationed to visit Eaton Rapids to see family and friends and spend time in the town that he considered home.
Stanley retired from the Navy in 1970 and the family moved back to Eaton Rapids where Stanley built a home on Kemler Road. He went to work for the Michigan DNR for ten years, and then retired from the DNR. He also worked for BASF for several years in Michigan. After retiring from the DNR, he and Elaine moved to Oakland, California where Stanley worked for the Military Sealift Command. After Elaine passed away from cancer in 1988 Stanley remained in California where he then worked for the Federal Aviation Agency working on long distance communication between controllers and airplanes. In 2002 Stanley did an interview for the Veterans History program that is in the Library of Congress, talking about his career. For anyone that would like to hear it, just go to the Library of Congress and type in his name or go to this link: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.41528/? .
In 1993 Stanley retired for the last time. He built another house on Kemler Road (next to the first one he built) where he lived until his passing. He met Barbara Woodley in 1999 and they got married in 2000. He gained four stepchildren and four grandchildren whom he loved very much. He and Barbara lived happily until she passed away in February 2013.
Stanley had many things that he enjoyed doing. He loved gardening and did lots of canning with his garden vegetables. He enjoyed doing anything outside. He obviously loved building – he remodeled almost every place his family lived in, including a mobile home! He collected coins for most of his life and would spend time looking and doing research on any coins he got from anyone. He also enjoyed winemaking using the grapes he grew on his property. When he was younger, he hunted with his brothers. And for many years he and some of his brothers and friends went to Canada every year to fish. His last fishing trip to Canada was in 2017. His grandson Robert and great-grandson Ethan were lucky enough to go on that trip with Stanley. It’s a memory that they both cherish. He was a long-time member of the Calvary Lutheran Church in Eaton Rapids – even helped build the new church on Plains Road after the stone church became too small for the church’s needs.
The family would like to thank Holt Senior Care and Rehab, McLaren Hospice and Landmark Home Care for taking such good care of dad at the end of his life. They also would like to thank the wonderful staff at Eaton Rapids Medical Center for all the years of care that they gave to Stanley.
Stanley was predeceased by his wife Elaine (Zimmerman); his wife Barbara Woodley; daughter Kathleen Hendrickson; son Stanley L. Krawczyk; niece Lorelyn (Zimmerman) Adams; granddaughter Stacy Hildner; grandson Sean Vankranenburg; stepdaughter Karen Thompson; parents Adam and Mary Krawczyk; and eight brothers and sisters.
He is survived by his daughter Diane (Craig) Galloway; stepchildren Linda Brockway, Diane Woodley and Kevin Woodley. Grandchildren Deanna (John) Cornell; Robert (Amanda) Young; Aisha (Eric) Ray; Luke Krawczyk; Derek (Kayla) Krawczyk; and Kyle Krawczyk. Step grandchildren Tana (Beau) Vanderwater; Kayla (Toma) Thompson; Cameron Thompson and Ian Thompson. Great-grandchildren Ethan, Aoife and Conrad Young; Erica and Darian Ray; Hannah and Halie Krawczyk; Derrick and Wren Krawczyk; Lucien Krawczyk; and Ariella Vankranenburg. He is also survived by his sister Mary (Rhon) Pierce and his brother Adam Krawczyk, and many other family members.
Stanley was loved and respected by everyone that met him. He was a hero to many and there will be a huge hole in the hearts of everyone that loved him.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to the Mid-Michigan Honor Flight program which Stanley was able to go on. Here is the link: https://www.midmichiganhonorflight.org/donate.
L. Harley Krauss, Jr.
L. Harley Krauss, Jr., age 77, of Olivet, passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, peacefully at his home. He never recovered from a traumatic brain injury sustained in late August of this year. He was born on May 5, 1946, in Lansing, Michigan to Leland H. Krauss, Sr. and Jessie (Allan) Krauss. His early school years were in Lansing. In the late 1950’s his family moved to the Olivet area. He played four years of varsity football at Olivet High School. He met Linda Sours in high school. They were married in 1964. Harley worked for 23 ½ years for the Olivet Schools as a bus driver and custodian. Later he had his own electrical and snow plowing business. He could build or fix just about anything. He built most of their log home in the woods outside of Olivet. Harley loved the outdoors, probably influenced by his grandpa, Harley Krauss who lived in Gaylord. Weekends in the winter meant lots of rabbit hunting behind registered “Krauss” beagles. They loved hunting behind the dogs and were not concerned about shooting rabbits. Just hearing the beagles tune up and getting outdoors is what really mattered. Fall meant getting ready for deer hunting, although Harley often remarked that “he would rather be bear hunting,” He loved the after-the-hunt pole barn breakfasts and deer camp at the cabin. He was a competition black powder rifle shooter and long bow shooter. Above all Harley loved his family and was overjoyed to become a grandfather.
The family wishes to thank Oaklawn Medical Group Olivet, healthcare staff with Residential Hospice, Marshall Ambulance, EMT’s from Charlotte, Sparrow Hospital, and all the friends and neighbors who were so thoughtful.
Harley is survived by his wife of 59 years, Linda; his son, David; grandchildren, Levi, Ty, Olivia, Amanda; great-granddaughter, Lou; and great-grandson, Ethan.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, James; son, Douglas “Munchie,” stepmother, Dorothy; and daughter-in-law, Marcia.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 10 a.m. at the Burkhead-Green-Kilgo Funeral Home. The family received friends on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Bosworth Cemetery.
Those desiring may make contributions in Harley’s honor to the Bellevue Conservation Club, 8484 Greenfield Hwy., Bellevue, MI 49021.
To view Harley’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.
Orville Edward Erickson
Orville Edward Erickson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family on November 10, 2023, after a courageous battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Orv lived in Douglas, Michigan, formerly in Potterville, Michigan. Orv was born on January 26, 1948, in Fargo, North Dakota, to Elder and Alice Erickson. He grew up on a farm in Kindred, North Dakota, and attended Kindred Public Schools, where he was active in band, German Band, choir, Boy Scouts, school plays, and the National Honor Society.
Orv graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in Economics. He was a proud member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and took great pride in being a Bison. After college, Orv enlisted in the US Army and served in the 82nd Airborne where he earned the Army Accommodation Medal. He was honored to serve his country.
In May of 1973, Orv met his bride, Lynne Bielik, in Saugatuck, Michigan. He proposed on their third date, and they were married six months later on November 24, 1973, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Allegan, Michigan. Orv and Lynne were blessed with three children: Shawn Erickson of Holt, Michigan, Nic (Alejandra) Erickson of Nashville, Tennessee, Ashley Erickson of Holland, Michigan, and one grandson, Alec Erickson.
Orv was very generous with his time giving back to the community. He was a loving Christian man who would help anyone at any time. He served as President of the Potterville/Benton Township Fire Department for 20 years, was Scoutmaster of Potterville Troop 654, a member of the Potterville Lions Club, and worked on numerous community projects. Orv also volunteered for several projects at Potterville Public Schools, serving as one of the “timing crew” at track meets and working with the Odyssey of the Mind Program with Lynne. Orv was a faithful member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, where he served and worshipped our Lord for over 40 years. He was a member of the church choir, served on the church council and numerous committees. Orv and Lynne served as a presenting couple for Lutheran Marriage Encounter for decades.
In addition to his involvement in Potterville, Orv worked at the Grand Ledge Food Bank and Blessings in a Backpack.
Orv retired from the State of Michigan, Department of Treasury, where he was a Department Manager.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Lynne; their children, Shawn, Nic, Ale and Ashley; and grandson Alec; his brother, James (Judy) Erickson of Fargo, North Dakota; his sister, Janice Blake of Spokane, Washington; brother and sisters-in-law, Joseph and Deb Bielik of Cadillac, Michigan, and Charlie and Kathy Bielik of Fennville, Michigan; plus many nieces and nephews and special friends, Dennis and Jan Martinich, and their children. In addition to his parents, Orv is predeceased by parents-in-law, Joseph and Barbara Bielik; brother-in-law, Rudy Blake; and great niece, Avery Betts.
Friends may meet with the family at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 517 South Clinton, Grand Ledge, Michigan, on Saturday, November 18, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with the Celebration of Life beginning at 11:00 a.m., Pastor Chuck Foerster and retired Pastor Richard McKenzie co-officiating. Military Honors will follow the service. A luncheon will follow. Cremation has taken place and the burial with take place later.
Donations may be made in Orv’s honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, The Grand Ledge Food Bank, Cure PSP, or Immanuel Lutheran Church, Grand Ledge.
Our family would like to thank Andrea, Deanna and Julie from Hospice of Holland and our Home Health Caregivers, Brandy and Chelsea, who took such wonderful loving care of Orv during the final days of his journey. They not only took care of him, but our entire family. They are extraordinary women.