Obituaries
Stanley Carl Palmer
Stanley Carl Palmer, age 94, of Eaton Rapids, Michigan passed away on April 20, 2023, with Yvonne, his loving wife of 60 years, by his side. Stan was born on August 22, 1928, in Los Angeles, California. He was one of nine children, born to Charles and Armenta (Kennedy) Palmer. He married the love of his life, Yvonne (Moore) Palmer in 1963 and together they lived in Pasadena, Texas where Stan served 27 years in the Merchant Marines. In the early 1970’s, Stan and Yvonne lived in Onondaga, Charlotte, Higgins Lake, and settled in Eaton Rapids, where they lived for over 20 years. Stan worked at Owens-Illinois for 26 years, where he retired in 1991. Stan loved deep sea fishing, ice fishing, snowmobiling, visiting family in California, trips to the casino, and accompanying Yvonne on her bowling tournaments.
Stan is preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings. He is survivied by his wife, Yvonne; daughter, Deborah Palmer; son, Stanley (Roma) Palmer; granddaughter, Martina Palmer; brother, Clifford (Sara) Palmer; and special friends, Mr. and Mrs. Robert (Plug) Whitaker, Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne Mayball, Mr. and Mrs. Jan Skrip and Lowell Hogle.
Per Stan’s wishes, no service will be held. He is in the care of Skinner Funeral Home in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. You may visit his tribute page to leave memories and condolences.
Mary Irene Ash
Mary Irene Ash, 90, of Charlotte, MI a kind-hearted farm wife, died peacefully April 20, 2023. Born November 19, 1932, in Charlotte to Nelson and Arlene (Newth) Simpson, Mary was the first in her family to graduate from high school. After high school (graduating on Friday and starting work on Monday) she worked for Bell Telephone. Growing up on a farm, she loved to drive the tractor and after seven years she left the telephone company to help run the farm. Mary met her future husband on a blind date, and they courted for three years before they were married in 1954. A proud wife and mother, Mary enjoyed her family and taught them to be kind to others, just as her parents had taught her. Her faith was the center of all things she did in life, always showing others her love for her Lord and Savior.
Mary is survived by her husband of 69 years, Roger; daughters, Anne (Norm) Harris, Anita (Gene) Swayer; grandchildren, Kevin Smith and Rachel Smith. She was predeceased by her sister, Kay Leonard and her parents.
Friends are encouraged to support Mary’s family by attending services or sharing memories on her Tribute Page at www.prayfuneral.com. Visitation was Tuesday, April 25 at Pray Funeral Home in Charlotte. Funeral services were held Wednesday, April 26, at Pray Funeral Home with Pastor Josh Landers of Hillside Community Church Crown Point Indiana officiating. If desired, the family suggests memorial contributions to Hospice House of Mid-Michigan. The family is in the care of Pray Funeral Home, Charlotte.
Louis DeFabio, Jr.
Louis DeFabio, Jr., age 97, of Riverview, Michigan and formerly of Southgate and Olivet, Michigan, passed away Sunday, April 9, 2023.
Louis was born July 6, 1925, to Luigi and Autilia DeFabio. Louis served with the U.S. Marine Corp and is a WWII Veteran. He retired from PennWalt Chemical Plant after 25 years of service. Louis was a jack of all trades. He could fix anything and tackled many carpentry jobs along with having a big green thumb when it came to growing a garden. His specialty was growing tomatoes, sending many bushels of produce home with family and friends after weekend visits.
Louie was the beloved husband of 59 years to the late Patricia DeFabio. He was the loving father of Penny (Michael) Gibbons of Riverview, Louis (Paula) DeFabio III of Charlotte, Shirley (Larry) Frederick of Ellenton, FL, and John DeFabio of Belleville. He was the dearest grandfather of Patricia (Adam) Rollason, Kristen Kurzeja and Becky (Cory) DeFabio-Hewitt, and sweet great-grandfather of Matthew Kurzeja, Alexia Kurzeja, Kaiden Elsey, Kenley Hewitt, and Brittanie Hewitt. Preceding him in death were his parents, wife, and seven siblings.
Cremation has taken place. A family memorial gathering will be held later this summer. The family is under the care of Molnar Funeral Home – Brownstown Chapel, Brownstown, Michigan.
Joyce Eileen Williams
Joyce Eileen Williams, age 87, of Charlotte, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. She was born September 12, 1935, in Hebron, Ohio, the daughter of Ernest and Marie (Snider) Bowers. Joyce graduated from Hebron High School with the class of 1953. On October 11, 1959, in Hebron, Ohio, she married Griffith Leland “Lee” Williams. This began a treasured 62-year marriage. Joyce loved people and always had an open door. She adored her many lifelong friends and was very good at staying in touch with them. She still had a close bond with her many friends from her school years. Family meant everything to Joyce. She cherished her daughters and was especially fond of her grandchildren. She always looked forward to Christmas when the family would all be together.
Joyce is survived by her daughters, Gina (Duane) Hanrahan of Indianapolis, IN, Julie (Wayne) Nash of Delaware, OH, Nancy (Bob) Loth of Pewaukee, WI; grandchildren, Chris (Annie) Hanrahan, Stephen Hanrahan, Geoff (Kaila) Hanrahan, Ben Nash, Chris Nash, Allison Loth, Megan Loth, Corinne Loth; and brother, Billy (Ruby) Bowers.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lee; three brothers, and two sisters.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, April 20, 2023, 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. Burial will take place at Poplar Forks Cemetery in Gratiot, Ohio.
Those desiring may make contributions in Joyce’s memory to the Lawrence Avenue United Methodist Church, 210 E. Lawrence Ave., Charlotte, MI 48813.
To view Joyce’s obituary online or to leave a condolence for the family please visit www.burkhead-green-kilgo.com.
John Raymond Kreischer
John Raymond Kreischer on January 28, 2023, at 12:21 p.m., our father, John Raymond Kreischer of Eaton Rapids, Michigan passed away.
John was born in Homer, Michigan on February 5, 1940. He was the second son born to James Paul Kreischer and Lorene Opal (Snodderly) Kreischer. He grew up on the family farm new Narrow Lake and attended school in Eaton Rapids. It was there, at the age of 14, he met his sweetheart, Mabel Ellen Kinyon. They married in 1958 and had 56 years together until Mabel passed away in 2014.
John enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1957 where he began his 20-year military career. His many jobs were in the transportation department including semi-truck driver in Thailand during the Vietnam war, school bus driver and bussing coordinator for military children on English coaches, director of the base motor pool, movie projectionist. His favorite assignment was in California on Travis AFB, when he was a chauffeur for Marie von Trapp!
During John’s years of service, the family moved several times, and were able to experience and visit many amazing sites.
John retired from the USAF in 1977 and moved his family home to Mabel’s family farm in Eaton Rapids. This was not a total retirement. John began work as a poultry caretaker for the USDA Poultry Research facility at Michigan State University. He was employed there for 20 years.
John was preceded in death by his loving wife Mabel Ellen (Kinyon) Kreischer; his parents, James Paul Kreischer and Lorene Opal (Snodderly) Kreischer; his brothers, Robert Kreischer and Leonard Kreischer; his sister, Linda (Kreischer) Cook.
He is survived by his eldest brother, Milo (Inez) Kreischer; his three children, Carol Sue (Kreischer) Pope, Barbara (Kreischer) Johns, and Brian Kreischer.
John had three beloved grandchildren: Bradley Richard Johns, Janeen Carneshia Johns, and Joseph Charles Johns. He also had four great-grandchildren: Marley Mae, Lennox Ophelia, Naomi Rose, and Damien DeShay.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Rachel Wilcox for being Dad’s compassionate caretaker for over a year prior to his passing.
A memorial luncheon is being planned for May 13, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at the VFW Post in Springport, Michigan.
For those desiring, in lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation in memory of John R. Kreischer may be made to the VFW Adams-Rocky Post 6056, 230 Mechanic Street, Springport, MI 49284.