All Obituaries

Judith Ann Andres was born Jan. 15th, 1947 to Mary Wendzel, raised by beloved step-father Elmer Wendzel. Her Smith/Wendzel heritage created strong connections in the local farming community where she met her husband, James (Jim) Andres. The couple started a family and resided in Coloma where Judy worked as a secretary and filled many roles at Salem Lutheran Church. Judy was actively involved in the PTO and cultivated many friendships. She retired from Brandywine Creek’s Creative Dining...

Willis A Bouma, 97, passed away September 29, 2022, at Crown Point Assisted Living in Stevensville. He was born August 8, 1925, to Douwe and Helen Bouma. Willis was a lifetime Watervliet resident. He served in the Army during WWII stationed in France and Germany. In 2020 he received the French Legion of Honor Medal. Willis was very proud to have served our country and never hesitated to take part in local parades. Willis loved his family, fishing, and traveling. Willis is preceded in death...

Mary Weir’s life began March 8th, 1933, in St. Joseph Michigan. Mary was a proud lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan. She graduated Watervliet High School in 1950. After high school Mary went on to become a dedicated employee at Jewel Foods and also worked 20 years at Voice of Music (VM). Mary continued on to work for Heath Company before finally retiring from Whirlpool. Mary was fiercely independent and hard working. Mary loved music. She sang in the choir, played the trombone and...

Carl’s life began July 26, 1931, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He was a life long area resident and graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1949. After graduating high school Carl went to work at Vail Rubber until he retired after 48 years. Outside of work Carl enjoyed gardening, hunting, and camping. He liked going to races and especially looked forward to yearly camping trips to MIS. When Carl wasn’t keeping himself busy you could find him playing poker or watching the...

William’s life began June 30, 1950, in South Haven, Michigan. William was a lifelong area resident. He was a gentle, kind, loving, caring soul. He worked for many years for Bosch as a set-up man. He enjoyed dancing, making wooden American flags in his spare time. You could also find William taking pride in caring for his lawn and tinkering on things. For relaxation he enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, playing computer games, working on models, reading especially Stephen King novels, watching...

  Jim’s life began February 23, 1939 in Drasco, Arkansas. At a young age his family moved to Michigan and settled in Watervliet. Jim graduated from Watervliet High School and then went to work at the Watervliet Paper Mill. When the paper mill closed Jim went to work at Sears and then Bowater Paper until retirement. Jim enjoyed 63 years with his loving wife Mary Jane raising his four children and enjoying watching his family grow. When Jim wasn’t working or supporting a...

Mary Phyllis Yates, 94 of Coloma, Michigan passed away on August 23, 2022 surrounded by loved ones. Mary Phyllis was born on January 2, 1928 to Rudolph and Angeline Grill (Krejchik) of Midlothian, Illinois.   Mary Phyllis is survived by her children; Jim (Marilyn) Cypress, Texas, Paula (Marc) Cook Holland, Michigan, Mark (Debbie) Pickerington, Ohio, Donna (Charles) Anderson Gainesville, Georgia, Ken (Caroline) Ft. Wayne Indiana, Leslie Balgoyen Anderson Indiana, Beth (Peter) Mannino...

Donna (Schwarz) Dell, 88, a life-long resident of Bainbridge Township, Watervliet, Michigan, departed this life on August 9, 2022. The funeral will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at Plymouth Congregational Church at 2 p.m. It will also be live-streamed at https://bit.ly/3Pe3yeP   Viewing will be from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on August 12, at Hutchins Funeral Home, Watervliet. Donna was born May 23, 1934 in Coloma, Michigan to Frederick And Helena (Zass) Schwarz. On May 11, 1957 she...

Danny’s life began August 31, 1956, in Lincoln Township, North Carolina. As a young child his family moved to Michigan for work. Danny was a hard working man his entire life. He work as a foreman for Sunrise Farms for 20 years, he also worked in factories and in construction for several years. His last job found him working for North Shore Memory Gardens. When he wasn’t working you could find him fishing or riding his motorcycle. Danny also enjoyed woodworking building clocks and tables....

Dorothy was born January 12, 1935, in Hackleburg, Alabama. Dorothy grew up in Hackleburg with her six siblings. On September 30, 1957 she married Vecil Crow and they moved to Zion, Illinois for work. They lived there until retirement when they moved to Algood, Tennessee. In 2007 Vecil died and Dorothy moved to St. Joseph, Michigan to be closer to her nieces and their families. Dorothy worked for many years overseeing quality control at Abbot Labs in Chicago. While at Abbot she was awarded...