Obituary Listing

Sep 4, 2022

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...

Aug 23, 2022

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...

Aug 9, 2022

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...

Aug 9, 2022

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,...

Aug 8, 2022

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...

Aug 1, 2022

Les' life began March 16, 1939 in Judsonia, Arkansas. During his childhood Les' family moved to Michigan, making Watervliet their home. As a young adult he enlisted during the Vietnam conflict and proudly served his country in the United States Army. After his return, Les continued his service as a member of the National Guard. Les' work as a...

Jul 30, 2022

Fran was born April 20, 1936 in St. Joseph, Michigan. She grew up in the Stevensville area with her three siblings. Fran worked for VM in her adult years for a short period of time. She loved filling her time knitting, shopping, golfing and playing bingo. As much as Fran loved Michigan she also very much enjoyed spending her...

Jul 26, 2022

Rich's life began November 14, 1945 in Brookfield, Illinois. His family were long time residents of Brookfield. Rich's dad started Buresh's Lobster House in Brookfield in 1949 and ran it until Rich took over in 1982. Rich loved running the restaurant for the next several years when he retired in 2000. Rich was very active in the community of...

Jul 26, 2022

Sara's life began March 20, 1987, in St. Joseph, Michigan. She was a lifetime Watervliet resident and loved art both painting and coloring. Her greatest love was caring for her daughters Riley-Lynn and Aubrey.

Sara will be greatly missed by her loving family which includes: her daughters Riley-Lynn, Aubrey Menkhaus and their father Chad; her parents Michael...

Jul 25, 2022

Randy's life began September 30, 1949, in St. Joseph, Michigan. Randy worked for many years as a Melting Supervisor for Bohn Aluminum. He also worked for Watervliet Paper Mill, Dave's Amoco and Ridge and Kramer. He loved to tinker on cars and enjoyed using his handyman skills to fix things around the house or help others. When he wasn't...

Jul 24, 2022

Freddie E. Mitchell, a proud U.S. Navy veteran of Coloma, passed away on Sunday July 24, 2022 at the age of 81. Fred was the son of Lorene & Roy Mitchell, born in Leachville, AR on December 5, 1940, grew up in St. Louis, MO. After serving as a Damage Controlman aboard the USS Bennington during the Vietnam War,...

Jul 23, 2022

Kathy's life began August 1, 1960 in Marion, Ohio. Her dad worked at Whirlpool and they relocated him to St. Joseph when Kathy was a young teenager. Kathy finished growing up in St. Joseph where she graduated high school. In June of 1995 Kathy and her husband Charles purchased Riverside Tavern and she's been proudly serving one of the...

Jul 6, 2022

Paul "PJ" Yakel's life began February 7th, 1970, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He grew up in St. Joseph where he graduated high school and was a member of their State  Champion football team. After high school PJ continued his education earning an associate degree in Alaska. He worked for many years as an administrator for several Adult Foster Care...

Jun 20, 2022

John's life began October 16, 1942, in Perryville, Arkansas. John spent most of his lifetime in Southwest Michigan. He was a skilled carpenter and also worked as a lineman and auto mechanic. John loved music, especially bluegrass, and was a talented mandolin player. When John wasn't working you could find him gardening, collecting treasures, or enjoying steam engines.

Jun 18, 2022

Mison Brookfield (née Kang) was born on June 28, 1963 and grew up in Osan, Korea. She met her first husband - her daughter April's father - while he was in the Air Force and moved to the United States with him in 1984. She eventually made her way to southwest Michigan where she met and married her devoted...

Jun 16, 2022

Jack's life began September 16, 1956, in Watervliet, Michigan. He was a lifetime Watervliet resident and enjoyed being a farmer. Jack enjoyed going to auctions and flee markets. He could be found spending his days caring for his flower gardens. Jack was kind hearted and loved spending time with his family and supporting his nieces and nephews. His gentle...

Jun 12, 2022

Karen was born June 1, 1960, in Watervliet, Michigan. Karen grew up in Watervliet where she graduated high school. After high school Karen continued her education at Lake Michigan College earning an associate degree in accounting. She was driven and earned her degree while also working full time at Pizza Hut during those years. Karen loved the beach and...

Jun 6, 2022

Vrginia was born March 12,1929, in Lawrence, Michigan. After graduating from Lawrence High School and attending Parsons Business School, she moved to Watervliet to work for Dr. A. A. McNabb where she met and married Norman Warsko in 1948. Virginia received her Cosmetology license in 1968 and worked for three beauty shops in Coloma before opening Warsko's Styling Salon...

Jun 3, 2022

Rita's life began November 7, 1928, in Eau Claire, Michigan. She grew up in Benton Harbor and graduated from St. John's Catholic School where she met and fell in love with Phillip Lynch. She married her high school sweetheart in September of 1946, they enjoyed 66 years together. Rita's great love was her family, she looked forward to gathering...

May 26, 2022

Ron's life began December 10, 1938, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He was a lifetime area resident. In 2004 after 32 years he retired from Bosch Braking Systems. On April 11, 1987, he married Janet Smith Harding and they enjoyed 35 years together. Outside of work Ron loved to bowl, he also enjoyed fishing and traveling. He was a proud...