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MICHAEL BROOKS
San Francisco
Michael Brooks, 61, of San Francisco, a devoted husband and loving father of three who found constant joy in his family, died June 6, 2006, following a long battle with cancer.
Loved ones said they would remember Mr. Brooks for his warm sense of humor and kind-hearted nature. An avid collector of antiques, a lawyer and a journalist, he pursued numerous interests in life and loved the Bay Area, a region he called home for more than 30 years.
Mr. Brooks was born Oct. 26, 1944, in Detroit. He graduated from Oak Park High School in 1962 and entered Michigan State University, graduating in 1966 with a degree in journalism. Two years later, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany. Upon returning to civilian life, he moved to the Bay Area in 1970. He attended Golden Gate University to study law, earning his degree and passing the California State Bar in 1976.
Journalism, however, was what he truly enjoyed, working as a reporter at various newspapers in Michigan and California, and authoring two books and numerous articles for antique publications.
A longtime Oakland resident, Mr. Brooks married
Deborah in 1980 after living in San Francisco for 10 years. He had a passion for antiques, attending flea markets and antique fairs regularly, including Antiques by the Bay in Alameda on the first Sunday of every month. His collection of Statue of Liberty memorabilia, including an invitation to Liberty's opening, earned him the attention of the Wall Street Journal and several television shows.
Mr. Brooks also enjoyed collecting antique typewriters and old transistor radios. He was an avid reader, enjoyed music and loved sports. A track-and-field enthusiast, he ran in several marathons and could often be found on local golf courses fine-tuning his game.
Mr. Brooks was preceded in death by his father, William S. Brooks.
He is survived by his mother, Clara Brooks of West Bloomfield; his wife, Deborah, of 26 years; daughter, Jessica, 23; two sons, Josh, 19, and Adam, 16; two sisters, Lynn (Jeffrey) Dils of Chelsea and Jacqueline (Paul) Berger of Lake Island, Ill.; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A private memorial service will take place Friday.
Memorial contributions may be made to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, 22 Battery Street, Suite 612, San Francisco, CA 94111-5520.
LILA E. "BETTY" WADE
Chelsea
Lila E. "Betty" Wade, 82, of Chelsea, formerly of Ludington, died June 6, 2006, at Arbor Hospice. She was born Feb. 7, 1924, in Lansing, one of nine children of John and Edith (Hocking) Hutchens.
Mrs. Wade and her husband, Patrick "Daddy" Wade, had lived in Chelsea for many years. Following her husband's retirement from the Chelsea School District, where he had been a high school teacher and coach, they moved to Ludington.
Her husband preceded her in death Oct. 30, 1999.
While living in Ludington, Mrs. Wade enjoyed gardening, reading and watching the sunsets over Lake Michigan. The loves of her life were her three grandchildren.
Mrs. Wade returned to Chelsea two years ago and was living at Silver Maples.
She is survived by her twin children, Catherine (Kirk) Lambdin of Chelsea and Michael F. Wade; a friend, Maureen of Dexter; three grandchildren, twins Blake and Alicia Lambdin and Alexa Wade; her twin brother, Robert (Helen) Hutchens, and brothers, Roy and Paul (Carol) Hutchens, all of Lansing; two sisters-in-law, Wilma Soames of Charoltte, and Liz St. Martin of Ft. Myers, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by three sisters, Margaret (Buford) Milner, Gertrude (William) Powers and Mildred (Clare) Harrington; and a brother, John (Wilma) Hutchens.
A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday at the Shalom Lutheran Church, 1740 E. M-36 in Pinckney. The Rev. Dan Quagliata will officiate.
The family will receive friends noon until the time of service at the church.
Private interment will be in the Memorial Garden of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Ludington.
Memorial contributions may be made to Arbor Hospice, American Cancer Society or Silver Maples Retirement Community.
Arrangements were by the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home in Chelsea.
NORMA P. JOHNSTON
Chelsea
Norma P. Johnston, 91, of Chelsea died Aug. 18, 2006, at Chelsea Retirement Community. She was born Nov. 21, 1914, in Rochester the daughter of Samuel J. and Elizabeth (Whing) Johnston.
Her childhood and youth were spent on a farm located between Rochester and Lake Orion attending a one-room school before moving to Lake Orion and graduating from Lake Orion High School in 1932.
In 1940, Ms. Johnston sought employment in Detroit, where she became a beloved member of her sister Ruth Starring's household. After completing training as a comptometer operator, she was hired by Briggs Manufacturing Co., where she remained for the duration of World War II.
Other employment included several years as assistant manager of Joe's Village Shop, a popular toy and children's shop, sales work for Doubleday book shops and Laur's Office Supply.
Ms. Johnston retired from the work force in 1982, but served as a volunteer in a branch of the Detroit Public Library. In 1983, she moved to the Chelsea Retirement Community, where she continued her volunteer work, serving 15 years as a reporter interviewing new residents for the retirement community's newsletter, as well as work in CRC's post office and ice cream parlor.
Mrs. Johnston is survived by many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and six brothers and sisters.
Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Chelsea Retirement Community Chapel. The Rev. Beth Foster will officiate.
Memorial contributions may be made to Chelsea Retirement Community.
Arrangements were by Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea.
DOROTHY A. UPDEGRAFF
Sebastian, Fla.
Formerly of Dexter
Dorothy A. Updegraff, 92, of Sebastian, Fla., died Aug. 17, 2006, at VNA Hospice House. She was born Dec. 30, 1913, in Detroit, and had been a resident of Sebastian for three years, coming from Dexter.
Mrs. Updegraff was a homemaker. She was a member of the First Church of Christ in Ann Arbor, and attended the Christian Science Church in Vero Beach.
She is survived by her daughter, Betty Hamer of Sebastian, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Updegraff was predeceased by her husband, James, H. Updegraff; and son, Robert J. Updegraff.
At the request of the family, there will be no services.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice in memory of Mrs. Updegraff.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home and Crematory in Vero Beach, Fla.
JERRY ANTHONY SORANNO
Pinckney
Jerry Anthony Soranno, 60, died Aug. 13, 2006, at his home in Pinckney surrounded by his family, including his wife, Jane; son, Jerry; daughter, Jonette; and son-in-law, Michael Laforet.
Following his wishes, Mr. Soranno was cremated.
A celebration of his life will be held noon Sept. 9 at Weber's Inn, 3050 Jackson Avenue in Ann Arbor.
MARSHALL "JOHN" WENSEL
Dexter
Marshall "John" Wensel, 38, of Dexter died Sept. 26, 2006, in Ann Arbor as a result of a motorcycle accident. He was born Oct. 12, 1967, to Paul and Dee Wensel of Dexter.
He is survived by his two sons, Justin and Andrew; his parents; three siblings, Melanie (Steve) Maki of Manchester; Mark of Palm Springs, Calif., and Michael (Lisa) of Lincoln; four nephews; one niece; and one great-nephew.
Mr. Wensel was employed with MacDee Inc. for the past several months, and previously by Jac Products for 13 years.
He was on the Dexter Village Planning Commission for a few years and the Dexter Cityhood Committee.
Mr. Wensel was a 1986 graduate of Dexter High School. He loved his Pepsi, M&M;'s, NASCAR and anything outdoors, particularly camping. He will be remembered dearly by his family and friends.
Visitation was held Sunday at the Hosmer-Muehlig Funeral Chapel in Dexter. A funeral was held Monday at Dexter United Methodist Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to his children's education fund. Envelopes are available at the funeral home.
LYN YAROWS
Dexter
Lyn Yarows, 51, of Chelsea died Sept. 26, 2006, at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital after a short but courageous battle with lung cancer. She was born Jan. 2, 1955, in Pittsburg, Pa., the daughter of Edward J. and Wilma Worden.
Mrs. Yarows was the beloved wife of Dr. Steven A. Yarows, and dear mother of twin children, Kevin E. and Kristen C. Yarows. She moved to Michigan in 1980 to continue her nursing career and shortly after married
Steven in Dexter Sept. 22, 1984.
She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter, where she had been a religious education teacher and mentor.
Mrs. Yarows will be remembered as an active community volunteer and a proud member of the Steeler Nation. She was serving on the boards of the Joan C. Banfield Foundation and the Educational Foundation of Dexter.
Surviving are her siblings Suzanne (Bob) Fagan of Wildwood, N.J., Kathy (Mike) Gandley of Ypsilanti, Bernard Worden and Ed (Debbie) Worden of Pittsburgh, Pa.
She is also survived by nephews Jesse Gandley and Daniel Schurgin.
Mrs. Yarows was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Marguerite Worden.
The Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter. The Rev. Brendan Walsh and Rabbi Robert Levi officiated. The family received friends at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home in Chelsea.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Joan C. Banfield Foundation, American Lung Association, Chelsea Community Hospital, CAT Scan Program or St. Joseph Catholic Church Building Fund.
MERLE L. DAVIS
Chelsea
Merle L. Davis, 90, of Chelsea died Sept. 29, 2006, at the Chelsea Retirement Community. He was born Aug. 15, 1916, in Chicago to John and Ferol Davis. He married
Stella Johnson July 20, 1940.
Mr. Davis spent most of his career working in purchasing for Montgomery Ward in Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Before his retirement, he worked for the Wickes Corp. as vice president of the wholesale kitchen cabinet division.
He and his wife lived in Blue Island, Ill., where Mr. Davis served in leadership roles at the First United Methodist Church, on the library board, school board and in the Boy Scouts program.
Mr. Davis and his wife moved to Chelsea in 1983 to be near their family. He was involved in the Kiwanis Club, and was an active member of Chelsea First United Methodist Church. He also faithfully served Chelsea Community Hospital as a volunteer for 14 years.
The couple moved to the Chelsea Retirement Community in 1996.
Throughout his life, Mr. Davis was dedicated to his family, church and community.
Mr. Davis was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ferol Davis; stepmother, Carolyn Davis; brother, Glen Davis; and sister, Helen Sunter.
He is survived by his loving wife, Stella (Johnson) Davis of 66 years; his sister, Miriam Green; children, Barbara (Ed) Brown of Chelsea, John (Cheryl) Davis of Seattle and Robert (Alison) Davis of Laguna Beach, Calif.; grandchildren, Heidi Pearson, Christy Frederick, Tracy Davis, Allison Vanderspool, Erik Brown, Cameron Davis and Conor Davis; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation was held Sunday at the Chelsea Retirement Community Chapel and Monday at Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home. A funeral was held Tuesday at the Chelsea First United Methodist Church. The Revs. Joy Barrett and Beth Foster officiated.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chelsea Retirement Community Heritage Fund or the Chelsea First United Methodist Church Endowment Fund
ELLEN LOBDELL BIRCH
Dexter
Ellen Cecillia (Hollenbeck) Lobdell Birch, 86, of Dexter died Sept. 27, 2006. She was born Aug. 14, 1920, in Spalding, Neb., the daughter of Nelle E. and John A. Lobdell.
She graduated valedictorian of the Spalding Academy May 21, 1939.
In March 1942, she moved to Michigan with her family. She married
Clifford Myron Hollenbeck Sept. 9, 1944, in Redwood City, Calif. The Rev. John Cavenaugh officiated. Mr. Hollenbeck preceded her in death Oct. 3, 1958.
She married
Francis Gerard Birch Feb. 28, 1976, at the Holy Trinity Chapel in Ypsilanti, and the Rev. Bob Kerr officiated. Mr. Birch died Sept. 11, 1988.
Both were veterans of the U. S. Navy, proudly serving their nation during World War II.
Mrs. Birch also was preceded in death by her parents; sons, Thomas and Clifford; brother, James Lobdell; a sister, Jane Lobdell Smith; brother-in-law, Lee Smith; and sister-in-law, Arlene Lobdell.
Mrs. Birch worked for DAPCO Industries for 34 years, making precision-machined parts and retired in 1988. Since 1942, she was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter.
Mrs. Birch loved being with her family, traveling and keeping her faith.
She is survived by one daughter, Mary Jane (Johnie) Meiers; four sons, John (Clara), Timothy, (Christine), Leo (Heidi) and Michael (Lori) Hollenbeck; nine grandchildren, Clifford and Ronald Wilson, Jerri Lynn (Muath) Eleswed, Robert (Jennifer) Hollenbeck, Amber (Roderick) Roberson, Matthew (Allison) Hollenbeck, Angela (Jamie) Garland, and Jayma and Jerid Hollenbeck; four great-grandchildren, Shawn Wilson, Kyle Garland, Andrew Hollenbeck and Logan Hollenbeck; and many nieces and nephews.
The family received friends Thursday and Friday at the Hosmer-Muehlig Funeral Home in Dexter. A rosary was recited by Sister Concetta Fabo Friday. Mass of the Christian Burial was held Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Dexter. The Rev. Brendan Walsh officiated.
Interment was at St. Joseph Catholic cemetery in Dexter.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Dexter.
