Roman “Romie” Williams

Roman “Romie” Williams, age 70, of Ithaca, passed away Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Gratiot Medical Center in Alma.  

Romie was born in St. Johns on November 10, 1941, the son of Alfred and Marjorie (Falor) Williams.  He worked for GM for 27 years, retiring in 1993.

Romie is survived by his wife of 48 years, Sharon; his children, Scott (Lisa) Williams of Overland Park, KS, Shelley (Jim) Sanborn of Sparta, and Steven (Angie) Williams of Riverdale; nine grandchildren, Shelbie, Trey, Ryan, Amy, Tim,Brittnee, Lauren, Jaden, and Kaelyn; his great grandson, Gavin; his sister, Rose (Wendell) Delo of Ithaca; his brother, Larry (Ginger) Williams of Lyons; and his sister-in-law, Lorraine Drumheller of Sumner.  He was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, Alvin Drumheller.

Per Romie’s wishes, there will be no services.  The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. 

Ilene Marie Barger

Ilene M. Barger, age 59, of Stanton, died Thursday, June 14, 2012, at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids.  

Ilene was born October 26, 1952 in Mason, the daughter of Norman William and Kathleen Ann (Chase) Stewart.  She married Robert Lewis Barger on November 6, 1971, in Stanton.  

Ilene was very industrious from an early age, starting to milk cows at age ten and always had a job after that.  Through the years she worked at Ore Ida, K-Mart, ElectroLux, and the BP on County Seat corner.  She was also very artistic, creative and crafty, and enjoyed wood working and wood carving.  She could take nothing and make something out of it.  This creativity led to her buying a floral shop in Stanton, and for 24 years she owned and operated Rustic Floral, where she thoroughly enjoying people as they would come into her shop to purchase flowers for special occasions or some of the many other items she had to sell.  She also enjoyed camping with Bob and going out on lakes in the bass boat.  She loved animals and kids, and was a favorite aunt to many nieces and nephews.

Ilene is survived by her husband, Bob, of Crystal;  her mother, Kathleen Stewart, of Stanton; her brothers and sisters, Marlene (Clif) Fockler of Riverdale, Rick (Linda) Stewart of Stanton, Ronda (Randy) Sherwood of Ionia, Shannon (Alan) Buskirk of Stanton, and Roger (Darlene) Stewart of Stanton; and many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her father, Norman Stewart; and her brother, Randy Stewart.

Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 20, at the Barden Funeral Home in Stanton, with Larry Austin officiating.  Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

William Orville "Bill" Caldwell

illiam Orville Caldwell, age 82, of Ithaca, died June 2, 2012, at his home in Ithaca.

Bill was born  in Alma on April 10, 1928, the son of William F. and Thelma G. (Cornwell) Caldwell.  He served his country in the US Army, and after completing college, worked as an accountant at Total Petroleum for 28 years.  Bill loved being outdoors and could be seen almost daily riding his bicycle around town.

Bill was preceded in death by his sister, Betty Wingle, and his parents.  He is survived by his brother-in-law, Jack Wingle of Ithaca, and several cousins.

A graveside memorial service will be conducted in the Ithaca Cemetery at 10 a.m. Monday, June 18.  Memorial contributions may be made in Bill’s name to the Gratiot County Commission on Aging. 

Janet Sue Sluyter Urquhart

Janet Sue Sluyter Urquhart “Angel”, a resident of Breckenridge, MI and beloved wife of the late James “Jimmy” Urquhart passed away on June 5, 2012 in her home at the age of 58. She was born in Detroit, MI on November 26, 1953, the daughter of Winfield Josiah Sluyter and the late Marjorie Evelyn Hobbs. Janet is survived by her father Winfield Sluyter of Petoskey, MI; sister Jennifer Bellairs of Charlevoix, MI; brother David Sluyter of Petoskey, MI; daughters Andrea Kunz of Manassas, VA; Audrey Jacobson of Mapleton, UT; Kymberly Haswell of Ithaca, MI; sons Joel Chiapelli of Hatboro, PA; Jeffery Chiapelli of Getzville, NY; Dana Haswell III of Ithaca, MI. Janet was affectionately know as “Granny Janny” by her nineteen grandchildren.

Janet grew up in Troy, MI and attended Troy High School. Janet spent most of her life in the state of Michigan, but also lived for short periods of time in Utah, California, Pennsylvania and Florida. Janet loved animals and had several pets over the years.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday June 12^th at 10:30 am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 927 Union Street, Ithaca, MI 48847.

Flowers will be accepted at the Barden’s Funeral Home, 225 W. Center St, Ithaca, MI 48847. Memorial contributions may be made to Help Furry Friends of Gratiot County; Helpfurryfriends.com.

Richard "Dick" Barrett Reeves

Dick was born in St. Johns, MI to Roland and Maxine Reeves. He resided in Ithaca most of his life, with the exception of his college years. He was a 1972 graduate from Ithaca High School and attended both Central Michigan and Ferris State Universities. 

Dick left Ferris with an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Technology, and began a 29-year career as a certified master technician. He worked for Greening Brothers Buick, Centre (Jim Martin) Chevrolet-Buick, and most recently Downtown Auto Service. He was also a paraprofessional in the Auto Mechanic courses at Alma High School for a time.

Dick is survived by his wife, Brenda and daughter Addy of Ithaca, son Dan (Danielle) Wright, grandchildren Ethan and Caitlyn, all of Vestaburg. Brother Dan (Kathleen) Reeves of Dearborn, many cousins, nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, Roland and Maxine Reeves, his aunts Eleanor McCallum and Doris Fitzpatrick, and uncle Tom Addy. Also preceding him was his most beloved and faithful companion, Stuart.

Dick’s interests included all forms of auto racing, attending many Nascar and Indy car races annually. He also enjoyed classic cars, waterskiing (in his younger years), Oldies music and crossword puzzles. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, and watching his grandchildren grow.

Whenever someone needed help, he was always willing. He missed countless dinners and family gatherings to help a stranger get back on the road. He especially had a strong desire to look after and assist senior citizens at any given time.

He will be sorely missed by his family and friends, and lovingly remembered for his kindness and humor. God Speed, Dukie. 

A memorial service  will be held at Barden’s Funeral Home in Ithaca on Tuesday, June 19^th at six P.M. with Carl Christensen of New Albany, Indiana officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Gratiot Commission on Aging.