Aug. 6 Open House Memorial for KEITH HAROLD DIAMOND SR.
Keith Harold Diamond Sr. passed on September 16, 2015 from congestive heart failure. He was residing in Las Vegas at the time and was surrounded by his children and loved ones. Keith was born in Watervliet on February 4, 1945 and was a long-time resident of the area. He graduated from Coloma High School where he was an accomplished athlete in football, basketball and baseball, including the distinction of Little Eight All-Conference third baseman for 3 years. Following high school, Keith served in the US Army where he was a medic in Vietnam. He called all who served Heroes and was proud to earn 4 prestigious medals during his tenure. Upon returning, Keith served his community first as a patrolman in Benton Township, later moving into the Detective Bureau and the county drug enforcement unit. He retired as a Detective Sergeant after 25 years of service. Keith spent his retirement visiting friends and family, splitting time between Michigan and Nevada. He was on bowling and golfing leagues and loved a good game of cards. He appreciated old western movies and enjoyed watching sports, especially his beloved Cubs. Every summer, Keith would return to Paw Paw Lake and also loved to visit the UP where he had vacationed as a child and brought his own children and grandchildren. He was well known for his quick wit and dry sense of humor by all who knew him. Keith is survived by his three children Kris (Justin Bayer); Keith Jr (Renay); and Karol (Jeffrey Breer); grandchildren Charlye, Sam, Eli, Rachel and Kendall; his sister, Kay (Dee Flagel) and his nieces Sandra, Stacey and Susan and their families. He is preceded in death by his parents Harold Orva and Audre Abby Diamond (Kennedy). Keith was laid to rest in a private ceremony at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City. Friends and family of Keith are invited to join a memorial service at the Sarett Nature Center at 2300 N. Benton Center Rd in Benton Harbor Saturday, August 6. The service will be an open house from 11:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. with snacks and refreshments served.
Barbara M. Mattheeussen
Barbara M. Mattheeussen, 83, of Benton Harbor died Sunday, July 24, 2016, at the Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph. Services celebrating her life will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 31, at the Fairplain Chapel of Florin Funeral Service in Benton Harbor. The visitation will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Fairplain Chapel. Burial will take place on Monday at the New Troy Cemetery. Please share memories, messages or photos at www.florin.net. Barb was born on Sept 14, 1932 in Milwaukee, WI to Oscar and Gertrude Schindler. She married her husband, Floyd, in 1953 and he preceded her in death in 2005. Together they celebrated 52 years of marriage. Barb attended Elmhurst College and graduated from Western Michigan University with a BA degree. She was a teacher in the Coloma Public Schools for over 30 years. Barb was a member of the Democratic Party, the NAACP, the American Federation of Teachers, and the UCC. She loved watching the news and gardening. Barb was a very resilient individual who always was taking care of other people and her family. She particularly enjoyed the activities of her grandchildren. She leaves behind her children, Joseph (Theresa) Mattheeussen of New Britain, CT and Karen (Rabbi Hillel) Zeitlin of Baltimore, MD; her grandchildren, Stephanie, Gavriel, Ariella, Pnina, and Shlomo and her 5 great grandchildren.
Ernest R. Nybro
Ernest R. Nybro, 91, of Watervliet, died Saturday, July 30, 2016 at home. Ernest’s life began December 29, 1924 in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He proudly served his country in the United States Marines during World War II. He was a lifetime area resident and graduated from Benton Harbor High School. For many years, Ernest worked at Bendix and upon retiring him and his wife Catherine enjoyed traveling; making it to all 48 continental states. Outside of work you could find him waterskiing, hunting, star gazing, playing chess or card games, and enjoying a good magic trick. Ernest was a member of Midway Baptist Church in Watervliet where he drove the Sunday School bus and enjoyed being an usher. He was also a member of the Coloma American Legion and Coloma Rod and Gun Club. Ernest’s greatest joy came in spending time with his loving family which includes: his wife Catherine Nybro; five children Barbara (Dana) Bahm of Mattawan, Richard Nybro of Watervliet, Dennis (Rosetta) Nybro of Coloma, Donna (Robert) Mundt of Watervliet, and Darcy (Thomas) Beezley of Paw Paw; 11 grandchildren Charles DeGraaf, George Bahm, Rachel Bahm, Christopher Nybro, Lynda Nybro, Sara Skorupa, Robin Roush, Catherine Reifschneider, John Ostruszka, Karen Guam, and James Ostruszka; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; a brother Raymond (Brenda) Nybro of North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews. His parents Chris and Laura (Reeves) Nybro; three siblings, Betty, Bell, and George, and a step-sister Elizabeth precede Ernest in death. Friends may visit with Ernest’s family Tuesday, August 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet. Funeral services will be celebrated Wednesday, August 3, at 11:00 a.m. at Midway Baptist Church, Watervliet. Burial will follow in Crystal Springs Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Midway Baptist Church or Hospice at Home. You may leave a memory for Ernest’s family at hutchinsfuneral.com
Cheryl Lynn Boothby
Cheryl Lynn Boothby died on July 6, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cheryl was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on July 20, 1945. She was a long-time resident of Hartford, Michigan graduating from Hartford High School in 1964. Cheryl attended Western Michigan University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Social Science. She returned to Western Michigan University earning a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Cheryl spent several years as a substitute teacher for Lawrence Public Schools, Decatur Public Schools, and Hartford Public Schools. She joined the Hartford faculty in 1980 as a long-term substitute and later as a Migrant/Bilingual teacher for the high school. In 1990 she served as Federal Programs Director along with her teaching duties. Cheryl was the High School Assistant Principal from 1996 through 2001. From 2001 to 2009 she served as the school system’s Federal Programs Director and as the principal of the Southwest Michigan Community School from 2010 through 2014. She was a member of the Western Michigan University Alumni Association and the Phi Kappa Gamma honor society. Cheryl is survived by two sisters, Sharon (Doug) Grosse of Pompano Beach, Florida, Daryl (Duane) DeHuff of Hartford; one brother Carl (Susan) Boothby of Hartford; several nieces and nephews Marc (Kristina) Grosse, Christina (Tom) Baptee, Karen Boothby, Sara (David) Kirby, Shane DeHuff, Shawn DeHuff, Shannon Pryor, Kate Williams, Carey (Nichole) Williams; two great-nephews Max Kirby, Emmit Kirby and one great-niece Ameila Grosse. Cheryl was preceded in death by her parents Carl F. Boothby M.D., Lyall Boothby and a niece, Karen Grosse. A memorial will be held on August 27th at 11 a.m. with a luncheon to follow at the Hartford United Methodist Church. Memorials may be made to Wings of Hope Hospice in Allegan, MI.
Kathleen V. Fillmore
Kathleen V. Fillmore, 74, of Watervliet, passed away Sunday, July 31, 2016 at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo due to complications from pneumonia. She was born to the late Earl and Elizabeth Kean on April 16, 1942. In 1961 she married Robert Bailey and had four daughters: Kim (Robert) Witzak, Roberta (John) Briney, Penelope Hug and Kris (Keith) Gervasi. After Robert’s death in 1979, she married Frank Fillmore (who preceded her in death in 2000) and together they had a son; Michael (Becca) Fillmore. Kathy spent her entire life in Watervliet with the exception of two years when she lived in Florida with her daughter, Roberta. She was happiest at home spending time with her grandchildren and loved having family get-togethers. She spent the past five months at Countryside Nursing Home in South Haven after suffering from health issues that made it impossible for her to take care of herself. She worked hard to get better hoping that she could go home and become independent again. Kathy will be missed by her children, grandchildren; Amanda, Emily, Eric, Jennie, John, Katie, Lindsey, Joshua, Nick, Alexis, Jacob, Owen, Corey, and her two great-grandchildren; Trent and Aaron. She will also be missed by her sister-in-law; Lola Kean and her beloved Kean; nieces, nephew and their families. She is preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, and a nephew. The family wishes to thank everyone who called and visited her at the nursing home during her last illness. There will be a private grave side service for family and friends on Wednesday, August 3. Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet is assisting her family with arrangements. You are invited to leave a message for Kathleen’s family at hutchinsfuneral.com In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Georgia Stubelt
Georgia Stubelt of Stevensville died Monday, August 1. Georgia’s life began April 1, 1939, in Benton Harbor. She grew up in Benton Harbor, graduating from Benton Harbor High School. Georgia worked in the finishing department at Modern Plastics for many years but her favorite “job” was being a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband Robert made their home in Millburg for many years. Georgia leaves behind a loving family to cherish her memory which includes; two daughters, Robyn (Eric) Wendzel and Debra Kitron (Tony Gage); three grandchildren, Ryan, Megan, and Taylor; and a sister Laverne (Paul) Flagel. Her husband Robert Stubelt, a daughter Kim, her parents Fred and Marjorie (Sells) Smith, and a brother Richard Smith precede Georgia in death. Funeral services will be celebrated Friday, August 5, at 2:00 p.m. with visitation held prior from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet. Burial will follow in Millburg Cemetery. You may leave a message for Georgia’s family at hutchinsfuneral.com.
Death Notices
Ernest “Ernie” Smith, 85, of Bangor died July 27, 2016 at Golden Orchards Nursing Community, Fennville. Filbrandt Family Funeral Home, South Haven Clifford “Chief” Machacek, 96, of St. Joseph died July 27, 2016 at Hanson Hospice Center, Stevensville. He served as superintendent of the BCYF horticulture building for over 20 years. Starks & Menchinger Chapel, St. Joseph George Bruce Glade, 95, died July 27, 2016 at Royalton Manor, St. Joseph. Starks-Menchinger Funeral Home, St. Joseph Jane Marie Raabe, 73, of Niles died July 26, 2016 at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Niles Jeffrey Daniel Squires, 54, of Stevensville died July 31, 2016 at home. Pike Funeral Home, Boyd Chapel, Bridgman Carol J. Hill, 74, of Benton Harbor died July 30, 2016 at Hanson Hospice Center, Stevensville. Duffield & Pastrick Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Coloma Sandra Jacobs, 71, of Watervliet died Aug. 1, 2016 at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph. Duffield & Pastrick Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Coloma
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