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December 30, 2000

Obituaries


      TRAVERSE CITY - Wilson R. Thomas, 89, of Traverse City, died on Thursday, December 28, 2000, at his home, with his family at his side.
      He was born on Aug. 28, 1911, in McLeansboro, Ill., to William and Amanda (Spencer) Thomas.
      He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Vivian Catherine (Piercy) Thomas; his five children, James (JoAnn) Thomas of Peoria, Ill., Peggy (John) Jatala of Lake Jackson, Texas, and Betty Hanners, Catherine Thomas and Rebecca (Mark) Ladley, all of Traverse City; one stepson, David (Kathleen) Birchfield of Colchester, England; 17 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
      He was preceded in death by his parents; four older sisters; and a daughter, Judith Crum.
      Private family services will be held at Old Mission Congregational Church in Traverse City, with a memorial service to be held in the spring in Illinois. Cremation has taken place. Arrangements were handled by the Smith Family Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Harrison.
     
      BEULAH - Andrew H. Veldhuis, M.D., 78, of Beulah, died on Wednesday, December 27, 2000, at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital in Frankfort.
      Born on May 3, 1922, in Hamilton, he was the son of Charles D. and Lillian (Terkeurst) Veldhuis. He married the former Betty D. DeVries on July 22, 1948, in Holland.
      He attended Hope College in Holland, and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship. He was at Washington University for five years, where he completed his residency.
      He practiced medicine in Mount Pleasant, for 30 years and also taught as an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine. He was very dedicated to his family and his profession.
      He is survived by his wife, Betty; a son, James D. (Laura) Veldhuis of Mount Pleasant; two daughters, Elizabeth D. Stump of Bucyrus, Ohio, and Catherine L. (Alan) Hays of Kalamazoo; and four grandchildren, Ann Marie Stump, John A. Stump, Blake F. Veldhuis, and Blaine A. Veldhuis.
      He was preceded in death by his parents; and his two brothers, Chester and Merton.
      Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at Bennett-Barz Funeral Home in Beulah, where friends may call from 1 p.m. until the time of services. Burial will be in the Benzonia Township Cemetery.
      Memorials may be directed to the Andrew H. Veldhuis, M.D., Memorial Fund.
     
      CLEMMONS, N.C. - Irene Erber, 79, of Clemmons, N.C., and formerly of Mancelona, passed away in Denver, Colo., on December 24, 2000, after a short illness.
      Irene was born in Mancelona on July 30, 1921, to Bob and Bessie Epperson. After losing both parents early in childhood, Irene, her two sisters, Dorothy and Evelyn, and her brother, Ray, were raised by their bachelor uncle, Charles Keaton.
      After graduating from Mancelona High School in 1939, Irene worked in Flint for several years. In 1945, she returned to Mancelona to raise her two small children, Walt and Susan.
      Irene worked at the Antrim County State Savings Bank for 12 years. She and Bill Erber were married in 1955 and operated the Antrim Store and Locker Plant until Bill's untimely death in 1963.
      Irene became the Office Manager at the Antrim County Road Commission, where she worked for the last 22 years of her career.
      After retiring in 1983, Irene became a volunteer assistant in the kindergarten classroom at Mancelona Elementary School, where she enjoyed some of the most rewarding times of her life.
      Following successful cancer treatment in 1993, Irene moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., to live with her son Walt and his family. Irene then divided her time between North Carolina and her daughter Susan's home in Grand Blanc. She delighted in her seven grandchildren and traveled regularly to keep up with them.
      Irene was preceded in death by her sisters, Dorothy Anderson and Evelyn Coates; her brother Raymond Epperson; and her husband, William Erber.
      She is survived by her son, Walt Klein and wife Cheryl of Denver; her daughter Susan VanWormer and husband Jim of Grand Blanc; seven grandchildren, Steve VanWormer and wife Marina of Burbank, Calif., Sara Minaudo and husband Scott of Flushing, Emily VanWormer of Grand Blanc, Suzanne Klein, Melissa Bolin and husband Rick, Elizabeth Klein and Andy Klein, all of Denver; one great-grandchild, Logan James Minaudo of Flushing; one "honorary grandchild," Tiffany Hart of Mancelona; three stepgrandchildren; and six nieces and five nephews. Irene was anticipating the birth of a second great-grandchild to Melissa Bolin in May 2001.
      The family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2001, at the Penzien Funeral Homes Inc. in Mancelona. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001, at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Pastor Mark McCool of the Antrim Church of Christ will officiate. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery in Mancelona.
      Contributions may be made to the Irene Erber Kids Fund at Mancelona Elementary School.
     
      TRAVERSE CITY - Levi Charles "Lee" Edgett, 41, a lifelong resident of the Traverse City area, died on Thursday, December 28, 2000, in Traverse City.
      He was born on January 22, 1959, in Traverse City, to George S. and Ruth I. (Hodgkins) Edgett. He attended Kingsley Area Schools and Traverse City Area Public Schools and was taking computer classes at Northwestern Michigan College.
      Lee was a longtime member of Narcotics Anonymous, where he chaired many groups; and also was a member of AA. He was a very talented and creative landscaper and enjoyed being outdoors.
      He is survived by his daughter, Linnea Edgett of Melville; his mother, Ruth I. Edgett of Traverse City; one brother, Scott Edgett of Traverse City; two sisters, Mary (John) Fraiser of Traverse City and Daisy Seaworth of Grand Rapids and her special friend Mike; a half-brother, Richard Hodgkins of Flint; one aunt, Ruby Peck; several cousins; and many close friends, including special friend, Sandy.
      He was preceded in death by his father, George, in 1981.
      A gathering to celebrate Lee's life will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2001, at the Traverse City home of his sister, Mary, 4409 S. Manorwood.
      A memorial fund is being established to benefit his daughter, Linnea Edgett, 458 Peninsula Trail, Traverse City, MI 49686. Arrangements are being handled by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City.
     
      TRAVERSE CITY - Frances E. (Ranney) Shook, 86, of Traverse City and formerly of Detroit, died on Friday, December 29, 2000, at the Homesteader in Benzonia.
      Mrs. Shook was born on July 7, 1914, in East Jordan. She graduated from the Little Traverse School of Nursing in 1932, and had lived in the Gaylord area in the 1930s to the mid-1940s. She then moved to Detroit, where she worked at Henry Ford Hospital as a registered nurse. In 1976, she moved to Traverse City.
      She is survived by her three children, Marilyn (Bruce) Koth of Dearborn, Marshall (Joette) Shook of Howell, and Sherry (Tom) Davy of Frankfort. Also surviving are eight grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Agatha (Sandy) Matchett and Beatrice (Gerald) Boss, both of Charlevoix.
      She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, George Shook, in 1989; and two brothers, Gordon and Fred Ranney.
      Visitation will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2000, at Nelson Funeral Home in Gaylord, Graveside services will be held in the spring.
      Memorials may be directed to the Osteoporosis Foundation or the American Cancer Society, through Nelson Funeral Home, 135 N. Center St., Gaylord, MI 49735.
     
      DONALD M. ORR, 80, of Traverse City, died on Friday, December 29, 2000, at Munson Medical Center.
      A full obituary will appear in the Sunday edition of the Record-Eagle. Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
     
      RALPH A. POSNIK SR., 76, of Alpena, died Thursday, December 28, 2000, at Alpena General Hospital.
      Services are being handled by Bannon Funeral Home in Alpena.
     
      MARY M. SMITH SAUL, 88, of Bear Lake, died on Friday, December 29, 2000, at Manistee Heights Care Center.
      She was born on Aug. 3, 1912, in Joyfield Township of Benzie County. She was a homemaker.
      Visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1, 2001, at Edwards Funeral Home in Bear Lake, where services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Burial will take place in the spring at Bear Lake Township Cemetery.