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February 22, 2003ObituariesLOIS M. SOUTHWELL, 81, of Grayling, died Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003.A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. today from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grayling. Interment will follow the Mass in Elmwood Cemetery. Arrangements were handled by Sorenson Funeral Home, McEvers Chapel in Grayling. HANNAH - William "Bill" Weber of Hannah passed away peacefully Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003, at his home. He was born April 11, 1912, in Hannah. Bill married Marvel Marie Baier on Nov. 19, 1939. Together they were foster parents to more than 100 babies. Marvel preceded Bill in death. Bill was employed as a cement finisher for several local construction companies in Traverse City. Following the death of his first wife, Bill married Loretta LaPan of Manton. A gentle and kind man, Bill was loved by everyone who knew him. He was renowned for his beautiful flower gardens. People from near and far stopped to admire their beauty and left with bouquets, seeds and transplants so his gardens live on all over Michigan. Bill is survived by his wife, Loretta Weber of Hannah; his two sons, Richard (Margaret) Weber of Panama City, Fla., and Ronald (Carol) Weber of Cripple Creek, Colo.; his three daughters, Patricia (Joseph) Yanska of Buckley, Marietta (Bruce) Quenneville of Gaylord, and Jane (Terry) Marsh of Kingsley; 14 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; six stepsons, Jerry (Loraine) LaPan of Hannah, Daniel (Joan) LaPan of Garden City, Paul LaPan of Temperance, Michael (Arlene) LaPan of Mesick, Joseph (Julie) LaPan of Manton, and Thomas (Gina) LaPan of Hannah; six stepdaughters, Juanita Goodson of Hannah, Kathy (Ken) Chmielewski of New Port Richey, Fla., Rita (John) Johnson of Manton, Carolyn (Jack) Rayner of Laurel, Miss., Loretta (Bill) Szur of Novi, and Renee (David) Berens of Laurel Miss.; 51 stepgrandchildren and 43 stepgreat-grandchildren. In addition to first wife, Bill was preceded in death by his son, Roger; his daughter-in-law, Sharon; and two daughters in infancy. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Covell-Smith Funeral Home in Kingsley. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at St. Mary's of Hannah Catholic Church. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Covell-Smith Funeral Home, Kingsley. GRAWN - JoAn Hunter Blair, 73, much loved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, died Feb. 18, 2003, after a valiant fight against cancer. She was born Feb. 16, 1930, in Cincinnati, the daughter of James and Alice (Blues) Blair, immigrants from Scotland. JoAn graduated from Flint Central High School in 1947. On March 22, 1951, she married Dan Gwyn. She completed her diploma in nursing at the University of Michigan in 1952, graduating as a registered nurse. In 1979, she earned her bachelor's degree in vocational education and health occupations and in 1980, received her master's degree in vocational education administration from the University of Michigan. JoAn is survived by her three daughters, Jan (Ermin) Gornik of Ann Arbor, Julie (Marc) Courville of Grawn, and Lee Ellen Gwyn of Grawn; grandchildren, Hannah Gornik, Martha Gornik, Noelle Gornik, Alexander Courville and Rachel Courville; her brother, John (Frances) Blair; nephews, Scott Blair, Stephen Blair and Michael Blair and her niece, Bethany (Blair) Cartier; and many cousins. She was "host grandma" to Dominik Mayr and Feli Bruegel both exchange students from Germany. She was a hard-working and compassionate nurse and teacher throughout her career. She worked for the Flint Public Health Department, Upjohn Homemakers Temporary Service, the Flint Board of Education, Genesee County Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Michigan - Flint branch, Crestmont Medical Facility in Fenton, Genesee Intermediate School District and Community Health Service with McLaren Hospital. JoAn retired in 1993. Her volunteer work included being a 4-H leader in Washtenaw and Genesee counties, the Special Olympics, American Red Cross blood programs and the Young People's Ballet Theatre. She was the founder and Queen Mother of the Cherry Red Hatters, a chapter of the Red Hat Society, and a board member and costume coordinator for the Celtic Fire Highland Dancers. Her hobbies included sewing, writing her life story, actively researching her Scottish heritage and genealogy, community theatre, ballet, movies, travel and playing bridge. JoAn was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, James Blair; and her niece, Cynthia Blair. A memorial celebration of her life will be held in her honor at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to The Young People's Ballet Theatre of Flint, the American Cancer Society or the American Red Cross.
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