June 1, 2005

Obituaries

      RUSSELL NELSON FOX, 67, died Saturday, May 28, 2005, suddenly at his residence in Grawn.
      Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 3, at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home with Rev. Homer Nye officiating.
      A complete obituary will follow in Thursday's Traverse City Record-Eagle.
      The family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.

      RALPH D. HERMAN of Suttons Bay died Sunday, May 29, 2005.
      Arrangements are pending with the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.

      RICHARD B. MARLIN, 75, of Buckley, died Tuesday, May 31, 2005, at Munson Medical Center.
      Visitation will take place Thursday, June 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Covell-Smith Funeral Home in Kingsley.
      Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. the funeral home Friday, June 3.
      A complete obituary will appear in the next edition of the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

      JOHN W. ROBINSON, 75, of Williamsburg, died Monday, May 30, 2005, at his residence.
      A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, June 3, at New Hope Community Church in Williamsburg.
      Arrangements have been entrusted to the Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.

      WINIFRED E. 'WINNIE' SULLIVAN, 95, of Empire, died unexpectedly Sunday, May 29, 2005, at her home.
      Arrangements are pending at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, Traverse City.
     
Robert D. 'Dr. Bob' Cooper, Ph.D.
Died May 28, 2005
      KEWADIN - Dr. Robert D. 'Dr. Bob' Cooper, 88, of Kewadin, was called by God on Saturday, May 28, 2005, at his home. He joins his wife of 62 years, Hilda M. Cooper. They had met and were college sweethearts at Michigan State University.
      During his long lifetime of careers, Dr. Bob retired from the FBI after 29 years of service as the Senior Resident Agent in Grand Rapids. He then went on to earn his master's degree in Criminal Justice at MSU. Dr. Bob earned his Doctorate of Philosophy from MSU at the age of 64, becoming the oldest graduate student on campus.
      As a professor at Grand Valley State University, Dr. Bob founded the Criminal Justice program with 13 students. By the time he retired after 10 years, there were approximately 350 students.
      Retiring from GVSU, Bob and Hilda enjoyed 20 years at their winter home in Oceanside, Calif., and summer home at Torch Lake. While living in Oceanside, Dr. Bob sold real estate and was active with the X-FBI Agents, Rotary Club and numerous police associations and groups.
      In his spare time, Dr. Bob volunteered to tutor Pala Indian children. He applied for and received federal grants that were used to build an after-school study hall with computers, which made it possible for Pala Indian students to graduate from high school.
      Dr. Bob is survived by his two daughters, Carol S. (Joseph) Anesko of Murrieta, Calif., and Mary Pat (Richard) Stasch of Kewadin; his son, Thomas R. (Elaina Salerno) Cooper of San Diego; a daughter-in-law, Barbara A. Cooper of Fresno; and five grandchildren, Michael Cooper of Grand Rapids, Christopher and Traci Cooper of Fresno, and Katherine and Theodore Stasch of Kewadin.
      Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 3, at Kewadin United Methodist Church, with Rev. Thomas Pier-Fitzgerald officiating.
      The family requests donations to the National Bone Marrow Bank, 400 7th NW, Suite 206, Washington, D.C., 20004, in memory of Dr. Bob's son Terry O. Cooper, who died Aug. 31, 1998.
      The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, Traverse City.

Gregory Allen Dalzell
Died May 28, 2005
      BOYNE CITY - Gregory Allen Dalzell, 50, of Boyne City, went to be with his Lord on Saturday, May 28, 2005, after a long illness associated with cancer.
      Gregory, the youngest of 12 children born to Lawton and Clara Dalzell, was born on Aug. 7, 1954, in Traverse City.
      He is survived by his longtime love and best friend, Jeanne Nelson and her family; his mother, Clara of Traverse City; four sisters; six brothers; and numerous nieces and nephews.
      Gregory was preceded in death by his father, Lawton; sister, Joyce Elaine; and his daughter, Billie Jo.
      Cremation has taken place and no services are planned at this time.
      Stackus Funeral Home of Boyne City is serving the family.

Karl H. Steeg
Died May 28, 2005
      RAPID CITY - Karl H. Steeg, 72, of Rapid City, died Saturday, May 28, 2005, while at home surrounded by his family. On Sept. 5, 1932, in Heidelberg, Germany, he was born to Friedrich and Meta Steeg.
      Karl married Magdalena Anne Dama on Nov. 18, 1961, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
      Karl retired from Sara Lee Bakeries, where he worked as senior Vice President of Technical Service. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Elk Rapids, the Knights of Columbus, the American Bakers Engineers Society and the Chef 200 Club.
      Karl enjoyed residing on Torch Lake and liked power boating. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
      Surviving is his beloved wife, Anne; daughters, Christina (David) Walczak and Cynthia (Todd) Adent; grandchildren, Madison and Maxwell Walczak and Alexandra, Olivia and Julia Adent; and a sister, Liesel Lotte Dockery.
      Karl was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Leni Mattukat.
      Mass from the Order of Christian Funerals will be celebrated at 10 a.m. today, June 1, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elk Rapids, with Rev. Robert J. Zuchowski as celebrant. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
      The family asks those wishing to give memorials to remember Munson Hospice or the Parkinson's Association. Envelopes will be available at the church.
      Arrangements have been entrusted to the Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.

Lawrence John Verdier
Died May 29, 2005
      LELAND - Lawrence John Verdier, a summer resident of Leland from 1959-69, and a permanent resident since 1969, died of natural causes May 29, 2005.
      He was born April 10, 1911, in Grand Rapids, to Frank Lawrence and Mary (Louwerse) Verdier. In 1954, he married Jacqueline Jenks Boynton. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2004.
      Receiving his A.B. from Harvard College in 1933, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity, and his L.L.B. from Harvard University Law School in 1936, he was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1936.
      From 1936-42, Verdier practiced law in Detroit, followed by a four-year stint in the FBI as a special agent. He joined the Detroit law firm of Helm, Marshall, Schumann, Greiner & Verdier in 1946, and was a partner until 1969.
      While practicing law in Detroit, Verdier served as a special hearing officer of the U.S. Department of Justice and a trustee of the Federal Bar Foundation of Detroit. He was a member of the Detroit, American and Federal bar associations. As a member of the State Bar of Michigan, he served on the council of corporate, finance and business law section in 1966, and was chairman of the committee on corporations and securities from 1967-69. He was also a member of Players, Fine Arts and the Grunyons while living in Grosse Pointe Farms.
      In 1969, Jacqie and Larry Verdier moved to Leland and Larry joined William Bishop to form the law firm of Bishop & Verdier. He continued to practice law until 1986.
      Verdier was appointed a charter member of the Leelanau County Planning Commission when it was created by the Board of Supervisors in 1970. He served for 34 years in various capacities, including Chairman and Chairman Pro-Tem. He helped create and develop both the 1976 Leelanau County Comprehensive Plan and the 1994 Leelanau General Plan.
      In 1987, Verdier helped establish the Leelanau Conservancy and served as Chairman of the Board from 1988-94. He also served for 25 years as a voluntary member of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Advisory Commission.
      For many years, Verdier was president of the Leland Volunteer Fire Department and chairman of the township fire board. He was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Suttons Bay and for over 30 years sang in the choir of the Leland Community United Methodist Church. The Verdiers were members of the Leland and Traverse City Country Clubs.
      In addition to his wife, he is survived by two stepchildren, Daniel Boynton of Leland and Anne Grausam of Sherman Oaks, Calif. Another stepson, Frank David Boynton IV, preceded him in death. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Frank David Boynton V of Durham, N.C., Amy Drake and Toby Boynton-Fisher, both of Traverse City, Daniel Grausam of St. Louis, Mo., and Elizabeth Grausam of New York, N.Y.; and three great-grandchildren, Jakson, Delaney and Darby Drake of Traverse City.
      Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at the Leland Community United Methodist Church.
      The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Frank D. Boynton Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Leland Public School, the Leelanau Children's Center, the Leelanau Conservancy or the Leland Historical Society.
      Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.

Opal Weaver
Died May 29, 2005
      FIFE LAKE - Opal Weaver, age 82, of Fife Lake, died Sunday, May 29, 2005, at Kalkaska Memorial Health Center. She was born Sept. 24, 1922, in Marion, Ill., the daughter of the late Arthur and Lela (Smith) Owens.
      Opal graduated from Decatur High School in Decatur, Ill. She married Theodore Weaver Sept. 8, 1945, in Plymouth.
      Opal was a homemaker and also was owner, along with Ted, of the Fife Lake Hardware and Party Store for over 15 years. She loved cooking, quilting, music, and signing and especially writing children's short stories for her grandchildren.
      She is survived by her loving husband Ted; two daughters, Carol (Dan) Rafail of Fife Lake and Linda (Skip) Sangerl of Cheboygan Falls, Wis.; four grandchildren, Daniel (Julie) Rafail, Craig (Melinda) Rafail, Michelle (Frank) Lozenich and Leanna Sangerl; eight great grandchildren; and one sister, Francis Lewis.
      Opal was preceded in death by a brother, Cy Owens; and two sisters, Ruth Smith and Ruby Weaver.
      A Memorial Service for Opal was held May 31, 2005, at the Fife Lake American Legion Post. Cremation will take place at Oak Grove Cemetery, Manistee.
      Those wishing may make contributions in Opal's name to the Fife Lake Library Building Fund.
      The family has entrusted funeral arrangements to Edwards-Oak Funeral Home, Bear Lake.

Dorothy R. Wildbur
Died May 26, 2005
      TRAVERSE CITY - Dorothy R. Wildbur, 87, of Traverse City, formerly of Royal Oak, died Thursday, May 26, 2005, at Grand Traverse Pavilions.
      Dorothy is survived by her three sons, Richard of Kalamazoo, David of Clawson and Mark of Fort Collins, Colo.; two grandsons, Michael of East Lansing and Christopher of Royal Oak.
      She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Hollister "Holly" Wildbur in l983; and one sister, Honor Giddings.
      Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, June 3, at Oakwood Catholic Diocesan Cemetery, with Rev. Ron Sinclair officiating.
      Those planning an expression of sympathy are ask to consider The Salvation Army.
      Arrangements were made with the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home of Traverse City.