September 27, 2005

Obituaries

      JOAN E. PAVIA, 62, of South Lyon, formerly of Traverse City, died May 16, 2005.
      A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Omena Hillcrest Cemetery.
      Arrangements have been made by Phillips Funeral Home, South Lyon.

      ANTOINETTE M. WOLSKI, 76, of Baltimore, Md., and Manistee, died Saturday Sept. 24, 2005, at West Shore Medical Center, Manistee.
      Funeral services will be held in Baltimore. Cremation has taken place at Oak Grove Cemetery, Manistee.
      The Oak Grove Cremation Center is in charge of arrangements.

      GREGORY A. 'GREG' YOUNG, 48, of Traverse City, died Sunday, Sept. 24, 2005.
      A complete obituary will appear in the Wednesday edition of the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
      The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, Traverse City.
     
Joan N. Allen
Died September 25, 2005
      BELDING - Joan N. Allen, 71, of Belding, formerly of East Grand Rapids, died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005.
      Joan was affiliated with Goodwill Mental Heath Services, Pine Rest Mental Health Services, and was retired from Hope Network. She was a former president of the Michigan Campfire Girls and was a member of the National Society.
      Surviving are her three children, Linda (Michael) Emerson of Traverse City, John (Karen) Allen of Grand Haven, Julie Allen of Belding; five grandchildren Andrew Cross, Erik Cross, David Allen, Dane Emerson, Katie Krall; one great-grandson, Connor James Cross; and a sister, Jean (Tom) Schopps of Westchester, Pa.
      Joan was preceded in death by her daughter, Tammy Allen, and granddaughter, Melissa Speet.
      The family will receive friends Friday, Sept. 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Metcalf & Jonkhoff Chapel, 4291 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids.
      Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the funeral home.

John Henry Boals
Died September 24, 2005
      KEWADIN - John Henry Boals of Kewadin passed away Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005.
      John was born at Torch Lake on March 17, 1914, the son of Clarence and Lena (Ellis) Boals. He attended county school at Creswell and Mud Lake with family members, friends and neighbors. He married Mary Catherine Snodgrass of Detroit on March 17, 1945.
      A lifelong farmer, John raised potatoes and cattle, and milked cows. The cherry industry was young, and John also planted cherry and peach orchards.
      John was always community-minded and served on the Elk Rapids School Board, the Milton Township Board, several farm-related boards, and the Kewadin United Methodist Church Board.
      A loving husband and father, John was always proud of his family and especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-granddaughters.
      John is survived by his wife of 60 years, Catherine; his children, Ronald (Kay), John W. (Karen), Marilyn (Hal) Smith, Timothy (Dana), Kathleen (Dale) Deveneau; nine grandchildren, Brian (Katherine) Boals, Jean (Aaron) Meyers, Brent Smith, Patrick Boals, Andrew Smith, Connor and Clare Boals, Katherine and Haley Deveneau; great-granddaughters, Ella Meyers and Jessica Boals; two brothers, Clarence and James; two sisters, Lena Kortaneck and Sarah Heide; and several nieces and nephews.
      John was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Lena; two brothers, Robert and Charles; and a sister, Elizabeth Thayer.
      A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 1, at Kewadin United Methodist Church, 7234 Cairn Hwy., Kewadin.
      Memorials may be directed to the Kewadin United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 277, Kewadin, MI 49648, or to Meadow Brook, 4543 South M-88 Hwy., Bellaire, MI 49615.
      Arrangements have been entrusted to the Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.
     
Glenn F. Hirt
Died September 24, 2005
      ELK RAPIDS - Glenn F. Hirt died Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005, at Munson Hospice House surrounded by his family, including and especially his granddaughter Jamie, who spent many nights at his side.
      Born Feb. 23, 1926, on the family farm in Milton Township, he was the son of Henry and Lena (Briggs) Hirt. Glenn graduated from Elk Rapids High School in 1943, and went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany from May 1944 to May 1946. He married Jane Lake Aug. 30, 1947, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elk Rapids.
      Glenn worked at Diesel General Motors in Grand Rapids for 38 years. After 40 years in Grand Rapids, Glenn and Jane moved back to Elk Rapids in 1987, where he enjoyed his retirement.
      Glenn is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jane; six children, Mary Jo (Mike) Brew of Grand Rapids, Glenn (Melissa) Hirt of Maple City, Jane (Bob) Samuels of Ionia, Nancy Hirt of Grand Rapids, Karen (Ernie) Kladder of Grand Rapids, Barbara (Jay) Stob of Hudsonville; 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
      Glenn was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, Al, Ralph, Bob and Don.
      Mass from the Order of Christian Funerals will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elk Rapids, with visitation from 10 a.m. until service time. Fr. Robert J. Zuchowski will serve as celebrant.
      The family asks those wishing to give memorials to please remember Munson Hospice House, 450 Brook St., Traverse City, MI 49684.
      Arrangements have been entrusted to the Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.
     
Gerald 'Karlin Jerry' Luma
Died September 24, 2005
      KARLIN - Gerald "Karlin Jerry" Luma, loving father, grandfather, brother and friend, died Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005.
      Jerry retired from the Detroit Police Department and moved to Karlin. For a few summers he worked security at the Interlochen Arts Camp.
      Jerry was an avid sports fan, and enjoyed watching teams from high school to professional. A great friend to everyone, Jerry was always available to provide a ride, donate to charity, or just to talk and joke.
      Jerry will be greatly missed. He is survived by his sons, Timothy (Patricia) Luma, Terry (sue) Luma and Steve (Donna) Luma; 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; his sister, Barbara (Roy) Fitzgerald; and nephews.
      Visitation will take place today, Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Traverse City Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.
      Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the funeral home, with Rev. D. Edward Emenheiser officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery.
      In lieu of flowers, the family asks those wishing to give memorials to remember Green Lake Parks and Recreation, Green Lake Township.
      Arrangements have been entrusted to the Traverse City Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.
     
Joseph Benjamin O'Connell Jr.
      Died September 20, 2005
      KALKASKA - Joseph Benjamin O'Connell Jr., of Kalkaska, passed away suddenly at his home on Sept. 20, 2005.
      He was born on Aug. 3, 1943, in Lansing, the son of Joseph and Pearl (Merschman) O'Connell Sr. Joseph graduated from Bellaire High School in 1962. He served our country in the U.S. Army during Vietnam.
      Joseph was previously employed by Dakoske House in Traverse City. He moved to Kalkaska in 2002 from Traverse City.
      Joseph is survived by his brother, Daniel (Rhonda) O'Connell; his sister-in-law, Donna Parisot of Ellsworth; and his nieces, Lorie (David) Bulmann, Sherry (Thomas) Mann and Sarah (Justin Coen) O'Connell, all of Ellsworth.
      A memorial service honoring his life will be held at 2 p.m. today, Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the Lighthouse Pentecostal Tabernacle in Central Lake.
      Memorials in Joseph's name may be directed to the Salvation Army, 11239 Barlow, Traverse City, MI 49686.
      Arrangements were made by Wolfe Funeral Home, Kalkaska.
     
Dr. Kenneth C. Taylor
Died September 26, 2005
      TRAVERSE CITY - Dr. Kenneth Taylor died on Sept. 26, 2005, at Munson Hospice House. He was 79.
      Ken was born April 7, 1926, in Highland Park, the son of the Rev. I. Paul and Josephine Taylor. His three older brothers, Guilford, Paul and Monk (Irving), teased him endlessly (hence the family name, Whimp/Whimpy, short for "Whimper") and loved him dearly. He grew up during the Depression; trained for the high school swim team by swimming upstream in the Detroit River and around Belle Isle; savored chocolate Vernor's and Tigers games; worked at the family gas station; and hitchhiked out to the Oakland Hills Country Club for his jobs as lifeguard and caddy. Too poor to buy golf shoes, he played in his bare feet at dawn on the luxurious golf course.
      He graduated from Redford High School in 1944, and spent two years in the U.S. Navy, serving as a signalman aboard aircraft carriers in the South Pacific until the end of World War II. Although the war stories he told his children all had happy endings, he was the first to admit "war is hell," and was a staunch pacifist his entire life.
      He enrolled in Michigan State College in 1946. In his freshman chemistry class, he met LouAnn Woelk of Alpena, and they dated off and on (mostly on) for the next seven years. He swam on the college swim team (backstroke), was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity (House of Handsome Men) and remained a loyal and optimistic Spartan fan.
      In 1949, he followed in his brother Paul's footsteps, studying at the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated in 1953, and married LouAnn the same year in Alpena on May 30.
      Ken and LouAnn spent their honeymoon camping in the Rockies, and fell in love with Estes Park, Colo. They continued their search for a home base while Ken interned at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital.
      During that year, Ken and LouAnn explored various small towns in Michigan. They found one they liked and had to choose between it and Estes Park. Traverse City is lucky it was chosen. Ken and LouAnn filled their lives with civic, charitable and philanthropic activities. Together, they were honored by the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce with the Distinguished Citizen Award in 1995. The award is a closely-guarded secret, and recipients first learn of their honor as the award is being presented. Ken excavated a quip he'd heard 25 years earlier as he walked to the podium with LouAnn. Stepping up to the microphone, he said, "I feel like a eunuch at an orgy." After the laughter died down, he delivered the perfectly timed follow-up: "I came here tonight expecting to watch, not participate."
      Ken was a longtime member and past president (1976-1977) of the Traverse City Rotary Club, a mainstay of the Rotary Show, past president and board member of Rotary Charities of Traverse City, a founding member of the Traverse Area Foundation and its successor, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. He was a generous donor to many causes and a behind-the-scenes mover and shaker. He was instrumental building the Easling Memorial Pool at the Civic Center, and in the development of the Open Space. He watched with glee as the Open Space continued to expand, and celebrated the realization of the dream with co-conspirators Gordon Cornwell, Frank Stulen and Joe Muha in May 2005.
      Ken's decades-long family practice (1954-1992) in the region is legendary. He delivered hundreds of babies, mended thousands of broken bodies, and spent many a midnight on call in the emergency room at Traverse City Osteopathic Hospital. He was named the Michigan Osteopathic General Practitioner of the Year in 1979, and received the Walter F. Patenge Medal of Public Service from the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University in 2000.
      Ken and LouAnn raised three children, Terrie, Bruce and Jodee. Ken played golf into his 30s, scoring a hole-in-one on the 14th hole at the Traverse City Golf and Country Club in 1962, but then took up tennis and skiing because they were more "family-friendly" activities. All three of his children went on to compete on tennis teams in high school and college, and his three grandchildren also play tennis. The family skied together at Holiday Hills and on family vacations out west.
      His dogs, King, Bik, Schon, Tay, Matilda and Letty, were all integral, valued family members. Matilda lost a leg in a car accident and Ken used to tease children who would point at Matilda and exclaim, "That dog only has three legs!" "Hmmm," he'd reply, "how many are they supposed to have?"
      Ken and LouAnn traveled the world, establishing enduring friendships wherever they went. When daughter Terrie began her malaria research project in Malawi, they began to visit her regularly, including an extended stint in 1993 at a rural hospital in the village of Ngludi. Ken also took each of his three grandchildren on life-transforming trips around Africa.
      After he retired from his family practice in 1992, Ken worked for Disability Determination Services for Social Security.
      He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers; and his wife, LouAnn, who died in August 1998.
      He is survived by his children, Terrie E. Taylor, D.O., of Traverse City, Lansing and Blantyre, Malawi, the Revs. Bruce and Beverly Prestwood-Taylor of Hardwick, Mass., and Jodee Taylor and Joe Mielke of Kingsley; his grandchildren, Jesse Prestwood-Taylor, a freshman at the University of Chicago, Carrie Prestwood-Taylor of Hardwick, Mass., and Ian Taylor Mielke of Kingsley.
      Visitation will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.
      A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday at the Haggerty Center on Front St.
      Memorials can be directed to the "Malawi Fund" at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, or to "Ken's Classic Movies," a new fund at the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Family members will select a film to sponsor in Ken's honor each year at the Traverse City Film Festival.
      The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.