December 22, 1999

Obituaries

MARTIN D. PECK, 85, of Kalkaska, died Monday, Dec. 20, 1999, at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. He was born in Kent County on May 26, 1914.
      Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at the Wolfe Funeral Home in Kalkaska. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, also in Kalkaska.
     
      Jack D. Brodhagen
      Died December 19, 1999
      PORTAGE - Jack D. Brodhagen, 61, of Portage, died Sunday morning in Kalamazoo.
      Born July 14, 1938, in Vermilion, Alberta, Canada, he was the son of Kenneth and Lenna (Day) Brodhagen and had lived in Portage for the past 29 years.
      Jack retired from the City of Portage where he worked as a civil engineer. He was a personal Santa Claus for many people and touched many lives with his gifts. He also loved to run statistics for AAU and Gus Macker Basketball and enjoyed baking cakes for many special people in his life.
      He is survived by three children, Donna Largent of Portage, Susan Little of Battle Creek and Mike (Vicki) Largent of Mesa, Ariz.; four grandchildren, Dustin Largent, Gregory Little, Shawn Little and Taylor Largent; two sisters, Phyllis (Roy) Knittel of South Haven and Sandra Weideman of Elkhart, Ind.; one brother, Richard (Gail) Brodhagen of South Haven; and several nieces and nephews.
      Jack was preceded in death by his parents; and one brother, Robert Brodhagen.
      Friends may meet the family from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel, 411 E. Centre. Services for Jack will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. A private inurnment in Oakwood Cemetery in Traverse City will take place at a later date.
      Memorials may be directed to the Amateur Athletic Union.
     
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      Howard Dwight Coddington
      Died December 18, 1999
      TRAVERSE CITY - Howard Dwight Coddington, 94, passed away Saturday at Tendercare Traverse City after suffering a stroke. He was born Sept. 9, 1905, in Leelanau County to Willet Melvin and Coramae Sophronia (Foote) Coddington.
      Howard grew up in Traverse City, graduated from Traverse City schools in 1923 and attended Michigan Agricultural College in East Lansing. At his father's request, he returned home to help run the family business, W. M. Coddington and Son - Tanner and Furrier. With strong business acumen he built the business into the leading fur sales and storage establishment of the Traverse City and surrounding region. Today the business is owned by his son, Dwight, and operates under the name Coddington Cleaners.
      From the early age of five, Howard showed a strong interest in talking pictures and film projection when his mother took him to the Dreamland Theater every Saturday night. In the 1930's and 1940's his interest grew into a summertime business of showing outdoor movies sponsored by merchants in small villages and towns surrounding Traverse City and he became known as "The Picture Show Man." After television came to the forefront, he redirected his interest to movie houses and his lifelong dream of owning a small theater. In 1960 he bought and operated the Elk Rapids Cinema. For 13 years he emphasized and booked films suitable for family entertainment and in cooperation with Northwestern Michigan College he scheduled foreign language speaking films for the benefit of students and others.
      Other involvements in his younger years included the Lion's Club and First Congregational Church where for many years he was superintendent of the Sunday school. He loved to travel and his wife, Jessie, often jokingly said he had "wanderlust." For over 35 years they spent part of their winters in Florida and traveled in Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean.
      Howard was a devoted husband and father whose first love was his family. He never failed to help where he was needed, yet he stressed hard work to achieve one's goals. He will be sorely missed by his family and loved ones.
      Preceding him in heath was his wife of 66 years, Jessie Marguerite Sheldon Coddington; two brothers, Hoyt and Homer Coddington of Traverse City; two sisters, Gertrude Fitzmaurice of Traverse City and Clara Sharpe of Howell; and one grandson, David Coddington of Traverse City.
      He is survived by three sons, Dwight (Pat) and Roger (Candy) Coddington of Traverse City and Edwin (Benita) Coddington of Denver; two daughters, Alice (William) Beckett of Eugene, Ore. and Connie (Don) Rice of Lansing; 19 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
      Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City with Rev. Dr. Gary Hogue officiating. Visitation will be from noon until the time of service Wednesday at the funeral home.
      Memorials may be directed to the American Diabetes Association.
     
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      Thelma M. Gray
      Died December 19, 1999
      TRAVERSE CITY - Thelma M. Gray was born May 31, 1918, in Kingsley. She was the daughter of David J. Gray and Ada May (Pollock) Gray.
      A lifelong resident of the Traverse City area, she came to the David Netzorg family as an adult lifetime companion.
      Our beloved Thelma M. Gray passed on unexpectedly Sunday and she will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Thelma was truly a "gentle beam of living love," always reaching out to everyone with a cheerful smile and a kind word; she lived a life of great service and devotion; constantly nurturing the young and the old alike. Our family was blessed by such an angel.
      We will all gather for a service in celebration of her precious life this coming summer. A notice of the exact time and place will be posted in the Record-Eagle at a later date.
      May you be comforted by the fact that the life Thelma lived lives on with all of us.
      Survivors include her first cousins, Marie (Allyn) Dean of Summit City, Alta McConnell of Beulah and Irene Brooks of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and many second cousins including Leslie and Shirley Bowman of Traverse City.
      Contributions and greatful remembrance may be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, P.O. Box 49376, Sarasota, Fla. 34230 or the Traverse City Senior Center.
      Arrangements are being handled by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home in Traverse City.
     
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      William Walter Norton
      Died December 19, 1999
      EMPIRE - William Walter Norton, 68, of Empire, died Sunday at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.
      Born June 12, 1931, in Roger City, he was the son of Marvin and Sally (Hopson) Norton. On July 6, 1957, in Lansing, Ill., he married Ruth Lydia Lipske, who survives.
      William served in the U. S. Navy and the naval reserves. He retired from the FAA as an electronic technician and worked on the radar systems at Midway and O'Hara Airports in Chicago. He had a degree in horticulture and he enjoyed gardening, raising raspberries and making maple syrup. William was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Glen Arbor where he was an usher.
      Besides his wife, he is survived by three children, David Alan Norton, Janet Denise (Wade) Feikema and Jonathon Michael Norton; two grandchildren, Raelyn and Kyle; two sisters, Judith Neely and Catherine (David) Lemke; and many nieces and nephews.
      He was preceded in death by his parents.
      Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Glen Arbor with Rev. Bernard Filbert officiating.
      Memorial contributions may be directed to Bethlehem Lutheran Church music program in Glen Arbor or the American Heart Association.
      Arrangements were handled by Martinson Funeral Home in Suttons Bay.