October 19, 1999

Obituaries

CAROLYN M. HOLTREY, 64 of Ann Arbor, formerly of Frankfort, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at her home.
      Arrangements are pending at the Frankfort Chapel, McElduff Funeral Homes.
     
      HORACE HOWARD KEELER, 82, of Manistee, died Monday, Oct. 18, 1999, at his home.
      The family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. today at Herbert Funeral Home in Manistee. Funeral services will be held at 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Fairview Cemetery in Brighton.
     
      JAMES O. WILSON, 22, of Elk Rapids, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 1999, at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.
      Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Elk Rapids Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at New Hope Community Church in Williamsburg. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery. A full obituary will appear in the Wednesday Record-Eagle.
     
      Zay (Bowman) Boucher
      Died October 14, 1999
      LELAND - Zay (Bowman) Boucher, 88, a homemaker, of Leland, died Thursday at Leelanau Memorial Health Center.
      Born Jan. 12, 1911, in Port Huron, she was the daughter of Henry Louis and Alma (Smith) Bowman. On Sept. 28, 1935, in Detroit, she married Joseph Louis Boucher.
      Survivors include three daughters, Margaret (Cal) Little of Leland, Norma (Dick) Smith of Santa Susana, Calif., and Carolyn (Jim) Curran of East Lansing; a son, the Rev. John (Laura) Boucher of St. Michaels, Maryland; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
      Zay was preceded in death by her husband, in 1978, and her sister, Ann Stocks.
      A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday at St. Philomena Church, 4281 Marseilles, at Mack, in Detroit.
      Burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.
      Memorials may be directed to Leelanau Memorial Health Center.
      Arrangements are by Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.
     
      Rena E. Gabel
      Died October 17, 1999
      TRAVERSE CITY - Rena E. Gabel, 90, of Traverse City, died Sunday at a local nursing home after a long illness.
      Born Feb. 16, 1909, in Akron, Iowa, she was the daughter of Esdert and Grace (Huls) Siebens. On Aug. 24, 1939, she married Glen Gabel.
      The couple farmed east of Akron for many years. Rena was active as a choir director and organist at St. John's Lutheran Church in Preston Township, Iowa, and at Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron. She was a seamstress and did beautiful crocheting and knitting. Rena also worked as a nurses aide and as a cook at a lunch counter in Akron.
      In 1980, after the death of her husband, Rena moved to Lima, Ohio, to be near her son and his family. She later moved with them to Traverse City.
      Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, the Rev. David Gabel (of Bethlehem Lutheran Church) and Laurie Gabel of Traverse City; her granddaughter, Natalie (Steve) Judd of New Haven, Conn.; her grandson, Nathan (Kristin) Gabel of Savage, Minn.; her brother, Andrew (Blanche) Siebens of Le Mars, Iowa; and her sister, Martha Siebens of Pompano Beach, Fla.
      Rena was preceded in death by her brothers, Sieb, Henry, John, George, and Chris; and her sister, Anna (Siebens) Taylor.
      Calling hours will be from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Wednesday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Traverse City.
      A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the church; the Revs. David Blake of Fellowship Lutheran Church of Sterling Heights and Bradley Will of Bethlehem Lutheran Church will officiate.
      Memorial funds may be designated for the building fund of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
      Arrangements are by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.
     
      Gordon Donald Henry Sr.
      Died October 16, 1999
      MOUNT PLEASANT - Gordon Donald Henry Sr., 67, of Mount Pleasant and formerly of Traverse City, passed away Saturday at his home after a long battle with cancer.
      Born May 2, 1932, at the home of his maternal grandparents on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Pine Point, Minn., he was the son of Samuel and Marie (Burnette) Henry. On Aug. 23, 1954, he married Wilma Virginia Vizenor.
      Gordon attended school at the Pine Point Indian School on the White Earth Indian Reservation from kindergarten through eighth grade. He then attended Park Rapids High School and graduated in 1950. While attending high school, he was a member of the baseball and basketball teams his senior year. He was also a member of the All-Navy basketball team in 1960.
      Gordon enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1951 and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars before retiring in 1974. He was the personnel manager for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe for nine years and retired in 1997. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, spending time with his many grandchildren and attending sporting events.
      Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Wilma; his mother, Marie Fairbanks of Ponsford, Minn.; his children, Linda (Wayne) Cockrum of Traverse City, Gordon D. (Mary Anne) Henry Jr. of Big Rapids, Kevin (Anne) Henry of Traverse City, Joel Henry Sr. of Traverse City, Michael Henry of Mount Pleasant, Kristi (Joseph) Rachor of Petersburg, Scott (Linda) Henry of Plano, Texas, Kerri Henry of Mount Pleasant, Kaysi (Mark) Watters of Mount Pleasant, and Kelli (Mark) Wisneski of Mount Pleasant; seventeen grandchildren, Pico, Lyra, Alexa, Kehli, Mira, Emily, Joey, Justine, Ben, Meghan, Hannah, Kassandra, Whitney, Noelle, Josh, Alysha, and Ciara; one great-grandchild, Pierce; three sisters, Angeletta (Reverend George) Ross, Joyce Yellowhammer, and Rena Vizenor; one brother, William Henry; four half brothers; and five half sisters.
      Gordon was preceded in death by his father, his grandparents and a half brother.
      Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Gym in Mount Pleasant; funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. at the tribal gym.
      Additional services will be held in Pine Point, Minn., on Friday at a time to be announced.
      Burial will be in St. Theodore Cemetery in Pine Point, Minn.
      Memorial contributions may be made to the wishes of the family. Envelopes are available at Lux Funeral Home, 503 E. Broadway, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858.
     
      Barbara Thacker Johnson
      Died October 16, 1999
      DEERFIELD, Ill. - Barbara Thacker Johnson, 70, passed away Saturday.
      Born Aug. 14, 1929, in Frankfort, Mich., she was the daughter of Dr. Frederick R. Thacker and Queenie Thacker - both longtime residents of Frankfort.
      Barbara attended Virginia Intermont College for two years and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for one year. She graduated from Northwestern University where she majored in speech and theater.
      Barbara married Richard "Dick" Johnson of Traverse City, Mich., on Aug. 22, 1954. She lived in Columbus, Ohio, where she taught speech and theater at Columbus East High School for four years. She lived in Deerfield from 1959 to 1999.
      Barbara was a gourmet cook, an artist, an avid reader, and a devoted mother and friend.
      Survivors include one son, Erik Johnson of Chicago, her husband, Dick Johnson, and her sister, Cynthia Blanchard of Frankfort.
      Barbara was preceded in death by her father, Dr. Thacker, her mother, Queenie Thacker, and her sister, Valerie Miller.
      Visitation will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Frankfort Chapel, McElduff Funeral Homes in Frankfort.
      Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Frankfort Methodist Church.
      Memorials may be directed to Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital in Frankfort.
     
      Oppie 'Len' Young III
      Died October 16, 1999
      KALKASKA - Oppie "Len" Young III, 50, died Saturday at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.
      Born Aug. 26, 1949, in Searcy, Ark., he was the son of Oppie Lenox Young Jr. and Mildred (Waller) Young. On April 6, 1992, in Kalkaska, he married Nancy McConachie.
      Len worked as a welders helper, he was a member of union local No. 798 in Tulsa, Okla. He had been a resident of Kalkaska for the last 10 years, having moved from Searcy.
      He was husband of Nancy; father of Holly; and brother of Madlyn, Melanie, and Marilyn.
      Len was preceded in death by his parents.
      No services are planned at this time.
      Arrangements are by the Traverse City Chapel of Covell Funeral Homes.