Obituaries 6-2-11
Published 8:25 pm Monday, June 6, 2011
Pamela Sassaman, 67 / April 23, 1944 — May 29, 2011
Pamela Kay Sassaman, 67, of Union, died Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Elkhart General Hospital.
Pamela Sassaman, 67
She was born April 23, 1944 in Elkhart to Graydon and Margaret (Rhodes) Hardwick.
She married Roger L. Sassaman on Aug. 29, 1965 in Elkhart.
She worked at EBI in Goshen, Ind. She loved living on the lake and her boat. She was dedicated to her family as a wife, mom, grandma and friend.
Pam was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Cassopolis, where she was involved in various activities; and LWML (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League), serving as an officer in both Michigan and Indiana.
Pam is survived by her husband, Roger Sassaman of Union; one daughter, Tabitha (Scott) Johnson of Bristol, Ind.; two sons, John Sassaman of Three Rivers and Timothy (Dori) Sassaman of Bristol; five grandchildren, Drew Gates, Nathan Sassaman, Dr. Gates, Naomi Kay Sassaman and Trey Johnson; one brother, Danny (Cathy Fleming) Hardwick of Elkhart; brother-in-law Bob (Judy) Sassaman; and mother-in-law Lillian Sassaman; several nieces and nephews as well as great-nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and father-in-law, Carl Sassaman.
Family and friends will gather today from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at Connelly Chapel Wagner Family Funerals, 202 North Broadway St. in Cassopolis and on Friday, June 3 from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 305 West State St. in Cassopolis.
The Rev. Paul M. Doellinger will officiate. Interment will follow in Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Bristol, Ind.
The family prefers memorial contributions be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church, 305 West State Street, Cassopolis, MI 49031, or the LWML in care of the church.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Connelly Chapel, Wagner Family Funerals, Cassopolis.
Online condolences may be posted at
www.wagnercares.com
Theodore Carlson, 79 / June 2, 1931 — May 4, 2011
Theodore Stanley Carlson, 79, of Niles, passed away May 4, 2011 at Buchanan Meadows, Buchanan after an illness. He previously lived in Ocean Springs, Miss.
Theodore Carlson, 79
Stan was born June 2, 1931 in Decatur, Mich. to the late Mabel E. (Smith) and Theodore R. Carlson.
Stan joined the Navy at age 17 and served eight years during the Korean Conflict. He then served 18 years in the Air Force. He retired with an honorable discharge as master sergeant. He also was presented with a Bronze Star medal in 1974. Stan also served 20 years in Civil Service and retired from Kessler Air Force Base in Gulfport, Miss.
He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying gardening, fishing and deer hunting. He also enjoyed dancing — especially on roller skates — and was a wonderful cook. But his very favorite hobby was playing golf, and especially competing with his brothers.
On June 11, 1955, he married Andree M. Tessier in France; she survives and resides in Niles.
Also surviving is a sister, Betty Phillips of Dowagiac; brothers, James (Marlene) Carlson of Boise, Id., Richard Carlson of Edwardsburg and Robert (Phyllis) Birkholm of Scotts, Mich.; sister-in-law, Denise Carlson of Mashpee, Mass.; brothers-in-law, Gabriel Tessier, Bernard Tessier and Louis Tessier, all of France, and Billy Lawrence of Jones; and many nieces and nephews.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by sisters, Estella Carlson and Doris (Lloyd) Householder; brother, Murl (Skip) Carlson; brother-in-law, Bruce Phillips; and sisters-in-law, Christine Lawrence and Joyce Carlson.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 4 at 11 a.m. at the Edwardsburg Presbyterian Church, 68961 Lake St., Edwardsburg, with the Rev. Scott Scheel, pastor, officiating.
Burial will follow in Edwardsburg Cemetery with full military rites by the United States Air Force.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association in Stan’s honor.
E-mail condolences may be made to djscarlson@frontier.com.
Arrangements are under the direction of Paul E. Mayhew Funeral Home, Edwardsburg.
Richard Parsons, 53 / Oct. 15, 1957 — May 22, 2011
Richard D. “Dick” Parsons, 53, of Constantine, died suddenly Sunday, May 22, 2011 of natural causes at the family residence. He was born Oct. 15, 1957 in Three Rivers.
He graduated from Constantine High School in 1976.
Richard was a lifelong fan of the Green Bay Packers, the Indy 500 and the winter and summer Olympic Games.
He worked for more than 30 years at United Producers (formerly Michigan Livestock Exchange) in Vandalia.
He is survived by his parents, Lawrence and Shirley (Wolkins) Parsons of Constantine; four brothers, Michael Parsons of Jones, Bernard Parsons, Ralph Parsons and Steven Parsons, all of Constantine; and one nephew, Maxwell Pitcher of Duluth, Minn.
Due to the suddenness of Richard’s passing, no visitation will be held at this time, although a memorial service may be planned for a later date.
The family prefers memorial contributions be made to the Michigan Sheriff’s Association, 515 North Capital Ave., Lansing, MI 48933.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Connelly Chapel, Wagner Family Funerals, Cassopolis.
Online condolences may be posted at
www.wagnercares.com.
Shirley Rowe-Grim, 82 / Oct. 2, 1928 — May 25, 2011
Shirley J. Rowe-Grim, 82, of Centreville, Mich., passed away Wednesday, May 25, 2011.
She was born in Kansas City, Mo. on Oct. 2, 1928 to Herschel and Sarah (Gildea) Summers and married Kenneth F. Rowe.
After Ken’s passing in 1984, Shirley met and married Filbert Grim on April 8, 1990.
She had been employed as a cook in several places in Cassopolis for years. She was an affiliate of The Lord’s House in Cassopolis.
Shirley was a loving, kind soul who put her family before herself. She loved music and collected silver and turquoise. She will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her husband, Filbert Grim; son, Kenneth J. (Theresa) Rowe of Three Rivers; daughters, Sara Curry of Elkhart, Ind., Darlene Morgan of Three Rivers and Shirley Lilly of Vandalia; stepchildren, Filbert Grim Jr., William Grim, Joseph Grim, John Grim and Gladys Miller; 11 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Kenneth F. Rowe.
Services were held Monday, May 30 at 2 p.m. and visitation was held two hours prior to the service at the Clock Chapel in Muskegon with Pastor Martha Cooper officiating.
Interment was at Lakeside Cemetery. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.
Clock Life Story-Muskegon handled arrangements.
William Zimmer, 73
Visitation for William “Bill” Joseph Zimmer, 73, who passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at Louisiana Extended Care Hospital in Lafayette, La., was held Saturday, May 28 from noon until 2 p.m. at Martin and Castille Funeral Home’s downtown location.
Interment was at Calvary Cemetery.
Survivors include his beloved wife, Patricia Zimmer; his niece, Nancy of Kalamazoo; one great-nephew, Mark of Kalamazoo; one great-niece, Jennifer of Kalamazoo and one nephew, George, of San Diego, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Elizabeth.
Bill was a native of Cassopolis, the son of George Joseph Zimmer and Marie Westgate Zimmer.
He was a 1956 graduate of Cassopolis High School and a member of the Michigan National Guard.
In 1960 he married Patricia Fiero in Lafayette, La. They resided in “Cass” until 1964 when they moved to Lafayette.
Bill enjoyed spending time with family and friends and will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
View the obituary and guestbook online at www.mourning.com
Arrangements were handled by Martin and Castille, 330 St. Landry St., Lafayette, LA. 70506, (337) 234-2311.
