M.S. Kirk
March 14, 1864-Oct. 5, 1934

Niles Daily Star, Friday,  October 5, 1934, page 2, col. 1, microfilm Niles District Library

OLD RESIDENT DIES

M.S. Kirk, 315 South Third street, a resident of Niles for 19 years, died this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock in Pawating hospital. He was 70 years old. Death was indirectly due to a fall down stairs early Thursday morning. The fall resulted in a broken rib and punctured lung, and pneumonia developed. He leaves his widow, Carrie, and one son, Condon, a postoffice employe, who lives at home.  Several years ago Mr. Kirk operated a gas station on US-31, but failing health in recent years compelled him to retire. The body was taken to the Price & Kiger funeral home.

Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock at the Price & Kiger Funeral home, with the Rev. G.W. Simon of the Presbyterian church officiating.

Niles Daily Star, Monday, October 8, 1934, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

ATTEND KIRK FUNERAL

Several out-of-town relatives and friends of the Kirk family attended the services for M.S. Kirk at Price & Kiger's funeral home Saturday.  Among these were Mr. and Mrs. James R. Hale, brother-in-law and sister of Mrs. Kirk; Lyman R. Roderick and Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Roderick and two daughters, Jane and Ruth, all of Morocco, Ind.; Mrs. Earl MacDonald, Galveston, Ind., a niece of Mrs. Kirk; J.W. Brown, Lydick, Ind., brother of Mrs. Kirk and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Martin, South Bend, and Mr. Martin's mother of Morocco, Ind.

Coral May (Richardson) Krassow
Aug. 28, 1882-Aug. 22, 1934

Niles Daily Star, Thursday, August 23, 1934, page 1, col. 7, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Krassow Dies After Long Illness

Mrs. Coral May Krassow, 45, 110 South State street, died at her home at 3:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon after a two years' illness with internal cancer.

The deceased was born Aug. 22, 1889 in Royalton township, Berrien county, and came to Niles 11 years ago from Three Oaks. On Nov. 1, 1919, she was married in Niles to Albert Krassow.

Besides her husband she is survived by three children, Albert, Lois and Richard, all at home; father, James Lewis Richardson, Niles; five sisters, Mrs. Frank Reading, Gary, Ind.; Mrs. Otis Durflinger, Watervliet; Mrs. A.N. Cochrane, Mrs. George Worm, and Mrs. John Nevell, all of Niles; two brothers Charles Richardson, Niles, and Arden Richardson, Buchanan.

Funeral services will be held at the Rutherford funeral home at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon with the Rev. Robert E. Meader, pastor of the First Methodist church, officiating.  Interment will be at Silverbrook cemetery.  Friends may view the body at the residence until time for the funeral.

Niles Daily Star, Friday, August 24, 1934, page 2, col. 3, microfilm Niles District Library

KRASSOW RITES SATURDAY

Funeral rites for Mrs. Coral May Krassow, who died at her home, 110 South State street, at 3:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, will be held at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon at the Rutherford funeral home, with the Rev. Robert E. Meader, pastor of the First Methodist church, officiating.  Interment will be at Silverbrook cemetery.

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, August 25, 1934, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

KRASSOW RITES HELD

Funeral services for Mrs. Coral May Krassow, who died at her home, 110 South State street, at 3:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, were held this afternoon at 3 o'clock at the Rutherford funeral home with the Rev. Robert E. Meader, pastor of the First Methodist church, officiating.  Interment was at Silverbrook cemetery.

Ray Elliott, George Worm, and Thomas, Paul, Lee and Charles Kirk acted as pallbearers.

Angeline Marie ‘Angie’ Bowers, of Berrien Center
July 5, 1935 — Sept. 11, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 8:52am Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Angeline ‘Angie’ Bowers

Angeline Marie “Angie” Bowers, 79, of Berrien Center, Michigan died at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan following a brief illness.

She was born on July 5, 1935, in Niles, Michigan to Arthur J. and Virginia T. (Wechnerowski) Handley. She attended Niles schools, and has lived in this area all of her life. For many years she was a volunteer grandmother at the Berrien County Juvenile Detention Center.

Angie enjoyed traveling, having visited every state in the U.S. and nearly every Canadian province. She also enjoyed completing crossword puzzles, collecting sets of dishes, cooking polish-style at home, and dining-out for oriental cuisine.

On Nov. 27, 1954 in Biloxi, Mississippi she married James Marvin Bowers, Sr. with whom she celebrated the forty-sixth anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on Sept. 6, 2001.

Surviving family includes their children, Chief Petty Officer James M. (and Lauri) Bowers, Jr., U.S. Coast Guard, Retired of Palmer, Alaska, Jason M. (and Beth) Bowers of Dowagiac, Michigan, and Joel M. Bowers of Berrien Center; grandchildren, James Bowers III, Holly Mitchell, and Brittany Bowers; great-grandchildren Madison and Lily; and Angie’s siblings, Mary (and George) Polly of Niles, Alice Teeter of Aiken, South Carolina, Arthur (and Pat) Handley, Jr. of Niles, and Leonard (and Fay) Handley of Niles; and many nieces and nephews.

Services for Angeline Bowers will be at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014, at Bethel Baptist Church, 1605 Silverbrook Avenue, Niles, Michigan, with the Rev. Randy Pearman of the church officiating. Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles, after which the family and friends will return to the fellowship hall of Bethel Church for an informal sharing of memories.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the church beginning at Noon on Friday. Contributions in memory of Angie may be made to the National Fabry Disease Foundation. Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.

www.halbritterfunerals.com

Beatrice Louella Cusick, of Niles
Sept. 24, 1928 — June 27, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 8:53am Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Beatrice Louella Cusick, 85, of Niles, died at 3:20 p.m. on Friday, June 27, 2014, at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana following a brief illness.

She was born on Sept. 24, 1928, in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Orlo L. and Bessie I. (Wilde) Grinage. She was graduated from Niles High School in 1946, and lived here most of her life. She was employed by the Twin Cities Federal Credit Union as the Assistant Branch Manager, retiring in 1994.

Betty was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Niles. She loved animals, and was known for rescuing strays. She also enjoyed gardening and reading.

On Nov. 14, 1959, in Niles she married Dwayne H. Cusick with whom she celebrated the 45th anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on March 28, 2005. She was also preceded in death by her parents and by her siblings, Clayton E. Grinage, Margaret L. Davis and Marjorie Grinage; sisters- and brothers-in-law, Marjorie Winquist, Meta Cusick, Winogene “Winnie” Carpenter, Leo “Bud” Cusick, Leslie Carpenter, Harold Davis and Paul Winquist.

Surviving family includes 11 nieces and nephews; many nieces and nephews of two additional generations.

The family of Betty Cusick will gather privately at a later date at her gravesite in Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles for services with family friend, The Reverend James Slack officiating. Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.

Contributions in memory of Betty may be made to the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan.

www.halbritterfunerals.com

Donna May Mangold, of Niles
June 4, 1930 — Sept. 11, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:18am Friday, September 12, 2014

Donna May Mangold, 84, of Niles passed away on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 at Silverbrook Nursing Home.

Donna was born on June 4, 1930 to Walter and Elizabeth (Blue) McKinney in Niles, MI. On July 31, 1948, she married Dale Mangold. Donna worked and retired from Simplicity Pattern, Co.

She is survived by her Husband of 66 years, Dale Mangold, Sr; children, Rita (Steve, Jr.) Simon of Niles, Diana (Larry) Bess of Paw Paw and Dale (Vickie) Mangold, Jr, of Niles, eight grandchildren, nineteen great grandchildren, and nine great-great grandchildren.

Donna is preceded in death by her parents and brother, Ivan McKinney.

Cremation has taken place. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hoven Funeral Home, Buchanan. Online condolences may be made to www.hovefunerals.com

James Smith, of Niles
Aug. 15, 1952 — July 19, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 8:51am Thursday, July 24, 2014

James Smith

At noon on Saturday, July 19, 2014, James “Jim” Keith Smith, of Niles, Michigan, died while surrounded by family in Linden, Virginia, after a valiant battle with cancer.

Jim was born on Aug. 15, 1952, in Benton Harbor, Michigan to Douglas and Madeleine (Krieger) Smith. He was the valedictorian of the first graduating class of Lake Michigan Catholic High School in 1970.

After graduation, he attended Ferris State College School of Pharmacy where he was a member of the Kappa Psi Fraternity. On Sept. 23, 1971, he won his future wife in a cribbage game; a long story but one he loved to tell. Jim married Martha “Marty” Leigh Meehling on Sunday, Aug. 25, 1974.

After graduating from Ferris in May of 1975, he began his pharmacy career at Gard’s Pharmacy in Hartford, Michigan. He then went on to serve as Director of Pharmacy at Addison Hospital (Addison, Michigan), Pawating Hospital (Niles), Davis Memorial Hospital (Elkins, West Virginia), NeighborCare (South Bend, Indiana), Our Lady of Peace Hospital (South Bend), Doctors NeuroPsychiatric Hospital (Bremen, Indiana), and RiverCrest Specialty Hospital (Mishawaka, Indiana). Jim was at his best when sharing his knowledge with others and helping them work up to their full potential.

Jim also had another passion — haunting. For more than 25 years, he played the Niles Haunted House icon, Beetle Juice. He was constantly amazed by the love of his many fans. He also served on the NHH board of directors and was a large part of the development of the Niles Haunted House Scream Park. “Juice’s” touch was evident in the layout, design, lighting, sound and decoration of the attractions, but his specialty was the creation of the Entry of the NHH each year.

In addition, Jim (with help from family friend, Gerrie Wisniewski) also designed and created “CarnEvil,” a haunted attraction for the Wisconsin Feargrounds in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Jim was also a founding member of the International Association of Haunted Attractions and served on the Board of Directors as Treasurer for many years. He will be missed by his many fans, NHHSP family, and haunted attraction colleagues.

The most important part of Jim’s life was his family; loving them and providing for them were his top priorities. He is missed by his wife of almost 40 years, Marty, children Quinn and Tera Smith, EmmaLeigh Smith, and Cary and PJ Hoffman; grandsons Colin and Ronan Smith, and special family friend Gerrie Wisniewski.

Jim is also survived by his mother, Madeleine Smith of St. Joseph, Michigan; siblings Michael (Clara) Smith of Chelsea, Michigan, Paula (Jan) Smith of Canada, Andrew (Béatrice) Smith of Belgium, and Jeffrey (Janet) Smith of St. Joseph, Michigan; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A Celebration of Life for Jim is planned for Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, from 12-4 p.m. at Riverview Park in St. Joseph, Michigan. Those who wish may make contributions to the scholarship established in his name at http://jam7es.muchloved.com so that he can continue to help others learn for many years to come.