Carrie L. Burns
August 2, 1969 — December 11, 2023

Published on website of Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home:

Carrie Lou Burns, age 54 years of Niles, Michigan; wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and sister died Monday evening, December 11, 2023 at Corewell Health – Lakeland Hospitals – Niles following prolonged illnesses.

She was born on August 2, 1969 in Sturgis, Michigan to Frederick W. Wolf and Peggy (Halferty) Wolf, and attended schools in White Pigeon and other area school districts.  She continued her education at Southwestern Michigan College, and began a long career as a project manager at North American Signs in South Bend, Indiana.

Carrie and her family are well-known for celebrating Halloween with amazing decorations in their yard in Fulkerson Park, but she also enjoyed celebrating Christmas, even if they didn’t have time to get the Halloween decorations out of the way.  She was an avid crocheter, and an accomplished seamstress, tailoring clothing for her family, and making her own wedding gown.  She read books often, usually historical novels, and as her eyesight declined she learned how to use a computer tablet on which she could enlarge the print to the size that was legible to her.

As a young student, she began playing the clarinet in the school band, and became so proficient that she was honored to be invited to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  She continued with music as an adult, becoming a keyboard artist, and regularly performed with the rock band, Erroneous Life.  She always had pets at home – dogs, cats, and a flock of chickens – but her greatest joy was her family.

On May 31, 2003 at Madelin Bertrand County Park in Niles she married Matthew J. Burns, with whom she celebrated earlier this year the twentieth anniversary of their wedding.  They were sadly preceded in death by a daughter, Ashley Roblero who died on April 9, 2018; an infant daughter, Angel McMillan; Carrie’s father, Frederick W. Wolf on December 22, 2018; and Carrie’s brother, Tate J. Switzer on November 3, 1997.

Surviving family includes her husband, Matt Burns and their children, Dannielle (& Jesse Jaynes) McMillan of South Bend, Matthew (& Nikki Skinner) McMillan of Alabama, Raven Wolf of Niles, Alicia McMillan of Niles, and son-in-law, Lusman Roblero of South Bend; grandchildren Hailey Lintz, Stephen Dunifin, Hunter Jaynes, Chloe McMillan, Kate Skinner, and Tate McMillan; Carrie’s mother, Peggy Davis of Dowagiac; Matt’s parents, Jim and Merva Zaleski of Niles; and Carrie’s siblings, Shuree (& Chante) Wolf of Arizona, Bill (& Danielle) Davis of Georgia, Frederick S. Wolf of Constantine, Michigan,  and Kimberly Davis-Ott of Dowagiac, along with many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Carrie Burns will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023 at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles with Pastor Chuck Zook of Summit Church in Niles officiating.  Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, at the funeral home, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  Contributions in memory of Carrie may be made to the Greater Niles Senior Center, 1109 Bell Road, Niles, Michigan, 49120, http://www.nilesseniorcenter.org/; or to the Yeager Family Pet Center of the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan, 5400 Niles Road, Saint Joseph, Michigan, 49085, https://humanesocietyswm.org/ .  Online condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Carrie clearly loved life, celebrating holidays and family events; and she used life well, as a longtime employee, doing both music and sewing very well; but most importantly she loved the pets and people in her life, especially her children and grandchildren, and above all, Matt.

Brenda Joy Lingle, 63
Jan. 22, 1960-Dec. 18, 2023

Niles Daily Star, Published 10:25 pm Wednesday, December 20, 2023 

Brenda Joy Lingle, 63, passed away on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Arrangements have been entrusted to and are pending with Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Published on website of Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Services:

Carolyn Ann Gary, 77
Jan. 25, 1946-Dec. 31, 2023

Niles Daily Star, Published 4:34 pm Thursday, January 4, 2024

Carolyn Ann Gary, 77, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Niles, Michigan. Arrangements have been entrusted to and are pending with Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Published on website for Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Services:

Carolyn Ann Gary Obituary

Carolyn Taylor-Gary of Niles, Michigan, was one of seven children born on January 25, 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri, to the union of Homer J. and Josephine A. (Seats) Taylor.

Carolyn was educated in the Michigan school system, graduating from Brandywine High School. After graduation, she went on to work for the US Department of Agriculture Forest Services as a tree trimmer. She left there to attend Lake Michigan College to become a CNA and began working at Spectrum Lakeland Hospital as homecare nurse for numerous years, retiring in 2014.

Carolyn was united in holy matrimony to Allen Gary Jr. on May 7, 2001.

Carolyn was always a family-oriented woman. She loved traveling with her besties and had the pleasure to visit places like Disney World, Hawaii, Ireland, France, and other destinations across the US – especially to St. Louis to attend various family functions and to spend as much time as she could with her loving family members. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were the apple of her eye. Her favorite pastime was expressing her love through cooking, baking, listening to old school music, getting manicures/pedicures, and watching reality tv.

On Wednesday, December 31, 2023, Carolyn quietly transitioned to her eternal home at the age of 77.

Carolyn leaves to cherish her precious memories, two sons, Darrin (Tina) Taylor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Troy (Crystal) Taylor of Morgantown, West Virgina and one daughter, Sidney (Ryan) Stokes of South Bend, Indiana; brothers, Malcolm (Saundra) Taylor of St. Louis, Missouri, and Samuel Hardrict. Her precious grandchildren include, DelRico (Norm III), Candace (Fat Girl), Eric D. (Big Head), Ericka (Miss Missy), Stone (Munchkin), Antonio (Little Baby), Sidea (Boobie), Jordan, Brooklyn, Brandon, Zikia, Brianna, Diamond, Isaiah, Terrance, Ryan Jr., Markest, and Alize'. Her precious great-grandchildren include, Ny’Asiah, Cree, A’Monni, Ellie Rose, Niecey, Collin, Cashanna, Peityn, Santana, La’Vaya, Kahlil, Kahliyah, Lavarius Jr., Kyrie, Zorey, Rhemi, Roy’Ale, Markest Jr. and Marsi’on. Godson Torre (Tiauna) Goodman and goddaughter, Lakeisha (Pete) Byrd; good friend, Maude Osby; special daughter, Debra Jones and a multitude of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her loving parents; four brothers, Wildray Taylor, Richard Taylor, Charles Taylor, and Donald (Ernestine) Taylor Sr.; sister, Diana Wiley and best friends, Barbara and Daniel Bradley.

Visitation for Carolyn will be on Saturday, January 13, 2024 from 10:00am to 11:00am with a Funeral Service to be held at 11:00am at Brown Funeral Home, 521 East Main St. Niles, MI 49120. Burial will immediately follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, 1400 E Main St. Niles, MI 49120.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home.

Carole Gurney
July 21, 1945 — November 30, 2023

Published on website of Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home:

Carole Ann Gurney, age 78 years formerly of Niles, Michigan died peacefully at 6:22 a.m. on Thursday, November 30, 2023 with her family gathered at her bedside at the Center for Hospice Care in Mishawaka, Indiana following an extended illness.

She was born on July 21, 1945 in Niles to Charles W. and Dorothy I. (Kennish) Rudduck, and  graduated from Niles High School.  She began her career at Pawating Hospital in Niles, Michigan and worked at a few local companies including in the HR office at the former Femco, LLC in South Bend.  She retired from the Human Resources office of Southfield Village in South Bend.  She has lived in South Bend since 1990.

A part of Carole’s responsibilities at Southfield included planning bus trips for the residents, and she enjoyed traveling with them.  At home, she enjoyed flower gardening, and her yard was a little piece of paradise. She loved shopping for flowers with family. She was an avid reader, usually romance novels and history, and absolutely loved The Hallmark Channel.  She shared her home and heart for many years with her pet dogs, Catie and Callie.

Surviving family includes her children, Angela (& Phillip) Armstrong of Indianapolis, Indiana, Steve (& Kim) Gurney of Paw Paw, Michigan, and Jeff (& Shelly) Gurney of Lakeville, Indiana; grandchildren Adam (& Rachel) Armstrong, Timothy (& Brittany) Armstrong, Timothy Gurney, and Ashley Gurney; great-grandchildren Luke Armstrong, Jaxon Gurney, and Rowyn Gurney; Carole’s brother, Charles W. (& Nancy) Rudduck of Deckerville, Michigan, and several nieces & nephews.

She was sadly preceded in death by a 3-year old great-grandson, Peyton Armstrong in 2019; her sister, Charlene Redwine in 2012; and by her parents, Charles Rudduck in 1982, and Dorothy Rudduck in 2006.

The family of Carole Gurney will gather privately on Monday, December 4, 2023 at her graveside in Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles for Committal Services.  Arrangements were completed at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  There will be a small gathering afterwards for friends and family, if you would like to attend, please contact Angie, Steve or Jeff for directions. Online condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Carole’s life was clearly devoted to caring: caring for employees through her human resources efforts, caring for the residents of Southfield, caring about her yard, caring for pets, and - most importantly – caring for her family.

Deborah Denise Hart, 62
Sept. 19, 1961-Jan. 5, 2024

Niles Daily Star, Published 11:10 am Sunday, January 7, 2024

Deborah Denise Hart, 62, passed away on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024 in Niles, Michigan. Arrangements have been entrusted to and are pending with Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services.

Published on website of Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Services:

Edward Alan Harwood
May 12, 1950 — January 5, 2024

Published on website for Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home:

Edward Alan Harwood, age 73 years of Edwardsburg, Michigan, father, brother, uncle, drag racing fan, mechanic, and honorable veteran died peacefully at 3:59 p.m. on Friday, January 5, 2024 with his family gathered around his bedside at Elkhart General Hospital following an extended illness.

He was born on May 12, 1950 in Niles, Michigan to Carl A. and Virginia M. (Thompson) Harwood, and attended Brandywine Community Schools.  He joined the United States Army, and shared memories of his deployment to a U.S. military base in Okinawa, in support of the action in Vietnam.  He returned to the Michiana area, and was employed as a welder in several area manufacturing firms.  He has lived in Niles, South Bend, Indiana, and Edwardsburg all of his life.

Ed was a great fan of drag racing, attending National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) events at Joliet, Illinois and the US 131 Motor Sports Park at Martin, Michigan, often taking family and friends who were very patient as he toured the pits to take-in all of the action.  At home he enjoyed helping family and friends with automotive repair, and usually had a car in some state of repair in the garage or the backyard.

He had that great personality mix of being strong-willed – some say stubborn or hard-headed – but also had a soft heart, and was always willing to provide a helping hand.

He was sadly preceded in death by a daughter, Laurie Ann Williams in 2012, and by his parents.

Surviving family includes his children, Eddie Harwood, Jr. of Elkhart, Joddie Lynn Harwood of Detroit, Michigan, Tony (& Shauntaka) Harwood of North Carolina, and Jamie Scott of Niles; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and Ed’s siblings, Linda Lou (& Bruce) Swanson of Pensacola, Florida, Jesse James Harwood of Niles, Diana L. Washington of Shepherdsville, Kentucky, Patricia Wroblewski of South Bend, and Frank J. Harwood of Niles; and many nieces and nephews.

Graveside Services for Edward Harwood will be at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at Silverbrook Cemetery, 1400 East Main Street in Niles with Pastor Jim Wing of Niles officiating, and will conclude with the Veteran’s Flag Presentation and “Taps” by the United States Army Honor Guard.  Arrangements were completed at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  Online condolences and memories may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Ed used his seventy-three years well, in military service, and in civilian life, as a hard-working and productive member of our community.  He also worked hard a home, but also enjoyed good times at the races, and loved the people in his life.