Mrs. Pauline Keeyes
Dec. 1896-Jan. 15, 1951

Niles Daily Star, Tuesday, January 16, 1951; page 2, col. 6, microfilm, Niles District Library(K. Alton)

Mrs. Pauline Keeyes, 54, of 1945 Michigan street, died at (illegible text) Monday at Pawating hospital after an illness of two days.

Surviving are her husband, John H. Keeyes; their sons, Erskin, Centural, Theora and Garnett, of Niles and Cpl. Denver Keeyes, of Fort Houston, VA; their daughters, Mrs. Nevada Morgan and the Misses Mildred and Pauline Keeyes, all of Niles; seven grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Naomi Carter, and one brother, Cecil Kirks, all of Niles.

Mrs. Keeyes was born on Dec. (illegible text), 1896, in Pinstop, Miss., and came here from Sunflower, Miss., in 1943.  She was a member of the Mr. Calvary Baptist church.

Friends may call at the Pifer funeral home.  Services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday by the Rev. R. B. Alexander, pastor of Mr. Calvary Baptist church, at the Franklin AME church.  Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

Deborah Ann Pease
Dec. 31, 1950-Jan. 6, 1951

Niles Daily Star, Monday, January 8, 1951; page 2, col. 6, microfilm, Niles District Library(K. Alton)

Deborah Ann Pease, seven-day-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Pease, of rural route two, died Saturday in Pawating hospital.

Surviving besides her parents are her grandparents, John L. Pease and Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Schiffman, of Niles.

Committal services will be held at 4 p.m. today at Silverbrook cemetery with Rev. T. M. Greenhoe officiating.

Christiana E. Reum
Jan. 2, 1864-Jan. 7, 1951

Niles Daily Star, Monday, January 8, 1951; page 2, col. 5, microfilm, Niles District Library (K. Alton)

Mrs. Christiana E. Reum, 87, of rural route one, died at 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Lydia Rupel, near South Bend.  She had been ill for several years.

She was born Jan. 2, 1864, in Germany and lived here since she was 18.  Her Husband, Charles, died in September, 1938.  Surviving beside her daughter are six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.   She was a member of St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed church.

The Rev. Harold Hohman and the Rev. Theo Eisen will conduct services at 2 pm. Thursday at the church.  Burial will be in Silverbrook (illegible text) at the Kiger funeral home.

Niles Daily Star, Wednesday, January 10, 1951; page 2, col. 7, microfilm, Niles District Library

NAME OF SURVIVORS

Additional survivors of Mrs. Christiana E. Reum, 87, or rural route one, who died Sunday, are two daughters, Mrs. Carrie Schafer and Mrs. Lydia Rupel, of South Bend, and a son, Arthur Reum, of Mishawaka, Ind.

Bernard F. Steffes
Jan. 4, 1901-Jan. 8, 1951

Niles Daily Star, Friday, January 5, 1951; page 2, col. 5, microfilm, Niles District Library(K. Alton)

Bernard F. Steffes, 50, of rural route one, died at 5 a.m. today in Pawating hospital after a five week’s illness.  He was born in Chicago Jan 9, 1901, and was married there Feb 2, 1924.

Steffes came to Niles five years ago with his wife, Edith, and was employed as a mall carrier on rural route four.  He was a member of the Farm bureau.

Surviving are his widow, and a sister, Mrs. Hazel C. Wood, of Niles.

Friends may call at the Pifer funeral home where services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday.  The Rev. A. Martin, pastor of Coulters Chapel, will officiate.  Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

Verda Albert, of Niles
May 28, 1925 — Dec. 15, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 8:27am Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Verda M. Albert, 89, of Niles, Michigan died at 2:15 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, 2014 at Lakeland Community Hospital in Niles of natural causes.

She was born on May 28, 1925, in Niles to Raymond E. and Bertha (Sheets) Ramsby. She was graduated from Niles High School, and has lived here all of her life. She first worked in the back offices of the former First Federal Savings in Niles, and later assisted with bookkeeping for the Plym Family, the Signal Point Club, and Fernwood Botanic Gardens.

Verda Albert

Verda was a member of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Niles. She volunteered with the Berrien County Youth Fair, and was an active winter resident of the Sanibel Island community in Florida. She enjoyed reading a wide variety of themes, and cooking – especially her own secret chocolate chip cookie receipt.

On December 4, 1954 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Niles she married Emil Albert with whom she celebrated the Fifty-third anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on June 21, 2008. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Charles Ramsby and sisters Loretta Antoniu and Joan Bixby.

Surviving family includes a son, Timothy (Patti) Albert of Niles; grandson, Pierce Albert of South Bend, Indiana; and Verda’s sister, Barbara (Charles) Durm of Niles; and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Verda Albert will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Niles with Pastor Joseph Liss of Saint Paul’s officiating. Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday from 5 until 7 p.m. at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles. Contributions in memory of may be made to Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, or to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

www.halbritterfunerals.com

Lois Asmus
Oct. 13, 1932 - Dec. 24, 2014

NILES - Lois Jane (Siebert) Asmus, 82, of Niles, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 24, 2014, at West Woods of Niles following a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on October 13, 1932, in Niles, to the late Frank W. and Dorthea J. (Dickeson) Siebert. After graduating Niles High School, Lois met the love of her life and married Duane Edward Asmus on October 21, 1950, at a ceremony at St. John's United Church of Christ in Niles. A homemaker most of her life, she found time to work as a cook for the Niles School District, H & R Block, and volunteered for several years at Northside Child Development Center. Lois was a faithful member of St. John's United Church of Christ where she was active in various capacities. Lois enjoyed spending time camping with family and friends. She was gifted at growing flowers in her garden. She liked reading and reminiscing about her family history. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy and she loved spending time with them, especially through the years at the Cass County Fair and any activities in which they were involved. Lois was a wonderful mother, grandmother and a terrific G.G. She was devoted to her entire family, and will be remembered for the countless lives she touched by baking, cooking and giving of her time to anyone in need. She was preceded in death by her parents; herhusband, Duane E. Asmus; six siblings, Frances Hipshear, Gladys Lewis, Floyd Siebert, Beatrice Shinneman, Alice Snyder and LaVern Siebert. Lois is survived by her two sons, Garry (Sandy) Asmus of Dowagiac and Steve (Kathy) Asmus of Vandalia; a daughter, Sue (Bart) Benjamin of Niles; eight grandchildren, Brian and James Asmus of Dowagiac, Edward (Angie) Asmus of Vandalia, Amy Asmus of Niles, Matt and Kristin Asmus of Vandalia, Brad Benjamin of Niles and Anna Benjamin of Quincy, Michigan, three great-grand-daughters, Bailey and Abigail Asmus, and Sophie Brewer; a sister, Jean (Fred) Patchett of Portage, Michigan; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A time of visitation will be held on Sunday, December 28, 2014, at Brown Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 29th, at St. John's United Church of Christ at 11:00 a.m., with an interment following at Silverbrook Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in Lois' memory to St. John's United Church of Christ, 601 N. Sycamore Street, Niles, Michigan 49120. Lois' family would like to thank all of those who have shared this journey with Lois and her family. Your kindness will not be forgotten. Those wishing to leave a message for the family, upload a photo of Lois or send their condolences may do so at our website atwww.BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Niles.

Published in South Bend Tribune on Dec. 27, 2014