Gavin Alan King
May 30, 2005

Gavin Alan King, son of Shari (Mendilkowski) and Jason King of Niles, died shortly after birth Tuesday  May 30, 2005, in Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. today at Silverbrook Cemetery. There will be no visitation. Halbritter Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Denver Keys
March 6, 1922-October 7, 1994

NILES - Denver Keys, 72, of 251 Cass St., Niles, died at 3:55 a.m. Friday , Oct. 7, 1994, in Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Ann Arbor, of natural causes. Mr. Keys was a retired baker. He was born March 6, 1922, in Sunflower, Miss. He is survived by two sisters, Nevada Morgan and Mildred Gray, both of Niles; and four brothers, Erskin Keys of Buffalo, N.Y., Vertis Keys and Theora Keys, both of Niles, and Garnett Keys of South Bend. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of Disabled American Veterans and NAACP.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Mount Calvary Baptist Church. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Pifer-Smith Funeral Home.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown 

Martha V. Key
Aug. 27, 1928-Nov. 14, 1994

Martha V. Key, 66, of 115 N. 17th St., Niles,  died at 9:12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, 1994, in her home after an illness. Mrs. Key was the owner and operator of Key Ceramics and was retired from Kroger Inc. She was born Aug. 27, 1928, in Milwaukee, and had lived in Niles for 42 years, coming from Milwaukee. On Sept. 20, 1947, in Dubuque, Iowa, she married Alton R. Key. He survives with two daughters, Donna F. Rans and Linda M. Green, both of Niles; two sons, Kenneth R. of Ann Arbor and Robert L. of Kansas City, Mo.; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; four sisters, Rose Marie Pfeifer, Alice Kosinski, Margie Oldenburgh and Sister Martha Ann, all of Milwaukee; and a brother, Russel Czarnyszka of Scottsdale, Ariz. A daughter, Jackie K. Key, preceded her in death.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday in St. Mark Catholic Church. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Halbritter Funeral Home, where a rosary will be said at 8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice at Home

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown 

Alton R. Key
Sept. 7, 1922-Dec. 14, 1999

Alton R. "Bud" Key, 77, of North Seventeenth Street, Niles, Mich., died of a brief illness at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 1999,  at his home.

He was born to Bernard and Linnie (Dillingham) Key on Sept. 7, 1922, in Nortonville, Ky. He had lived in Niles for 47 years, coming from Milwaukee, Wis.

Mr. Key was the owner and operator of Key Ceramics in Niles.  In 1984, after 42 years of employment, he retired from Montgomery Ward, Niles.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving in World War II, and was a member of American Legion Post 26 and VFW Post 4025, both in Niles.

On Sept. 20, 1947, in Dubuque, Iowa, he married the former Martha V. Czarnyszka, who died on Nov. 14, 1994. He was also preceded in death by a daughter, Jackie K. Key.

Mr. Key is survived by his children, Peggy Soule of Sterling Heights, Mich., Kenneth R. Key of Miami Lakes, Fla., Robert L. Key of Kansas City, Mo., Donna F. Rans and Linda M. Green, both of Niles; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; three sisters living in Mishawaka, Ind., Margaret McKinney, Aminell Harbin and Maymie Pride; a sister, Martha Faye Dosmann of St. Louis, Mo.; and by his brother, Delbert Key of Mishawaka, Ind.

Funeral services for Alton R. Key will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, with Mr. Robert Key of Kansas City officiating. A veterans flag presentation and taps officiated by John McLaughlin, commander of American Legion Post 26, will follow the committal in Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive friends from 3 to 7 p.m. today, Dec. 17, at the funeral home.

Contributions in memory of Mr. Key may be made to Hospice at Home or to the American Lung Association.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown 

David William Kessler, 77, of Ridgedale Road, formerly of South Bend, Ind., and Channel Drive, Diamond Lake, Cassopolis, Mich., died Wednesday morning, May 7,  2003, in the Ironwood Health and Rehabilitation Center. David was owner of Kessler Realty, South Bend. He was born on Oct. 5, 1925, in Buffalo, N.Y., to Karl and May (Bartholomew) Kessler, who preceded him in death. He had lived in South Bend for 48 years after coming from St. Joseph, Mich. On July 1, 1975, in Escanaba, Mich., he married Beatrice "Betty" Miles, who died June 21, 1991. A son, Doug, also preceded his father in death in 1974. Surviving is a daughter, Kathy Rehm of Norcross, Ga., and a grandson, Brian Rehm of Norcross. David was a member of the South Bend Board of Realtors, Farm and Land Institute, South Bend Elks Lodge 235, the Musicians Federation, and was a World War II Army veteran. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday (South Bend time) in the HICKEY Funeral Home, 17131 Cleveland Road, 289-1000. Interment will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles, Mich. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until services Friday in the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Northern Indiana Chapter, 108 N. Main, South Bend, IN 46601.

Ruth M. Kendrick
Nov. 20, 1908-Feb. 3, 2004

Ruth M. Kendrick, 95, Kokomo, Ind., formerly of Niles, Mich., until moving to Kokomo in 1998 to be near her family, died at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3,  2004, in Waterford Health Campus in Kokomo.

She was born Nov. 20, 1908, in Bellevue, Mich., the daughter of Leslie Clyde and Lora B. (Garity) Martens. She married William Howard Kendrick in Bellevue on June 26, 1937, and he died June 9, 1982.

She was a 1925 graduate of Bellevue High School and a 1929 graduate of Olivet College in Olivet, Mich. She earned her master's degree from Michigan State. She was a history teacher at Niles Junior High School for many years until retiring in 1971.

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Niles where she served as an elder. She was actively involved in a number of clubs over the years, including the Niles Garden Club. During her time in Kokomo, she was a member of the First Presbyterian Church.

She was an accomplished musician having played the cello in high school and college. She remained a fan of classical music throughout her life, and also loved flowers and gardening. She was fortunate to have traveled extensively during her lifetime.

Survivors include her daughter, Kathryn K. Cofield, and her husband, Malvin of Kokomo; one granddaughter, Catha C. Huff, and her husband, Jason of Indianapolis, Ind.; a great-grandson, Jackson P. Huff of Indianapolis; a step-grandson, M. Scott Cofield, and his wife, Jean of Brownsburg, Ind., and their children, Paul, Andrea and Brad; a step-granddaughter, Paige C. Amsler, and her husband, Kevin of Wayzata, Minn., and her sons, Nathan, Trevor and Morgan Funk.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and by a sister, Myrna, who died in infancy.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the First Presbyterian Church, 2000 W. Jefferson St., Kokomo, with Rev. William O. Emrich officiating. The family will receive friends in the church parlor from noon until time of services. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles, with the Rev. Ron Wakeman officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Foundation, 13 S. Fourth St., Niles, MI 49120.

The Fenn & Shirley Mortuary, Kokomo, is in charge of arrangements.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown