Obituaries

We now have over 7,000 obituaries collected about the interred here at Silverbrook Cemetery.

The obituaries are transcribed by the volunteers of the Friends of Silverbrook Cemetery from various sources.  If you see an opportunity for an addition or a correction, please email our obituary editor at obits@friendsofsilverbrook.org.

Reum, William C.

William C. Reum
Feb. 21, 1874-Aug. 18, 1954

Niles Daily Star, Wednesday, August 18, 1954, page 2, col. 3 (microfilm Niles District Library)

William C. Reum, 80, of Reum road, died at 6:40 a.m. Today at Pawating Hospital following a five-week illness.

Reum was born in Milton Township on Feb. 21, 1874, and lived in this area all his life. He was a retired farmer.

Reum, who wife, Augusta, died in 1949, was a member of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed church.  He is survived by nieces and nephews.

The body will remain a the Kiger Funeral Home until services at 2 p.m. Friday at St. John's church. The Rev. Theodore Eisen will officiate and burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Snyder, Lyle C.

Lyle C. Snyder
Jan. 9, 1899-Sept. 6, 1935

Niles Daily Star, Friday, September 6, 1935, page 1, col. 8, microfilm Niles District Library

Lyle C. Snyder, 36, Dies at Home Here

Lyle c. Snyder, 36, died this morning at his home, 925 North Third street, after an illness of two months. He was born Jan. 9, 1899, in Grand Rapids. He was married to Miss Virginia Gross of Niles in 1923.  Mr. Snyder and two children, Geraldine and Frank, survive, also a brother, Harvey Snyder, Arizona, a sister, Mrs. Neva Wells, Muskegon, and his mother, Mrs. Eva McWatters, Muskegon.

The body was taken to the Rutherford funeral home. Arrangements for the services have not been announced.

 

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, September 7, 1935, page 2, col. 1, microfilm Niles District Library

Niles News in Brief: SNYDER RITES MONDAY

Funeral services for Lyle C. Snyder, 36, who died at his home, 925 North Thrid street, Friday, will be held Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Rutherford funeral chapel. Captain George Sager, of the Salvation Army, will officiate.  Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

 

Wortham, Plummer W.

Plummer W. Wortham
Feb. 19, 1889-June 27, 1952

Niles Daily Star, Saturday June 28, 1952; page 2, col. 7, microfilm, Niles District Library 

Plummer W. Wortham, 63, of 1119 North Eighth street, died at 10 p.m. Friday in the Berrien county hospital following a three-month illness.

Friends may call at the Kiger funeral home until Monday when services will be held at 2 p.m. in the Franklin AME church. The Rev. T. J. Harding will officiate and burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

Wortham was born Feb. 19, 1889, in North Carolina. He came to Niles 35 years ago from Baltimore and worked with the railroad for 25 years.

Survivors include: his stepmother, Mrs. Anna Wortham, of Detroit, a daughter, Miss Mary Wortham of Niles; a son William Wortham, Jr., also of this city; two brothers, Herman of Detroit, and John of Baltimore, Md.; two sisters, Mrs. Lucy Jones of Detroit, and Mrs. William Howard of Baltimore; and two grandchildren.

He was a member of the Franklin AME church.

 

Baird, Dolores Mae (Fritz)

Dolores Mae Baird, ‘Dee Dee,’ of Niles
July 12, 1915 — April 20, 2015

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:13am Friday, April 24, 2015

Dolores Mae Baird, “Dee Dee” 99, of Lakeshore Drive, Niles, went very peacefully to be with the Lord on Monday at 10:30 a.m., April 20, 2015 at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana, following a brief illness.

She was born on July 12, 1915, in Michigan City, Indiana to Gustave and Carrie Ethel (Shaw) Fritz. Dolores was employed as a manager at Woolworth’s in Michigan City, where she met her future husband, Homer J. Baird “Jerry”.

Dolores Mae Baird
Dolores Mae Baird

On August 14, 1948 in South Bend, Indiana, she married Homer J. Baird, “Jerry” who preceded her in death on March 8, 2005.

She was also preceded in death by her sisters Viola Potter, Alice Forrester, and Anita Durnal; and her brothers Jeff and Leonard Fritz.

Surviving family includes her daughter Janet S. Craig and her son Thomas W. Baird, both of Niles; grandson Jeff Craig of South Bend and great-granddaughters Jillian and Malayna Craig.

She was a very special, beautiful lady. She had a big heart and was a very warm, loving, kind, gentle soul. She was loved by everyone that knew her. She loved her family and friends with all her heart. She especially enjoyed spending time with her two great-granddaughters Jillian and Malayna. Her eyes would light up so brightly when she would see them. They loved their great-grandma “Dee Dee” dearly. She lived a long life, setting a family record. Many more wonderful things could be said about her.

Dolores enjoyed watching the Chicago Cubs, and she enjoyed playing Gin Rummy with her family, usually winning. She liked to read books, and also enjoyed listening to her favorite music, and she could sing, beautifully. She had a wonderful sense of humor. On sunny days in the summer at the lake front home on Barron Lake, she enjoyed pontooning with her family. She usually had her pet poodle with her also. “Dee Dee” and “Jerry” would sit on their porch overlooking Barron Lake, watching the activities and enjoying the beautiful sunsets. A wonderful friendly married couple of 57 years.

Dolores was a true blessing and everyone was blessed to have known her. She was/is a Christian/John 3:16. Now a resident in Heaven.

A Celebration of Life for Dolores Baird will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, 2015, at Hope Community Church in Niles, Michigan with the Rev. John A. Baird of Saint Joseph, Michigan officiating.

Contributions in memory of Dolores may be made to Hope Community Church.

Please send online condolences to www.halbritterfunerals.com Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.

Cain, Mildred J. (Boles)

Mildred Jean ‘Millie’ (Boles) Cain, of Niles
Sept. 12, 1920 — Oct. 15, 2014

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:06am Thursday, October 16, 2014

Mildred Jean 'Millie' Cain
Mildred Jean ‘Millie’ Cain

Mildred Jean “Millie” (Boles) Cain, age 94 of Niles, Michigan died on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 following a brief illness. She was born Sept. 12, 1920 in rural Wisconsin near River Falls to Robert and Ethel Della (Cadwell) Boles. Millie graduated from River Falls High School in 1936 and then from River Falls State Teacher’s College in 1940. She came to Niles in 1940 to teach at Central Elementary School.

In 1944 in Niles, Millie married The Honorable Thomas W. Cain and they lived in the Cain family homestead on Broadway Street while Tom practiced law in the office he built next-door at 3rd Street and Broadway. Following Tom’s death in 1961, Millie returned to teaching fourth grade at Eastside School, retiring in 1978.

Millie was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church in Niles where she served as an elder and a Sunday School teacher. She was a member of the Niles Service League and various state and local teachers’ organizations.

Surviving family includes one daughter, Cathy Fotia; two grandchildren, Frank Fotia and Marie (Fotia) Walker, all of South Bend; two great-grandchildren, Antonio and Lucas Walker. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Marilyn Boles of Minneapolis, Minnesota as well as several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Mildred Jean Cain will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at the First Presbyterian Church in Niles with the Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence of the church officiating. Entombment will be in the Silverbrook Abbey in Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the First Presbyterian Church as well as half an hour before the funeral service the next day. Donations in memory of Millie may be made to The Foundation of First Presbyterian Church in Niles.

The Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, is assisting with arrangements.

www.halbritterfunerals.com

Frizzell, Antoinette M.

Antoinette Frizzell, 89
June 24, 1922 — Aug. 6, 2011  

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:22pm Monday, August 8, 2011

Antoinette “Toni” Marie (Cacya) Frizzell, 89, of Niles, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011.

Toni was a first generation American, born June 24, 1922 to the late Robert and Veronica Cacya.

After graduating from Cassopolis High School, Toni attended Michigan State University and in 1953 she wed Leonard Frizzell, who passed away in April 1971. Toni worked at Simplicity as a proofreader for 37 years until she retired. After Leonard passed away, Toni met Joe Orrick; they dated until his death in 2001.
Toni was a self-made woman who could always be found playing bingo, where she usually won, or when she was younger, singing on the radio with her sisters in Elkhart.

Toni is preceded in death by her parents; husband Leonard; longtime companion, Joe; twin sister, Lucy; and brothers, Eddy, Frank, Henry and Felix.
She is survived by her son, Robert (Cindy) Frizzell of Niles; grandchildren Sarah, Jason and David Frizzell; great-grandchildren, Mckenzy and Dominic; her two sisters, Dorothy Boryce of Mishawaka, Ind. and Josephine (Fran) Iott of Adrian, Mich. and the Orrick children, Karen, Doug, Patty, Bill, Steve, Marlene, Tim, Bruce, Theresa, Junior and Briton.

A time of visitation will be held Wednesday, Aug. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home in Niles, where a service to celebrate Toni’s long life will be held Thursday, Aug. 11 at 2 p.m. with a time of visitation one hour prior.

Photos, condolences and memories of Toni may be left at www.BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com or on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BrownFuneralHomeNiles.

Frizzell, Kathryn Jean (Gordon)

Kathryn Jean Frizzell, of Niles
Dec. 30, 1928 — April 12, 2015

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:16am Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Kathryn Jean Frizzell, 86, of Niles, Michigan died on Sunday, April 12, 2015, at Riveridge Manor in Niles following an extended illness. She was born Dec. 30, 1928 in Benton Harbor, Michigan to Everett J. & Mildred (Stevens) Gordon.

Kathryn Jean Frizzell
Kathryn Jean Frizzell

Jean spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry at the Portofino and Franky’s restaurants in Niles. Upon retirement Jean and her husband, Sherman, split their time between Twin Lakes in Dowagiac, Michigan and Palmetto, Florida.

On July 3rd, 1948, in Niles, Jean married Sherman J. Frizzell, who preceded her in death on Oct. 22, 1998. Jean was also preceded in death by her son, Jack B. Frizzell, her daughter, Laury L. Frizzell, her granddaughter Kathryn “Katie” Frizzell, and three sisters, Darlyne R. Day, June L. Haynes and Patricia A. Romeo.

Surviving family includes her son, S. Edward “Eddie” (Debbie) Frizzell of Caledonia, Michigan and her daughter, Teresa S. Veach of Niles; eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

The funeral service for Kathryn Jean Frizzell will be held at Noon on Friday, April 17, 2015, at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles with Rev. Ray Fulbright of the Saint John United Church of Christ in Niles. Interment will be private at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the funeral home beginning at 10 a.m. until the time of services on Friday.

Donations in memory of Jean may be made to the organization of donor’s choice.

Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, Michigan.

www.halbritterfunerals.com