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.

Soule, Margaret

Margaret Soule
Sept. 9, 1866-Oct. 1, 1943

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, October 2, 1943, page 2, col. 8, microfilm Niles District Library

MARGARET SOULE TAKEN BY DEATH

Mrs. Margaret E. Soule, 77, died in her home, 707 North Fourth street, Friday afternoon at 12:30 after an illness of six months.

She was born in Niles Sept. 9, 1866, the daughter of John and Christian Henkel, the former a pioneer clothing merchant here. A member of the Presbyterian church she had lived all her life in Niles and was married to Sanford Soule 56 years ago.

She is survived by her husband; a son, John, and a daughter, Mrs. Harry Saunders.

Friends may call at the Pifer funeral home where funeral services will be conducted by the Rev. Guy W. Simon at 2 Monday afternoon. Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

 

Niles Daily Star, Monday, October 4, 1943, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

SOULE RITES

Services for Mrs. Margaret E. Soule, 77, who died in her home, 707 North Fourth street, Friday afternoon, were conducted by the Rev. Guy W. Simon at 2 today at the Pifer funeral home. Ernest Bennett, Palmer Williams, Charles Visel, Clifford Eden, Roy Rupert and Gaylord Ball served as pallbearers. Burial was in Silverbrook cemetery.

 

Soule, Sanford

Sanford Soule
Sept. 3, 1860-Dec. 4, 1943

Niles Daily Star, Monday, December 6, 1943, page 2, col. 6, microfilm Niles District Library

SANFORD SOULE FUNERAL TUESDAY

Sanford Soule, 83, died Saturday afternoon at 2 in the home of his daughter, Mrs. Harry Saunders, of complications after a two-month illness.

Born in Maywood, Wis., Sept. 3, 1860, he was married to Miss Margaret Hinkle in Niles, Feb. 3, 1886. She died Oct. 1.

He came here from Maywood and was retired from the Michigan Central railroad after 40 years of service.

Surviving besides the daughter are a son, John Soule, Niles, and a twin sister, Mrs. Sarah Jessup, Lansing.

The body is in the Pifer funeral home where services will be conducted Tuesday at 2 by Dr. Guy W. Simon. Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

 

Niles Daily Star, Tuesday, December 7, 1943, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

Soule Rites

Funeral services for Sanford Soule, who died Saturday afternoon , were conducted this afternoon in the Pifer funeral home by Dr. Guy W. Simon. Burial was in Silverbrook cemetery. Pallbearers were Clifford Eden, Raymond Ruppert, Ernest Bennett, William Flynn, Carl Hossfeld and Gaylord Ball.

 

Visser, Arthur L. Sr.

Arthur L. Visser Sr.
Oct. 2, 1884-Nov.17, 1963

Niles Daily Star, Monday, November 18, 1963, page 2, col. 2, microfilm Niles District Library

Funeral services for Arthur L. Visser Sr., 79, of 2044 S. 11th St., will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Kiger Funeral Home. The Rev. Orlen L. Njus, pastor of Bertrand Bible Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

He died at 9:40 p.m. Sunday in Memorial Hospital, South Bend, where he had been a patient nine days. He had been ill two years.

Mr. Visser was born Oct. 2, 1884, in Grand Rapids. He came to Niles from that city 40 years ago, and retired in 1950 from service as a machinist at the Bendix Corporation, South Bend. He married Anna L. Vandenboch May 22, 1905 in Holland. She survives.

Other survivors include two daughters, Mrs. Dorothy Christner, Granger, and Mrs. Russell Samuelson, Niles; a son, Arthur Jr., also of Niles; four Sisters, Mrs. Hattie Kruithoff, Mrs. Camelia Dirkse, Mrs. Lizzie Dirkse, and Mrs. Cora Paris, all of Holland; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

He was a member of Bertrand Bible Church.

Friends are being received at the Kiger Funeral Home.

Wickler, Lena

Lena Wickler
May 15, 1883-Dec. 19, 1963

Niles Daily Star, Friday, December 20, 1963, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Lena Wickler, 80, of 1346 Howard St., died at Pawating Hospital at 9:45 p.m. Thursday, where she had been a patient only five hours. Born May 15, 1883, in Chicago, Mrs. Wickler came here from Chicago 64 years ago. Her husband died in 1949.

Survivors include two sons, Henry, of Niles, and John, of Toledo; four daughters, Mrs. Russell Hoover and Mrs. Russell Letcher, both of Niles; Mrs. Richard Bromley, Buchanan, and Mrs. Charles Hahnefeld, South Bed; two sisters, Mrs. Leo Weiss, Bangor, and Mrs. G.M. Barth, Kalamazoo, and two brothers, George Leidy, South Bend, and August Liedy, Berrien Springs.

Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Pifer Funeral Home, with the Rev. John Carlton, pastor of the Trinity Episcopal Church, officiating. Burial will be n Silverbrook Cemetery.

Friends will be received at the funeral home beginning this evening.

Lewis, Robert A.

Robert A. Lewis, 54, of Niles
Died: Aug. 26, 2013

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:51am Thursday, September 12, 2013

Robert A. Lewis, Sr. (“Tony”), 54, of Niles, Mich., passed away on Aug. 26, 2013.

Survivors include his children, Tiffany Lewis, of South Bend, Ind., and Robert A. (Abby) Lewis, Jr., of Chicago, Ill.; grandchildren Brennden Keen, of Niles, and Eiva Vedia, of South Bend; mother, Marie Lewis, of Niles; and siblings Patricia (Roy) Turbett, of Williamston, Mich., and Geary (Ann) Shaw, of Niles.

A private memorial service is planned.

Boggs, Mary Helen (Davis)

Mary Helen (Davis) Boggs, 69, of Statesville, N.C.
Aug. 30, 1943-July 17, 2013

Niles Daily Star, Published 11:36am online Thursday, July 25, 2013

Mary Helen (Davis) Boggs, 69, of Statesville, N.C., formerly of Niles, passed on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at Iredell Memorial Hospital in North Carolina.

She was born Aug. 30, 1943 to the late Russell and Marion Davis, also of Niles. On April 30, 1988 she married Boyd Lynn Boggs of Statesville, who survives.

Mary Helen had one brother, Kenneth (Blanche) Davis, of South Bend, Ind., who also survives.

Children include Thomas Parks, Tracey Krassow, Daniel Nutting, Mary Ann (Dennis Crouch) and Tammy Focht of Niles. She has 11 grandkids and 12 great-grandkids.

Cremation has taken place. A small service for family and friends is pending. Mary Helen will be laid to rest by her parents’ side in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Moody, Annie LaFaye (McAlister)

Annie LaFaye “Faye” Moody, 74
April 2, 1939-Oct. 6, 2013

Moody
Moody

 

Niles Daily Star, Published online 9:10am Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Annie LaFaye “Faye” Moody, age 74 of Niles, Mich., died at 9:51 a.m. on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, Indiana unexpectedly, but of natural causes.

She was born on April 2, 1939 in Ridgely, Tenn., to Bernard and Francis (Brown) McAlister. She attended Dyersburg (Tennessee) High School, and has lived in Niles since 1956. She was employed for ten years at the former Simplicity Pattern Company in Niles.

Faye was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Niles. She enjoyed cooking large southern meals for all the family, and making her famous banana pudding. But her greatest interest was caring for her family, especially the grandchildren.

On Oct. 5, 1956 in Corinth, Mississippi she married Tyree H. Moody with whom she celebrated last year the fifty-sixth anniversary of their wedding. Tyree preceded her in death just twelve days ago, on Sept. 24, 2013. She was also preceded in death by her parents, and by her infant brother, James Roy McAlister.

Faye is survived by her daughters, Carol (and Chris) King and Jodie (and Trent) Nichols, both of Niles; grandchildren Angie (and Toby) Mann, Amy (and Andy) Chodzinski, Autumn and Amber Moody; great-grandchildren Blake Mann and Kyle Mann; and her sister, Wanda Hall of Dyersburg; and Tyree’s brother, Acie (and Pat) Moody, and sisters Hazel Farley, and Gladys (and William) Gordon; and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Faye Moody will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013 at Bethel Baptist Church with the Rev. Randy Pearman of the church officiating. Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.

The family will receive relatives and friends from 5 until 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles. Contributions in memory of Faye may be made to Bethel Baptist Church.

www.halbritterfunerals.com