Obituaries

Olga H. Giddings
April 25, 1880-March 6, 1959

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, March 7, 1959, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Olga H. Giddings, 78, formerly of 112 South Fourth Street, died Friday afternoon at the home of her son, Lyle Giddings, 2010 Hollywood Place, South Bend, where she had made her home for the past year. She had been ill for the past five months.

Mrs. Giddings was born on April 26, 1880, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,and came to Niles 46 years ago from Cobourg, Canada. Her husband, Dr. Burton D. Giddings, well known Niles physician, preceded her in death on April 29, 1936. Surviving beside her son are three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home here with the Rev. John P. MacLachlan, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of which she had been a member, officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home.

Anna Gill
April 28, 1883-June 20, 1963

Niles Daily Star, Friday, June 21, 1963, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Anna Gill, 80, of St. Louis, Mo., was pronounced dead on arrival at Pawating Hospital at 6 p.m. Thursday. Cause of death was not known immediately.

Mrs. Gill came to Niles three weeks ago to visit her daughter, Mrs. Roxie Flagg, of 883 Sullivan Ave. She was born in Mississippi.

Survivors include two sons, John H. Mays, Kansas City, Mo., and Bill Taylor, St. Louis, Mo.; three daughters, Mrs. Anna Nash, Milwaukee, Wis., Mrs. Ruthie Mae Fair, East St. Louis, and Mrs. Pearlie Mae Bath, Cleveland, Ohio; and a sister, Mrs. Alice Bradley, Wyatt, Mo.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Kiger Funeral Home. The Rev. E.J. Jones will officiate. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Friends are being received at the funeral home.

Harry Gillen
April 30, 1877-June 2, 1963

Niles Daily Star, Monday, June 3, 1963, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Private funeral services for Harry Gillen, 86, of 23 S. Barrett St., will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Pifer Funeral Home. The Rev. Gordon D. Everett, pastor of the First Evangelical United Brethren Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

He died at 12:40 a.m. Sunday in Pawating Hospital, where he had been a patient since Feb. 27. He had been in ill health three years.

Mr. Gillen was born April 30, 1877, in Kingston, N.Y. He came to Niles from South Bend 15 years ago.

Survivors include his widow, Edna; two sons, Roy Gillen and Jack Rhoustong, and a daughter, Mrs. Helen Sisk, all of Niles; seven grandchildren. and two great-grandchildren.

He was a member of the South Bend Eagles Lodge.

Friends are being received at the funeral home.

Lydia Anne Goens
Dec. 9, 1959-Dec. 21, 1987

Niles Daily Star, Thursday, December 24, 1987, page 2, col. 1-2, microfilm Niles District Library

Lydia Ann Goens, 28, 4259 Lakes Edge Apt. A., Kalamazoo, died Monday at her home following a brief illness.

She was born Dec. 9, 1959, in Paw Paw and lived in Kalamazoo since October 1986, coming from Niles.  She was an employee of Chap's Restaurant.

Survivors include: her parents, Lydia Jeffries Goens of Niles and Charles Goens of Agus Prieta, Sonora, Mexico; a son, Levi Nicholas Goens, at home; a brother, David Goens of Kalamazoo; and grandmother, Florence Goens of Decatur.

Services at At. Mary's Catholic Church in Niles are pending.  Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Visitation will not be offered. Arrangements were made by the Halbritter Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Levi N. Goens Scholarship Fund in care of the Halbritter Funeral Home.

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, December 26, 1987, page 2, col. 6, microfilm Niles District Library

Lydia Ann Goens, 28, 4259 Lakes Edge Apt. A., Kalamazoo, died Monday at her home following a brief illness.

She was born Dec. 9, 1959, in Paw Paw and lived in Kalamazoo since October 1986, moving there from Niles.  She was an employee of Chap's Restaurant.

Survivors include: her parents, Lydia Jeffries Goens of Niles and Charles Goens of Agus Prieta, Sonora, Mexico; a son, Levi Nicholas Goens, at home; a brother, David Goens of Kalamazoo; and grandmother, Florence Goens of Decatur.

Services are 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Niles. The Rev. Dennis A. Boylan of St. Mary's and the Rev. Louis T.Miller of the Spiritual Development Chapel, Benton Harbor, will conduct the services.  Burial will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Visitation will not be offered. Arrangements were made by the Halbritter Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Levi N. Goens Scholarship Fund in care of the Halbritter Funeral Home.

William James Green
March 9, 1882-March 13, 1959

Niles Daily Star, Friday, March 13, 1959, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

William James Green, 72 of 1819 Charles Street, Kalamazoo, formerly of Niles, died this morning at his home following an illness of two years.

Mr. Green, a retired New York Central Railroad switchman, was born on March 9, 1882, in Plum Run, O., and came to Niles to make his home 23 years ago. He moved from here in 1946.

Surviving are: his widow, Florence; three daughters, Mrs. James Hoskin and Mrs. Harold Hittle, both of Niles, and Mrs. James  Nocera of Warren, O.; a son, Wesley Green, of Warren; seven grandchildren; three great grandchildren; a brother, Floyd Green, of Kalamazoo and three sisters, Mrs. Margaret Perrine, of Canton, O., Mrs. Ray Walter, of New Philadelphia, O., and Mrs. Mrs. Quincy Dunlap, of Coshocton, O. Two sons, David and Leonard, preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Pifer Funeral Home with John Kinner, pastor of the Niles First Church of Christ officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home.

Holly Kay Gushwa
Oct. 17, 1977-Oct. 19, 1977

Niles Daily Star, Thursday, October 20, 1977, page 2, col. 4-5, microfilm Niles District Library

NILES--Holly Kay Gushwa, two-day-old daughter of Arnold and Carmen Kay Gushwa, 2615 U.S. 31 N., died at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bronson Hospital, Kalamazoo.

Surviving, in addition to her parents, are maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Juan Crespo of Niles; paternal grandfather, Harley Gushwa of Elkhart, Ind.; maternal great-grandmother, Mrs. Irene Ritchie of Niles; great-grandfather James L. Allen of Judisona, Ark.; and a brother Arnold L. Jr., at home.

Graveside services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Silverbrook Cemetery with the Rev. Fred Cope of the Church of Christ officiating.

Funeral arrangements  are being handled by the Pifer Chapel of the Swem-Smith Funeral Home.