Celia M. Nicholson Hossfeld
March 23, 1897-Jan. 23, 1993

Niles Daily Star (Niles, Berrien Co., MI), Thursday, January 29, 1993, page 2, col. 1, microfilm Niles District Library

Celia Nicholson
1897-1993
Former Niles resident

Celia M. Nicholson, 95, of Spring Arbor, Mich., formerly of Niles, died Saturday at Arbor Manor Care Center in Spring Arbor.

Burial was at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.

She was born March 23, 1897, in Chicago.

Nicholson was a former member of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Survivors inlcude[sic] Betty Brigham of Concord, Mich., and Marjorie Sliger of Northville, Mich., six grandchildren and 11 grandchildren[sic].

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.

Arrangement were handled by S.D. Lauer Funeral Home in Concord.

Richard Backus, Sr. 
Jan. 10, 1950-Dec. 14, 2010

Niles Daily Star, Published 11:00 pm Thursday, December 16, 2010

Richard Allen Backus, Sr., 60, of Berrien Center, died at 3:52 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010 at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph of natural causes.

Richard was born Jan. 10, 1950 in Berrien Center. He was a lifetime area resident.

He was a machine operator at Tyler Refrigeration for 23 years. He was a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran.

Richard married Diane Backus Nov. 22, 1969 in Niles. She survives and lives in Berrien Center.

He is also survived by his father, Victor Backus, Sr.; son, Richard Allen Backus, Jr. of Niles; daughter, Shelly (Jeffrey) Thompson of Niles; brother, Victor (Mary) Backus, Jr. of Buchanan; sister, Janice Leiter of Buchanan; and five grandchildren.

Richard was preceded in death by his mother, Joyce Backus, and father-in-law, LeRoy Hydorn.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, 2010 at Hoven Funeral Home in Buchanan.

Burial will be at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Buchanan.

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19 at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the family.

Note: Reinterred at Silverbrook from Oak Ridge April 23, 2021.

Phyllis Ballard, of Niles
Jan. 2, 1945-April 7, 2021

Niles Daily Star, Published 4:24 pm Thursday, April 8, 2021

Jan. 2, 1945 — April 7, 2021

Phyllis Ballard, 76, of Niles, peacefully passed away at South Haven Nursing Home on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, following an extended illness.

She was born on Jan. 2, 1945, to the late Charles and Bernice (Hanes) Nichols in Niles.

After graduating from Niles High School, Phyllis went on to wed Ralph Ballard at a ceremony on December 30, 1962 in Niles. Phyllis was a homemaker most of her life and enjoyed doll collecting and always looked forward to the time she was able to spend with her grandchildren. A woman of faith, Phyllis was a member of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Niles.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and several brothers and sisters.

Phyllis is survived by her sons, Brian (Robin) Ballard, of Hopkins, Michigan, and Jeffrey (Holly) Ballard, of Granger, Indiana; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; siblings, Mary Ellen Ickes and Norman “Bud” Nichols, both of Niles; and many extended family members and close friends.

Cremation has taken place and the family will be remembering Phyllis with a private family service followed by an interment at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made in Phyllis’ memory to The Humane Society of Southwest Michigan & Kindred Hospice of Portage, Michigan.

Condolences, photos, and memories may be left for the family at BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, of Niles.

Charles Davidson, of Humboldt, Tennessee
June 8, 1933-July 31, 2020

Niles Daily Star, Published 3:28 pm Tuesday, April 20, 2021

June 8, 1933 — July 31, 2020

Charles (Chuck) Davidson, 87, of Humboldt, Tennessee, passed away of natural causes in Jackson, Tennessee on Friday, July 31, 2020.

Charles was born on June 8, 1933, to the late Clyde and Mae Davidson in Kaiser, Arkansas.

Chuck was a Marine and proudly served his country in Korea. He was a life member of the DAV and the Niles Elks. He was employed by and retired from the National Standard Company in 1995.

Chuck was a die-hard St. Louis Cardinal fan, played golf in several golf leagues and he loved to bowl. He bowled seven 300 games after he turned 70, quite the accomplishment.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde and Mae Davidson; daughters, Joy and Jill Davidson; siblings, Milton, John and Clyde Davidson, Betty Lillie and Linda Herring.

Chuck is survived by his wife, Patsy (Bailey) Davidson; daughter, Robin (John) Bays; grandchildren, April (Brian) Sauders and Aaron (Amanda) Smith; three great-grandchildren, Ava, Amelia and Brooks. He is also survived by his siblings, Col. Lonnie Davidson, Dave (MaryAnn) Davidson, Gladys (Ken) Keith and Shirley Snyder as well as his loving dog, Brutus.

He loved his family with all his heart and was always there for them, he is truly missed. 

The family is hosting a memorial service to celebrate Chuck’s life 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at Silverbrook Cemetery. Chuck’s brother Dave will be delivering the eulogy, friends and family are welcome.

Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Niles, assisted the family.

Ruth Mildred (Gilmore) Earl
March 10, 1923-April 17, 2021

Online at Flanner Funeral Home website: OBITUARY

Ruth Mildred Earl, 98, of Indianapolis, IN passed away on April 17, 2021.  Ruth was born in Chicago, IL on March 10, 1923 to parents, Marvin E. and Kathryn (Brennan) Gilmore.  Ruth was devoted to her family.  She loved crafts and attending craft shows and was a fabulous cook.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Theodore R. Earl.  She is survived by her children: Kathy Delporte (Reed), Patricia Thompson, Thomas Earl (Janet), Carolyn E. Gentner, and Kenneth Earl (Andrea); 11 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

Friends may gather from 2-6pm, Saturday, April 24, 2021 at Flanner Buchanan-Broad Ripple, 1305 Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis.  Burial will be at 1pm, Monday, April 26, 2021 at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles, MI.

Cheryl Hickman, of Niles
March 7, 1952-April 4, 2021 (age 69)

Niles Daily Star, Published 3:05 pm Monday, April 5, 2021

Cheryl Hickman, 69, of Niles, died Sunday, April 4, 2021. Arrangements are being made by Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, of Niles.

Online at Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home: 

Obituary

Cheryl Lee Hickman, age 69 years of Niles, Michigan; mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, avid reader, and devout Christian died peacefully at 12:15 p.m. on Easter Sunday, 2021 (April 4) at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana following a long battle against cancer.

She was born on March 7, 1952 in Saint Clair, Michigan to John W. and Beatrice N. (Bachand) McLeod, and was graduated from Saint Clair High School.  She came to Niles in 1978, and continued her education at Southwestern Michigan College, earning an Associates degree in Computer Science.  She was employed in the offices of the former Niles plant of Tyler Refrigeration, beginning in the data processing days of keypunch cards.  She maintained her proficiency in each new phase of information technology until the plant closed.  She continued to work in data entry from home, and was employed at the Granger, Indiana Target store through most of 2020.

Cheryl attended Hope Community Church in Niles where she volunteered in the Children’s Ministries and assisted her grandson as he installed the playground for an Eagle Scout project.  She was an avid reader of fiction (romance novels), and enjoyed various arts and crafts, completing many ceramics projects.  She enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, often with family, and had visited many national landmarks including Times Square in New York City, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Mackinac Island, and the former Prehistoric Forest Amusement Park on U.S.12.  Her greatest interest was her family, especially her grandchildren.

Surviving family includes her son, Kevin Nowicki of Niles; grandchildren Talon Nowicki and Trey Nowicki; Cheryl’s mother, Beatrice “Bea” McLeod of East China, Michigan; Cheryl’s siblings, Vicki (& Ned) Zimmer of Saint Clair, Michigan, John (& Carla) McLeod of Marysville, Michigan, and Nancy (& Robert) Yelencich of Columbus, Michigan; and seven nieces and nephews and twenty-one great-nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, John McLeod on May 6, 1999.

The funeral service for Cheryl Hickman will be at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 2021 at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles with the Rev. Sheryl Blake, Ministry Teams Pastor of Hope Community Church officiating.  Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.  Attendance is limited, masks required, and social distancing practiced. Others may witness the events via the livestreamed broadcast on the Halbritter-Wickens Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/halbritterwickensfuneralservices/.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday at the funeral home beginning at Noon.  Contributions in memory of Cheryl may be made to the American Cancer Society, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1200, Chicago, Illinois, 60601, https://www.cancer.org/.  Arrangements were made at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  Online condolences may be left at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

Relationships were important to Cheryl, growing-up with her siblings, raising her son, interacting with co-workers at Tyler’s, following characters in novels, fellowship with adults and children at church, and enjoying her wonderful grandchildren; all evidence of her greatest relationship in Christ and his command to love God and love people.