Obituaries

Miss Marie V. Rush
Aug. 20, 1892-April 21, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Monday, April 22, 1957, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Miss Marie V. Rush, 64, of 1622 Cass Street, died at 9:15 p.m. Sunday in Pawating Hosptial where she had been a patient for the past four days. She had been ill for four years.

Miss Rush, a retired saleslady for women's ready-to-wear clothing, was born Aug. 20, 1892, in Logansport, Ind., and came to Niles two years ago from Miami Shores, Fla. Surviving are two sisters, Mrs. Alma VanSkiver, of Niles, and Mrs. S.M. Aurbach, of Miami Shores.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home, where friends may call beginning Tuesday evening.  Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Aney B. Gully
April 22, 1877-April 21, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Monday, April 22, 1957, page 2, col. 4-5, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Aney Belle Gully, 79, of 516 Cass Street, died at 5:50 p.m. Sunday in her home following an illness of three weeks.

Mrs. Gully was born April 22, 1877, in Niles, the daughter of John and Lucinda Curtis, pioneer family and had lived her entire lifetime in the same house in which she was born.  Her husband, Robert, preceded her in death on April 24, 1954.

Surviving are: a niece, Mrs. Percy Gay, of Niles and two nephews, Harold Finley, of Niles, and Herman Curtis of Grand Rapids.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Franklin AME Church, of which she was a member, with the Rev. Emory Davis of Kirkwood, Mo., officiating.  Burial will be in Silverbroook Cemetery. Friends may call at the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home here.

Edward W. Punderson
Sept. 22, 1874-April. 20, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Monday, April 22, 1957, page 2, col. 4, microfilm Niles District Library

Edward W. Punderson, 82, of [illegible] p.m. Saturday in Pawating Hospital after an illness of two years.

Born Sept. 22, 1874 at Hillsdale, he came here  from Grand Rapids in 1911 and was a retired New York Central Railroad employe. His wife, Della, died in 1952. Survivors are a daughter, Mrs. Alice Wedel, and a granddaughter, both of Niles, and a sister, Mrs. Anna Meyers. of Grand Rapids.

Friends may call at the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home where services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Tuesday by the Rev. Herbert E. Meussling, pastor of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. Burial will be at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Mattie M. Smith
Feb. 8, 1876-April 21, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Monday, April 22, 1957, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Mattie M. Smith, 83 of 1016 Sycamore Street, died at 12:30 a.m. Sunday at Pawating Hospital after a three-year illness.

Born Feb. 8, 1876 in Koenigsburg, Germany, she came to the United States at the age of 8 and moved to Niles from Los Angeles one year ago. She was a member of the Royal Neighbors of America, Women's Benefit Assn. and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Survivors are two daughters, Mrs. Eli Zechlin of Niles and Mrs. Adeline H. Bucher, Inglewood, Calif.; three sons, Henry H. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio; Carl H. Smith and John H. Smith, both of Niles; 14 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren; a brother, George Mielke, Hemmet, Calif., and three sisters, Mrs. Jennie Lobdell and Mrs. Emma Michaels, both of Mammoth Springs, Ark., and Miss Elise Mielke, Tucson, Ariz.

Friends may call at the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home where services will be conducted at 4 p.m., Tuesday by the Rev. Herbert E. Meussling, pastor of St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church. Burial will be at Silverbrook Cemetery where graveside rites will be conducted by members of the Women's Benefit Assn.

Mrs. Marcella Peterson
March 10, 1918-April 28, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Monday, April 29, 1957, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Mrs. Marcella F. (Sally) Peterson, 39, of 15 South 15th Street, wife of Ralph L. Peterson, secretary-treasurer of the Niles Federal Savings and Loan Association, died at 2:40 a.m. Sunday in Pawating Hospital where she had been a patient since April 20, she had been ill one month.

Mrs. Peterson was born March 10, 1918, in Muskegon and came to Niles about nine years ago. She was a member of the First Methodist Church and the Epsilon Phi chapter of Beta Sigman Phi Sorority.

Surviving besides her husband are: her father, Cornelius M. Cramer, of Muskegon Heights and three children, Barbara, Susan and David, all at home.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the First Methodist Church with the pastor, the Rev. L. George Beacock, officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home.

Russell C. Haimbaugh
Jan. 25, 1908-May 3, 1957

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, May 4, 1957, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Russell C. Haimbaugh, 49, of 637 North Sixth Street, died at 9 p.m. Friday in this home following an illness of one year.

Mr. Haimbaugh, a machinist at Electro Voice, Inc., in Buchanan, was born Jan. 25, 1908, in Plymouth, Ind., and came to Niles about 16 years ago.

Surviving are: his wife, Letha H.; seven children, Clifford and Howard Haimbaugh, both of Niles, Mrs. Betty Robbins, of Ann Arbor, and Robert, Jack, Marilyn and Helen Haimbaugh, all at home.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in the Kiger-Halbritter Funeral Home here with the Rev. Herbert Meussling, Pastor of St. John's evangelical[sic] and Reformed Church, officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. The family has requested that flowers be omitted and the money given to the Berrien County Cancer Society.