Obituaries

William Hipshear
Jan. 19, 1899-Sept. 7, 1945

Funeral Monday for William Hipshire, Aged 46

Mr. William Hipshire, 606 North Twelfth street, died today at Pawating hospital after an illness of one year.

Hipshire was born in Benton Harbor, Jan. 19, 1899 and came to Niles from Keeler 30 years ago. He was employed by New York Central as a car repairman. He married the former Frances Siebert, March 26, 1924.

Besides his wife, Mr. Hipshire is survived by three children, Col. Harold, now in Germany, Pfc. Wallace, who is home on leave and Joan, who lives at home, four brothers, Cleve and Rosco of Niles, Charles of Grand Rapids and Lon of Benton Harbor; and two sisters, Mrs. Mae Stattler of Berrien Springs and Mrs. Irene Coon of Benton Harbor.

Friends may call at the Pifer funeral home until noon Monday. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the St. Johns Evangelical church of which Mr. Hipshire was a member.  Rev. Theo Eisen will conduct the services and burial will in Silverbrook cemetery.

Niles Daily Star, Friday, September 7, 1945, page 2, col. 7-8, microfilm Niles District Library

NB: Although name is spelled "Hipshire" in obituary, other cemetery records and grave marker use spelling of "Hipshear".

Carl Christian Reum
Nov. 11, 1883-Aug. 31, 1945

Former Niles Resident Dies At Grand Rapids

Mr. Carl Christian Reum of Grand Rapids, a former Niles resident, died Thrusday night at Grand Rapids. Reum was born in Niles Nov. 11, 1883.  The body will arrive in Niles Sunday evening for burial at Silverbrook cemetery. Services will be held at the Kiger funeral home Monday at 2 p.m. Rev. Theodore Eisen will conduct the services.

Reum was employed as a stationary engineer at the Box Board Co., Grand Rapids. He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Robert Parko, Mrs. George White and Mrs. Fred Esch, all of Grand Rapids, one sister, Mrs. Henry Kregstra, Grand Rapids, and four grandchildren.

Niles Daily Star, Saturday, September 1, 1945, page 2, col. 7-8, microfilm Niles District Library

Nellie M. Wells
May 15, 1868-June 12, 1943

MRS. NELLIE WELLS DIES; RITES TUESDAY

Mrs. Nellie Wells, 75, Route 4, a resident of Niles since 1919, died Saturday night at 11:15 in Pawating hospital after a week's illness.

Born in Cass county May 15, 1868, Mrs. Wells lived in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Clarence Gillette, M-60 west.  Isaac H. Wells, to whom she was married in Dowagiac in 1894, died 7 1/2 years ago.

Surviving with Mrs. Gillette are two sisters, Mrs. William Jones, Cassopolis, and Mrs. George Stevens, Charles City, Va.

Friends may call in the Gillette home, where funeral services will be conducted Tuesday afternoon at 2 by the Rev. James Goodman, Wolcottville, Ind., former pastor of the Niles First Baptist church.

Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

Niles Daily Star, Monday, June 14, 1943, page 2, col. 8, microfilm Niles District Library

John Unley
July 15,1870-June 16, 1943

Niles Daily Star, Wednesday, June 16, 1943, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

JOHN UNLEY, 72, STRICKEN TODAY

John Unley, Sr., 72, life-long resident of the city and former Niles grocer, died at noon today in his home, 1203 Ferry street.  He had been ill since suffering a stroke a week ago.

Mr. Unley operated the Unley grocery store at 1201 Ferry street many years until his retirement. He was preceded in death by Mrs. Unley.

Surviving are nine children--William, Frank and John Unley,Jr., Mrs. Florence Kater, Mrs. Mary Fellows and Mrs. Mrs. Margaret Taylor, all of Niles, Mrs. Nevada Russell, Berrien Springs; Raymond Unley, South Bend, and Elmer Unley, Goshen.

The body is at the Pifer funeral home.

Niles Daily Star, Thursday, June 17, 1943, page 2, col. 6, microfilm Niles District Library

Rites for Unley, Former Grocer, Set for Friday

Final rites for john Unley, Sr., who died at noon Wednesday in his home, 1203 Ferry street, will be conducted Friday afternoon at 2 in the Pifer funeral home.

The Rev. J. Kenneth Hoffmaster, pastor of the Methodist church, will officiate with bural[sic] in Silverbrook cemetery.

Mrs. Unley, former Niles grocery, was preceded in death by his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Unley, who died 18 years ago. He was born in Niles July 15, 18570[sic].

Friends may call in the funeral home.

Howard J. Weatherspoon
Dec. 16, 1908-Sept. 27, 1938

H.J. WEATHERSPOON ILL 3 WEEKS, DIES

Former Tyler Employe to be Buried Here Wednesday

Seriously ill for the last three weeks, Howard J. Wethersoon, 29, of 749 Maple street, died at 6:30 o'clock Sunday night in his home.

He had lived in Niles for the last 26 years, and prior to his illness had been employed as a welder by the Tyler Fixture corporation.

Born in Kouts, Ind., Dec. 16, 1908, Mr. Wetherspoon moved to Niles with his parents at the age of three.

He is survived by his widow, Murl Shannon Wetherspoon, whom he married in South Bend, Sept. 8, 1928; one son, Harry Edward; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wetherspoon; a brother, Harry Jr., Niles, and four sisters, Mrs. Frank Wolkins and Mrs. June Calder, Niles, Mrs. Edward Van West, Los Angeles, and Mrs. Harl Robacher, Syracuse, M.Y.

The Rev. C.J. Harpold will conduct funeral services at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoon in the Rutherford funeral home. Burial will be in Silverbrook cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home.

Niles Daily Star, Monday, September 28, 1938, page 2, col. 1, microfilm Niles District Library

NB: The obituary uses both Weatherspoon and Wetherspoon spelling; cemetery records and other documents use "Weatherspoon" so it is indexed under that spelling.

Ethelyn Flora, 92
Oct. 20, 1918 — April 24, 2011

Ethelyn M. Flora, 92, of Oak Street in Niles, died at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 24, 2011 at West Woods of Niles following an extended illness.

Flora

She was born Oct. 20, 1918 in New Market, Iowa to Thomas A. and Jesse (Shore) Harris. She graduated as valedictorian from New Market High School; completed her teaching certification two years later at Northwest Missouri State Teacher’s College; earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University; and earned a master of science degree from Michigan State University. She also completed 30 hours of post-graduate work at Eastern Michigan University.

Mrs. Flora began her teaching career in one-room schoolhouses in Iowa, and taught in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana prior to moving to Niles in 1945. She taught English at Ring Lardner Junior High School for 25 years, and retired in 1987, completing a 50-year teaching career.

She was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Niles. She was also a member of the local, state and national education associations and the local and state retired educator associations; was a member of the American Association of University Women and the Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Sorority; the Niles Piecemakers Quilt Club; and was a founding member of the Ring Lardner Retirees’ quarterly luncheon.

Ethelyn enjoying traveling, completing nine trips to Europe; and extensive tour of China;l and visits to 44 of the states and five Canadian provinces. Yellowstone National Park was a favorite return visit. She was also an avid reader of books, newspapers and magazines; a genealogist of her family’s lineage; and a seamstress with a special interest in quilting.

On Aug. 8, 1944 in Chicago, she married George William Flora, who was also a teacher. He was a director of the music department at Niles High School and choir director at First Presbyterian Church. George died unexpectedly on Aug. 7, 1969, one day short of their 25th wedding anniversary.

Ethelyn is survived by their children, Margaret Ann McClintic of Houghton Lake, Mich. and Robert Harris (Paulette) Flora of Troy, Mich.; granddaughters, Jessica (Brian) Rauch and Erin (David) Tanenbaum; great-grandsons, Derek Michael and Ian Joshua Rauch; step-granddaughter, Sarah Pallazzolo; and Ethelyn’s sister-in-law, Mary (Lyle) Harris of Clarinda, Iowa; and a dear friend, Carol Lans of Niles.

In addition to her husband, Ethelyn was preceded in death by a daughter-in-law, Robert’s first wife, Dinah Bundy; and a brother, Lyle V. Harris.

The funeral service for Ethelyn M. Flora will be at 11 a.m. Monday, May 2 at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles with the Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence of First Presbyterian Church officiating.

Committal will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive friends and relatives from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Contributions in memory of Ethelyn may be made to the scholarship program of Pi Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International.

Niles Daily Star, Published online 8:34am Thursday, April 28, 2011