Obituaries

Fred L. Reum
March 29, 1993-Jan. 2, 1968

Fred L. Reum, 84, of 2330 West Bertrand Road, died today, Jan. 2, 1968, at 3:50 a.m. in Pawating Hospital, following a 8 day illness.

He was a member of the Portage Prairie EUB Church and the Farm Bureau.

Formally director of the Niles Federal Savings and Loan for 37 years. Mr. Reum was born in Cass County, March 29, 1883. As a retired farmer he lived a lifetime in this area.  On Nov. 16, 1910 he married Cleta Bestle in Bertrand Township, who survives.

Funeral services will be Thursday at 2 p.m. in the portage Prairie EUB Church with the Rev. Haldon Ferris officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.Friends may call at the Halbritter-Swem Funeral Home after 7 p.m. today.

Frank C. Reum
April 24, 1886-May 11, 1955

Frank C. Reum, 69, of rural route two, Niles, lifetime resident of Niles Township, died at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 1955, in his home.

Reum was born April 24, 1886, in Niles Township, and was well-known farmer. He was a member of the Niles Elks Lodge and St. Johns Evangelical and Reformed Church. His wife, Marian, died April 20, 1948.

Surviving are a son, Donald Reum at home; a sister, Mrs. Russell File of Niles and two brothers Fred L. Reum of Niles and Gus A. Reum of South Ben.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in St Johns Evangelical and Reformed church with the pastor, the Rev. Herbert Meussling officiating. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the Kiger Funeral Home.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Cleta M. Reum
Aug. 21, 1888-Sept. 23, 1982

Niles Daily Star, Friday, September 24, 1982, page 2, col. 3, microfilm Niles District Library

Cleta M. Reum (Bestle), 94, of 2330 West Bertrand Road., Niles, died at 4:49 p.m. Wednesday at Pawating Hospital of a brief illness.

Born on Aug. 21, 1888 in Bertrand Township, she was a lifetime resident of this area. She was a member of the Portage Prairie United Methodist Church, the Shakespeare club, charter member of the Portage Prairie Home Economics Club.

On Nov. 16, 1910 in Niles she was married to Fred. L. Reum, who has preceeded her in death on Jan. 2, 1968. Survivors include 14 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren, as well as four great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in Portage Prairie United Methodist Church with Rev. Robert P. Stover officiating. The burial will take place at Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Friday at Halbritter Funeral Home.  Memorials may be given to the Portage Prairie Untied Methodist Church Memorial fund.

Jerry Lee Repine
July 27, 1944-March 22, 2003

Mr. Jerry Lee Repine, 58, of West Western Avenue, South Bend, Ind., died Saturday, March 22,  2003 in his home. Death was unexpected but appears to be of natural causes.

He was born on July 27, 1944, in South Bend, to Ernest Raymond and Virginia Bell (Riddle) Repine, and was graduated from Mishawaka (Indiana) High School. He was preceded in death by a son, Brian Repine, who died on Feb. 16, 1983; his parents, Ernest and Virginia Repine, who died in 1960 and 1990; a brother, Terry Lee Repine, who died in 1940; and by a sister, Marda Joy Repine, who died in 1943.

He was an accomplished draftsman, specializing in the design of industrial piping systems. His career took him to projects around the United States, and he enjoyed residences in several states. Mr. Repine was a member of the Fort Saint Joseph Historical Society, Niles, Mich., and the Potawatomi Zoological Society, South Bend. He was very fond of his cats, "Miss Kitty" and "Tigre," whom he left in the care of his Aunt Flora.

Surviving family includes his sons, Todd A. Repine and Scott M. Repine, both of Kodak, Tenn.; granddaughter, Megan Repine; a sister, Carol K. Repine of South Bend; and an aunt, Flora Riddle, who provided his care; an uncle, Loren (Lucille) Riddle, and an aunt, Lucia (Bill) Thomas, all of Niles.

Services for Jerry Lee Repine will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in Wesley United Methodist Church of Niles, with Rev. Emmett H. Kadwell Jr. of the church officiating. The family gathered privately in the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, and interment has occurred at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

Contributions in memory of Jerry Repine may be made to Pet Refuge, Inc., or to the Potawatomi Zoological Society.

March 30, 2003

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Sarah "Sally" Remus
July 26, 1924-March 31, 2004

Niles Daily Star, Thursday, April 1, 2004, page 2, col. 1-2, microfilm Niles District Library

Funeral services for Sarah A. "Sally" Remus,  79, of Regent Street in Niles, are Friday, April 2 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church with the Rev. John W. Schindler of the church and Rev. John R. Tolly of Niles officiating.

Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Remus died on Wednesday at 6:45 a.m. at Riveridge Manor.

She was born on July 26, 1924 in Lenawee County. In 1940 in an airplane over Bay County, she was married to J.B. Johnson, who died on March 26, 1957. In December of 1963 in Niles, she was married to Harold Remus, who survives.

Remus was employed at the medical office of Dr. Scot Moore and had been a real estate agent in Niles. She as a member of First Baptist Church and a volunteer at Pawating Hospital Auxilliary. She was a member of Southwestern Michigan Ass. of Realtors and a member of the Niles Chapter 322 Order of the Eastern Star. Besides their own, she and her husband Harold also helped raise several other children in their home.

Survivors include her husband, Harold; two sons, James Johnson, Ph.D. of Gainsville, Fla. and Gary Johnson, Ph.D. of Richmond, Va.; two step-children, Gary Remus of Berrien Springs and Linda Wilson of Niles; two grandchildren, Trey and Jamie Johnson; nine step-grandchildren, Kim, Jonathon, Matt, Steve, Josh, Chris, Jeremy, Nate and Taylor; a brother, William t. Ossmer of Daytona Beach, Fla.; three sisters, Nancy Anton, Barbara Taylor and Margaret Gillette, all of Niles; she was preceded in death by her first husband, J.B.; a son, David Johnson, Ph.D. in January of 2000; two brothers, Daniel and David Ossmer.

Visitation will be an hour prior to services at the church.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Halbritter Funeral Home.

ALSO: Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Mrs. Sarah Adele Remus, well-known as "Sally," 79, of Regent Street, Niles, Mich., died at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 31, 2004 in Riveridge Manor, Niles, following an extended illness.

She was born on July 26, 1924, in Lenawee County, Mich., to William Thomas and Ethel Lucille (Fitch) Ossmer. She was a graduated from Edwardsburg (Mich.) High School. She was married in 1940 in an airplane over Bay City, Mich., to J.B. Johnson, who preceded her to death on March 26, 1957, in Gleason, Tenn. In 1958 she moved to Niles where she lived the rest of her life.

She was employed for 15 years at the former medical office of Dr. Scott Moore, and then was active as a realtor for many years.

She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Niles, and volunteered with the Pawating Hospital Auxiliary. She was a member of the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors, and had been a member of the former Niles Chapter #322, Order of the Eastern Star. In addition to their children, Mr. and Mrs. Remus helped raise several other children in their home.

In December 1963, in Niles, she was married to Harold C. Remus, who survives. She is also survived by her children, James H. (Theda) Johnson, Ph.D., of Gainesville, Fla., and Gary T. (Jan) Johnson, Ph.D., of Richmond, Va.; her stepchildren, Gary (Lana) Remus of Berrien Springs, Mich., and Linda (Dennis) Wilson of Niles; her grandchildren, Trey and Jamie Johnson; and step-grandchildren, Nate, Chris, Jeremy, Kim, Jonathon, Matt, Steve, Josh, Rick (Rachel), Mark and Erick; step-great-grandchildren, Reagan, Ryan, Keith, Amanda, Noah, Jacob, Stormi and Taylor; her brother, William Thomas Ossmer of Dayton Beach, Fla.; and sisters, Barbara Taylor, Margaret Gillette and Nancy "Roxanne" Anton, all of Niles.

She was preceded in death by a son, David Johnson, Ph.D., who died in January 2000, and brothers, David Ossmer and Daniel Dudley Ossmer.

Funeral services for Mrs. Sarah Remus will be at 2 p.m. today, April 2, in the First Baptist Church, Niles, with the Rev. John W. Schindler of the church officiating, assisted by the Rev. John R. Tolly. Interment will be at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

The family will receive in the church beginning at 1 p.m. today.

Contributions in memory of Sally Remus may be made to the Alzheimer's Association.

Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles.

Florence Marie (Carpenter) Reid
Jan. 15, 1912-May 26, 1993

Niles Daily Star, Friday, May 28, 1993, page 2, col. 5, microfilm Niles District Library

Funeral services For Florence Marie (Carpenter) Reid, 81, of 2694 Redfield Road, Niles, are scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Hoven Funeral Home with the Rev. Ralph Pletcher, pastor of Coulter’s Chapel, Church of God in Niles, officiating.

Burial will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Reid died at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday (May 26, 1993) in Pawating Hospital.

Born Jan. 15, 1912 in Kingsley, Mich, she was a lifetime area resident.

On May 5, 1926, in Mishawaka she married the late Gordon Carpenter, who preceded her in death in 1966. On Nov. 23, 1968, in Niles, she married the late Foster Reid, who preceded her in death on Dec. 5, 1986.

She was a homemaker and was a member of Coulter’s Chapel Church of God.

Survivors include five sons, Robert Carpenter of Buchanan, Richard Carpenter of Niles, Lavern Carpenter of LaPorte, Ind., Donald Carpenter of Niles and Ervin Carpenter of Niles; two daughters, Shirley Rosenbarger of Niles and Reatha Base of Wyatt, Ind.; 46 grandchildren; 56 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Hazel Goss of Bangor. Two sons, Marvin Carpenter and DeVon Carpenter and a daughter, Dorotha Williams, preceded her in death.

Friends may call from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in Hoven Funeral Home.