Obituaries

Ella Mae Lewis
Aug. 23, 1914-April 20, 1996

Ella Mae Lewis, 81, of 1101 N. Seventh St., Niles, died at 7:30 p.m. Saturday April 20, 1996,  in Lakeland Medical Center of natural causes. Mrs. Lewis was born Aug. 23, 1914, in Earle, Ark., and had resided in the Niles area since 1949. On April 1, 1949, in Niles, she married James Frederick Lewis, who survives.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Mount Calvary Baptist Church. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call after 10 a.m. Wednesday in the church. Hoven Funeral Home, Buchanan, is in charge of arrangements.

Bruce A. LeRonge
Dec. 19, 1965-April 25, 1996

Services for Bruce A. LeRonge, 30, of 1840 River Bluff Road, Niles,  who died at 2:40 a.m. Thursday April 25, 1996, in Lakeland Medical Center of natural causes, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Halbritter Funeral Home. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Niles Community Library.

Mr. LeRonge was born Dec. 19, 1965, in Niles. Surviving are his mother, Beverly D. LeRonge of Niles; a brother, Scott of Niles; and grandmothers, Ethel LeRonge and Wilma Atkins, both of Niles. He was a graduate of Niles High School, where he was active in the building trades program.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Ernest A. Lemmerhart
March 17, 1861-January 16, 1938

South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Indiana, Monday, January 17, 1938, page 16

Ernest A. Lemmerhart, aged 76, of 924 East Colfax Avenue, died at 5 a.m. Sunday at his residence following seven years' illness.  He was born in New York city, March 17, 1861, and came here  from Niles, Mich., 35 years ago.  He was married in this city in 1914 to Mrs. Ida Smith.  He was a foreman for the Michigan Central railroad until 10 years ago. Surviving besides his widow are four step-daughters,  Mrs. Edward Simpson, Mrs. Louis Voelkel, Mrs. Louis A. Murphy and Mrs. Clayton Keen all of South Bend; six grandchildren; a great-grandchild of South Bend; a brother, William Lemmerhart,  Pasadena, Calif., and two sisters, Mrs. Anna Coffinger, Niles, and Mrs. Minnie Brockway, Chicago.  The body will lie in the residence until 1 p.m. Tuesday when it will be taken to Holy Trinity English Lutheran church to lie until services there at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Rev. William C. Zimmerman, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be at Silver Brook Cemetery, Niles. 

Fred Leggett
Feb. 22, 1873-April 25, 1951

Fred Leggett, 78, 1530 North Fifth Street, Niles, died this morning at 8:10 a.m. (April 25, 1951), where he had been a patient since Sunday. He had been in poor health for some time.

Surviving are his five daughters, Mrs. Robert Campbell, Mrs. William Reed, Mrs. Julius Wadel, Mrs. Howard Eisele, and Mrs. Marvin Smothermon, all of Niles; his son, Victor Leggett, of Niles and 16 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Leggett was born Feb. 22, 1873, in Dayton, and came here from Dayton 45 years ago.  He was a retired railroad mechanic, and a member of Modern Woodman.Friends may call at the Pifer funeral home, where services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday by the Rev. Theo Eisen, retired pastor of St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Anna E. Leggett
July 7, 1915-May 9, 1996

Anna E. Leggett, 80, formerly of 1108 N. 5th St., Niles,  died at 7:08 p.m. Thursday May 9, 1996, in Lakeland Medical Center.  Mrs. Leggett was born July 7, 1915, in Britton, S.D., and moved to Buchanan in 1920 and to Niles in 1928.  On Jan. 23, 1932, in Niles, she married Victor John Leggett.  He died Jan. 23, 1980.  Surviving are a daughter, Betty Ann Lakin of Lafayette, Ind.; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Kathryn Norton and Agnes Weldon, both of Buchanan. A daughter, Bonnie J. Leggett, and a son, Bobby Victor, preceded her in death.

There will be no services or visitation. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery.  Halbritter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the children's department of Niles Community Library.

Submitted by family member; publication details unknown

Rufus Leath, 85, of Spansail Drive, Niles, Michigan, died following a brief illness at 2 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2005, in Pine Creek Foster Care Home, Niles.

Mr. Leath was born June 11, 1920, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Rufus E. and Addie Mae (Spicer) Leath. He graduated from Central High School in 1939, where he excelled in track. Rufus went on to attend Alabama State University. He had lived in Niles since 1945, coming from South Bend, Indiana, in 1924.

Rufus retired in 1985 after 34 years of service from the U.S. Postal Service in Niles. He was a member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Niles. Mr. Leath was a veteran of World War II, having served in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he was one of the original "Tuskegee Airman." He was also a member of both the Four Flags Flying Club and Four Flags Chess Club. He enjoyed golf and bowling. Rufus was an avid Notre Dame and Chicago Cubs fan.

On February 6, 1943, in Junction City, Kansas, he was married to the former Menella l. Dixon, who survives. Also surviving are his two nephews whom he raised as his own sons, Robert (Lynne) Dixon II of Seaside, Calif., and Derrick Battle of Detroit, Michigan; two great-nephews, Robert Dixon III and John Dixon, both of Seaside, California; a brother, John (Molly) Leath of Owings Mills, Maryland; as well as several other nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Rufus Leath will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, 2005, in Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Niles, with Rev. Bryant L. Bacon officiating. Burial will be at Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 20, in the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles.

Memorials may be made to Mount Calvary Baptist Church.