Frank Unley
May 15, 1908-March 21, 1987

Niles Daily Star (Niles, Michigan), Monday, March 23, 1987, page 2, col. 2-3

Frank Unley, 78, 1120 Ferry St., Niles, died at 8:31 p.m. Saturday at Pawating Hospital.

He was born May 15, 1908 in Niles and was a retired party store owner. On March 29, 1952 he married Ethel Buchanan who survives.

Also surviving are one son, Jack Unley of Goshen, Ind.; one daughter, Barbara Yoder of Goshen; two stepdaughters, Faye Kalmus of Niles and Beverly Bolton of Kalamazoo; two sisters, Nevada Rosson and Margaret Taylor, both of Niles; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Services are at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Halbritter Funeral Home with Rev. Arnold O. Schaap officiating. Burial will be at Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call 6-9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Memorials may be made to the Niles Community Library.

Oliver D. Lee
March 13, 1901-Sept. 17, 1987

Niles Daily Star, Wednesday, November 18, 1987, page 2, col. 7, microfilm Niles District Library

Graveside committal services for Oliver D. Lee, 1615 North Fifth St., Niles, who died Sept. 17, will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Rev. Lou Schweppe of St. John's United Church of Christ in Niles will officiate. Halbritter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Lee is survived by a sister, Loreta M. Maynard of Niles.

 also

The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph, Michigan), Saturday, September 19, 1987, page 13, col. 5

NILES—Oliver D. Lee, 86, of 1615 N. Fifth St., Niles, died at 8:08 p.m. Thursday in Pawating Hospital, Niles, after a brief illness.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in St. John's United Church of Christ, Niles, of which he was a member. Burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles. There will be no visitation at the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, which is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the church.

Mr. Lee was born March 13, 1901, in Niles and moved back to Niles in 1981 from Onekama, Mich. He was retired from Simplicity Pattern Co.

Survivors include a daughter, Loreta Maynard of Niles. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Eleanor Poor, on Feb. 27, 1978.

Viola F. Benjamin
Sept 9, 1914-June 20, 2007

Niles Daily Star (Niles, Michigan), Thursday, June 21, 2007, page 2

Viola F. Benjamin, 92, of South Third Street, Niles, died at 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, 2007, at Brentwood Assisted Living Community, Niles, of old age.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 23, at Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles, with Dr. Anthony Tomasino of Grace United Methodist Church officiating.

Burial will be at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles.

Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

She was born on Sept 9, 1914, at Coleman, to Stephen Hayes and Lillian Weston and had lived in Niles since 1935, coming from Edwardsburg.

She retired as principal of Westside School in the Niles Community School system.

She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Niles. She graduated from Western Michigan University and was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority.

She was also a life member of MEMSPA-Michigan Elementary School Principal Association, was a member of NRTA-National Retired Teachers Association, Seepawa Reading Club and was on the Reading Coordinating Council.

She was a winter resident of Bradenton, Fla. She enjoyed oil painting.

On Dec. 25, 1936 at Lakeview, she married Howard Benjamin, who died April 5, 1971.

She is survived by a sister, Freida (Donald) Martens of Lakeview; a brother, Raymond V. Hayes of Kalamazoo; a nephew, Rodney (Cindy) Martens of Hickory Corners and several other nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be made to Grace United Methodist Church. Arrangements were by Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles.

Cecelia M. Conover, of Niles
Feb. 11, 1928 — Feb. 5, 2020

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:07 am Friday, February 7, 2020

Cecelia M. Conover, 91, of Niles, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, in Beacon Memorial Hospital, South Bend.

Cecelia was born on Feb. 11, 1928, in Niles, to Ernest and Agnes (Dickeson) Libey. She graduated from Niles High School in May of 1947, and on June 22, 1947, she and Albert Conover were united in marriage. They happily shared the next 72-plus years together.

Albert survives, along with son, Gary (Linda) Conover, of Niles; daughter, Diane (Brad) Pearson, of Shelbyville, Illnois; six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren; brother, Ernest (Dorothy) Libey, of Niles, and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her father, Ernest; mother, Agnes; step-father, Malvern “Nick” Nicolay; brother, Lester R. Libey; and sister-in-law, Alice Libey.

Cecelia was a lifetime member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Niles, where she served in many positions over the years as Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, along with being a member of the Ladies Aide and choir. In her early years, she worked at various places — F.W. Woolworth, the Mushroom factory, Paris Candy, and Simplicity. Upon the birth of their son, she became a stay-at-home mother and taught 4-H. In later years, she worked at Montgomery Ward, P&H Jewelry, and Gary’s Greenhouse in Niles. She was a proud volunteer at Pawating Hospital (now Spectrum Lakeland Hospital) for in excess of 20 years. She devoted her life to her family, her church and her volunteer work. She never met a stranger.

She enjoyed sewing, flower arranging, gardening, cooking and baking (she loved to bake her family members special cakes for their birthdays) and traveling.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Niles, with funeral services to follow at 1 p.m. Interment will take place at Silverbrook Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Sunday School or to Alzheimer’s Association.

Halbritter Wickens Funeral Services, 615 E. Main St. Niles, is assisting the family with the funeral arrangements. Online condolences may be made at halbritterwickens.com.

Yamini Abdullah
Sept. 19, 1944 — March 2, 2020

Niles Daily Star, Published 8:53 am Thursday, March 5, 2020

Yamini Abdullah, aka, Be’be’ (Bay-Bay) Blair was a big man that came from a small town in the South.

On Sept. 19, 1944, he was born in Sikeston, Missouri, to Roberta and Odester Blair. He spent only a few years there before his family relocated to Niles where he lived and died. He leaves behind six siblings, Charles Blair, Robert Hassan, Dorie Blair, Bayyinah Muhammad, Vernessa Blair and Wilma J. Blair Reed.

He was preceded in death by his sisters, Catherine (Blair) Moore, Armelene (Blair) Gray; and his two brothers, Cleve and James Blair.

Be’be’ was the father of four children, Hassan, Omar, Askia, who preceded him in death and his daughter Sahar. He taught his children how to ride motorcycles, drive stick shifts, plow snow, and garden. However, his most important lesson was the value of hard work. He also was a grandfather of eight. You knew he loved his grandkids because he would make their lunches, put them on the school bus and wait for them at the end of the day. Most days you would find “Paw Paw,” as they liked to call him squished up at the end of his couch, longing for the time when he could watch the news, but stuck watching cartoons.

In his younger years, dad loved spending his time riding his Harley around town on a sunny day. He only had a couple of hobbies, one of which was roller skating, yes, the big guy could rock with the best them on a pair of skates. The second was taking photographs, he took so many pictures he could have been considered an amateur photographer. Dad was a straightforward guy that would tell you exactly what he thought, even if you didn’t ask, and most of the time no one was asking. He was quick witted without trying and often offered unconventional “nuggets” of wisdom that were only for private consumption. At times, it was surprising how much he knew about the behavior of people.

Yamini worked many years at Clark Equipment Company in Buchanan, before it closed, then taking other jobs, at Dexter Wheel and Rim before retiring from McCoy Miller in Elkhart. When asked about boredom from not working, he would always reply, “It beats getting up at 5 a.m., I’ve done my time.”

During his retirement, he spent his days watching way too much CNN, Fox News and any other cable news outlet that required their guest panels to constantly argue. He also liked to sit in his chair under the tree in his front yard and just chill, watching everything and everyone going by. Askia would often ask, “Why is daddy always sitting under that tree?” It was a place of peace and contentment for him.

In the end, Yamini Abdullah was a simple man that led a simple life. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him. He passed away peacefully on March 2, 2020, at his home with his daughter by his side. He was 75 years old.

Family and friends are welcome to pay their last respects at the service for Yamini Abdullah. Viewing will be from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday March 9, 2020, at Brown Funeral Home in Niles followed by the service at 2 p.m.

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.

Joseph Barnes, of Niles
April 4, 1945 — Feb. 8, 2020

Niles Daily Star, Published 9:45 am Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Joseph Barnes Sr., 74, of Niles, passed away at his home on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020.

Joe was born on April 4, 1945, in Shaw, Mississippi, to the late Clarence and Wyona (Thompson) Barnes.

He grew up alongside his 11 siblings.

At the age of 15, he moved to Covert, Michigan, with his mother and siblings. In his early 30’s he became a Marshall in the Masons.

On Oct. 6, 1978, Joseph married the love of his life, Sheryl Vanessa Dixon, at a ceremony in Niles. They settled down and raised their family of four, which grew to include 12 grandchildren. “He’s a good provider” was often said by his wife’s late Aunt Candy.

Joe loved to make money, spend it and eat. He had a long career as a welder fabricator, mechanic and auto-body repairman.

In his spare time, he was all about BBQ, which led him into opening Smokin’ Joe’s and considered himself the “King of Ribs.” Joe fed thousands of people and left an imprint on the lives he encountered on a daily basis. As a result of two car accidents, Joe had to retire in 2009.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Clarence (Audrey), who passed on the same day, as well as Willie and Robert Barnes; sisters, Virgie Barnes, Elnora (Leroy) Foster, Annie (John) Davis and Pearlie (Charles) Gray.

Joseph is survived by his wife, Sheryl Barnes, of Niles; children, Seminar Dixon-Thompson, of Niles, Stacy Dixon, of Niles, Joseph Barnes II, of Niles, and Shani (Dennis) Kirtdoll, of Niles.

He was the devoted grandfather to grandchildren, Leo, Mechayla, Todd, Stacy, Jermond, Tevin, Endyia, Legend, Adriana, Lynix, Xavion and Destyn; goddaughters, Shontielle Marsh Pagel (Tobias) and Jennifer White.

He will also be missed by his brothers, Charles and J.B. (Antonite) Barnes; sisters, Maggie (Jose) Lee and Ruby Tinsley; and a host of close friends and relatives.

Services to honor Joseph’s life will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, at the Niles Philadelphia Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

A time of visitation will begin at 11 a.m., also at the church. An interment will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery.

Memories, photos and condolences may be left for the family at BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com.

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