Page 6 — Thursday, March 23, 2023 — The Hastings Banner
Area
Obituaries
Elaine Garlock
Within this week, we have celebrated St.
Patrick’s Day and also the first day of spring.
The Irish day is almost a non-event in Ire-
land. They wear no green articles.
We have had a wide variety of weather.
The biggest local news item concerning
weather was a pileup of about 150 vehicles
due to whiteout conditions just west of Port-
land on I-96. Sixteen people were sent to the
hospital. Ambulances came from both near
and far. The list of agencies which assisted in
the cleanup was long. Among the agencies
involved were the Portland fire authority,
Portland Public Schools, state police from
Ionia and Grand Rapids, Reed & Hoppes
Towing, Clinton dispatch and the Portland
Church of the Nazarene, which opened its
doors for shelter for those involved in the
crashes and also provided refreshments and a
warm location where family members could
find each other. The emergency lasted from 5
p.m. to 10 p.m., at which time the freewaywas finally cleared. There were no serious
injuries. The sun was out and skies were clear
by the time state police released images
showing the wreckage. The police report
showed that 84 vehicles were damaged and
66 others slid off the road, undamaged.
The downtown lampposts are now sporting
their spring banners. They are very colorful
with their design including spring flowers.
Another highway incident last weekend
involved a snow plow, a truck and another
vehicle a short distance west of the Jordan
Lake Road exit. The road commission vehi-
cle was travelling westbound in the passing
lane when a passenger vehicle attempted to
pass a truck. Unfortunately, the DOT vehicle
was occupying the passing lane.
Daffodils growing in sheltered spots are
about six inches high. They will soon bud.
Higher nighttime temperatures this week will
bring the maple sap season to a rapid close.
Nights need to be below the freezing mark
with thawing days to continue the sap process.Portable toilet goes missing
from work site
Barry County Central Dispatch received a call about a missing commode around 2 p.m. on
Feb. 16. The caller said he was working on a job site on the 3300 block of Glenn Clay Court
in Freeport when he noticed a portable toilet was no longer there. Concerned that it may have
been stolen, the caller reported the missing toilet to police and inquired to ensure it hadn’t been
picked up by the company that owned it.Vehicle runs stop sign, catches
fire after crash near Woodland
Police responded to a two-car accident around 6 a.m. on March 15 at the intersection of
North M-66 Highway and Coats Grove Road near Woodland. When police arrived on scene,
they saw the two vehicles involved in the crash. A minivan involved was unoccupied, facing
the wrong way in the westbound lane of Coats Grove Road and had caught fire in the engine
bay. The other vehicle involved, an SUV, was off the roadway northeast of the intersection with
two occupants, a Nashville man and woman. While first responders removed the occupants
from the vehicle, the responding officer spoke with the driver of the minivan. The driver, a
34-year-old Hastings man, told police he drives on Coats Grove Road everyday, but for some
reason he drove through the stop sign. Police issued a citation for disregarding a stop sign and
for driving on a revoked license. Mercy Ambulance transported the man to Spectrum Health
Butterworth Hospital.Mail stolen from Hickory
Corners residents
A 54-year-old Hickory Corners woman called police around 9 a.m. on March 1 after finding
her mail missing from her residence on the 8000 block of West Hickory Road. The woman said
she was taking a walk with her dog earlier that morning when she saw an “old, beat-up white
car” driving slowly down the road. The woman didn’t think much of it until later, when she
saw her mailbox and her mother’s mailbox on the same block open and empty around 7:30 a.m.
The woman confirmed with the post office that no one had come to pick up the mail.Social Security celebrates
Women’s History Month
Hillary Hatch
Public Affairs Specialist
March is Women’s History Month. It is an
opportunity to recognize and celebrate the
achievements of women. Social Security pro-
vides vital benefits and financial protection
for women.
Nearly 55 percent of the people receiving
Social Security benefits are women. Today,
more women work, pay Social Security taxes,
and earn credit toward monthly retirement
income than at any other time in our nation’s
history.
Women also have longer average life
expectancies than men and tend to live more
years in retirement. This means women have
a greater chance of exhausting other sources
of income. It’s important for women to plan
early and wisely for retirement.
Our online booklet, “Social Security: What
Every Woman Should Know” found at ssa.
gov/pubs/EN-05-10127.pdf, provides
detailed information about how life events
can affect a woman’s Social Security retire-
ment benefits. These events may include
marriage, death of a spouse, divorce, self-em-ployment and other life or career changes.
Your earnings history will determine future
benefits, so we encourage you to verify that
the information in your record is correct. You
can create a personal my Social Security
account at ssa.gov/myaccount to review your
full earnings history. You can also view your
Social Security Statement using your person-
al my Social Security account, to get esti-
mates of future benefits and other important
planning information.
If you find an error in your earnings record,
it is important to get it corrected so you
receive the benefits you earned when you
retire. Our publication, “How to Correct Your
Social Security Earnings Record” at ssa.gov/
pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf, provides you with
details on how to make a correction.
More information about how Social Secu-
rity benefits women can be found at ssa.gov/
people/women.
Hillary Hatch is the Public Affairs Special-
ist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o
Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp
NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at
[email protected].Tel. (269)-945-
Fax (269)-945-
328 S. Broadway Street
Hastings, Michigan 49058Dale Billingsley and Ray Girrbach
Providing Exceptional Service
with Compassion and CareMarcy Beth Heilborn, age 72, of Hastings,
MI, passed away on March 19, 2023, sur-
rounded by her family.
Marcy was born on April 28, 1950 in Mar-
ion, IN, the daughter of Dick and Beth (Dent)
Heilborn. She graduated in 1968 from Flint
Northwestern High School.
Marcy’s favorite jobs were working at Bob
Evans and Walmart, but she loved being a
homemaker the most.
She loved her children, family, and grand-
babies. She was a phenomenal gardener who
could grow anything and everything, an
amazing cook, and loved to bake. She loved
to watch football and NASCAR. Marcy was
funny and very quick-witted. She was laugh-
ing and joking with us up until a few hours
before her death. Her favorite holiday was
Thanksgiving, and she had a large collection
of Santa Claus items.
Marcy was preceded in death by her par-
ents, Dick and Beth Heilborn, and brother,
Tom Heilborn.
She is survived by her children, Bridgette
(Robert) Gilliam of Fort Wayne, IN, Karyn
(John) Sims of Battle Creek, MI, Robert (Tara)
Briggs of Coldwater, MI; grandchildren,
Michael (Matt) Gilliam of For Wayne, IN, Eric
(Lindsey) Lemmon, Overland Park, KS, John-
ny Sims of Coldwater, MI, Colin Briggs of
Bozman, MT; sister Panda (Ed) Englerth of
Hastings, MI, brother Paul (Annie) Heilborn of
Pleasant Lake, MI, loving companion of five
years, Ray Adams, and close friends Barb
Kimpel and Danny Fagan of Hastings, MI.
Memorial contributions in memory of
Marcy can be made to the American Cancer
Society, http://www.donate.cancer.org, P.O. Box
6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741, or a local
animal shelter/rescue.
A funeral service was held on Tuesday,
March 21, 2023, at Girrbach Funeral Home,
328 S Broadway, Hastings, MI 49058. To
leave an online condolence visit http://www.girr-
bachfuneralhome.net.Norine Ida Wilson, age 96, of Hastings, MI,
passed away peacefully on March 18, 2023.
Norine was born on October 15, 1926 in
Barry County, the daughter of Ernest and
Pearl (Slagel) Vermeulen. She was raised in
Middleville and attended Thornapple Kellogg
Schools, graduating in 1944.
Norine was a homemaker and was devoted
to her family and church. She was a caring and
loving wife, mother, and grandmother who did
many kind deeds for her family and friends.
Norine was employed by Baby Bliss for
many years. On December 11, 1948 she mar-
ried Keith M. Wilson and he preceded her in
death in 2003.
Norine is survived by daughter, Deborah
(Michael) Frey; daughter-in-law, Janet Wil-
son; four grandchildren; and many great
grandchildren.
Norine was also preceded in death by her
parents; son, Dennis Wilson Sr.; and sister,
Marjorie Mulford.
Norine’s family will receive friends on
Saturday, March 25, 2023, 12 to 1 p.m. at the
Beeler-Gores Funeral Home where her funer-
al service will be conducted at 1 p.m., Pastor
Tony Shumaker, officiating. Burial will take
place at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Please visit http://www.beelergoresfuneral.com
to share a memory or to leave a condolence
message for Norine’s family.Marcy Beth HeilbornNorine I. Wilsonmaking it one of, if not the, most expensive
embezzlement cases to occur in Barry County.
The purchases featured a long line of friv-
olous and luxury items, including an above-
ground swimming pool. Ryan Williams and
his then-attorney Benjamin Norg disputed
some of those purchases and a restitution
hearing is still forthcoming, with the final
total still hanging in limbo.
During the case, representatives from Flex-
Fab conveyed through assistant prosecuting
attorney Chris Elsworth that they wanted to
get their money back and requested no jail
time.
While sentencing guidelines in the case
called for 12 to 20 months behind bars, those
were advisory and Judge Michael Schipper
was given discretion in sentencing. Both he
and Elsworth agreed that the sentencing
guidelines did not account for the extreme
nature of this case, which spanned five years
and included 2,800 separate purchases.
This led to Schipper’s sentence of a decade,
at minimum.
Since the sentencing, and as Ryan Wil-
liams sits at the Charles Egeler Reception and
Guidance Center in Jackson waiting to be
assigned to permanent housing within the
Michigan Department of Corrections, Rita
Williams has found a new attorney and is
embarking on the appeals process. She has
also not shied away from voicing her disap-
proval at what she views to be a violation of
her due process rights.
This effort included a visit to Hastings on
Wednesday, where she led a small group of
protesters outside of the Barry County Court-
house to raise awareness over Ryan Williams’
case.
She was joined by relative Kay Williams,
father Rick Iseminger, and Hastings resident
Amber Holtrust, who caught wind of the pro-
test and wanted to join.
“If it were my husband, I’d want someone
to stand up for me, too,” Holtrust said.
“I don’t know all the exact details of
Ryan’s situation. I know the general over-
view, and I’ve – as well as a lot of people in
the county – have had issues with not getting
fair treatment in this courthouse.”
Central to her list of misconducts is the fact
that Rita Williams and her husband were
blindsided by the sentence, Rita Williams
saying that they were told behind closed
doors that by pleading guilty, Ryan Williams
would be in line for minimal or no jail time.
“We did not expect 10 to 20 years – any of
us,” Rita Williams said. “I had no time to pre-
pare as a mother. I didn’t have time to put a
safety net. I was left on my own from the word
‘go.’ ...I immediately got to work advocating.”
Rita Williams said she has contacted to the
Judicial Tenure Commission and Attorney
Grievance Commission in addition to circu-
lating an online petition to help Ryan’s cause.
The Banner reached out to both the office
Judge Michael Schipper and the Barry Coun-
ty Prosecutor’s office for comment on the
accusations and did not receive a response as
of press time. A restitution hearing looms
ahead in the case on March 30.
“That’s been the hardest part – people that
don’t really know what it’s like to be in the
eye of the storm attacking me and the kids
and somehow thinking we’re in on this,” Rita
Williams said. “...They don’t recognize how
hard it’s been to deal with all this and the
fallout that comes with.”WILLIAMS, continued from page 3 ––––––––––––––––––
In January, former FlexFab employee Ryan Williams appeared in front of Judge
Michael Schipper to be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison. Here, Williams
is pictured next to attorney Benjamin Norg with wife Rita seated in the gallery. (File
photo)
1699 W. M43 Highway,
Hastings, MI 49058.945-1351 North M-43 Hwy.
Hastings
945-1301 W. Green St.
Hastings
945-This information on worship services is provided by The Hastings Banner, the churches
and these local businesses:HASTINGS FREE
METHODIST CHURCH
"We Exist To Be An
Expression Of Who Jesus Is
To The World Around Us".
2635 N. M-43 Hwy., P.O. Box
8, Hastings. Telephone 269-
945-9121. Email hastfmc@
gmail.com. Website: http://www.
hastingsfreemethodist.com.
Pastor Brian Teed, Assistant
Pastor Emma Miller, Worship
Director, Martha Stoetzel.
Sunday Morning Worship:
9:45 a.m. with Kids Church and
Nursery. Aftermath Student
Ministries: Sundays 6 p.m.SOLID ROCK BIBLE
CHURCH OF DELTON
7025 Milo Rd., P.O. Box 765,
(corner of Milo Rd. & S. M-
43), Delton, MI 49046. Pastor
Roger Claypool, (517) 204-- Sunday Worship Service
10:30 to 11:30am, Nursery and
Children’s Ministry. Wednesday
night Bible study and prayer
time 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
ST. ROSE OF LIMA
CATHOLIC CHURCH
805 S. Jefferson. 269-945-
4246 Pastor Father Stephan
Philip. Mass 4:30 p.m.
Saturday. Mass 8 and 11 a.m.
Sunday.HASTINGS
BAPTIST CHURCH
309 E. Woodlawn, Hastings.
Matt Moser, Lead Pastor.
Sunday Services: 9:15 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages;
10:30 a.m. Worship Service;
Senior High Youth Group 6-
p.m.; Young Adults 6-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Family Night
6:30-8 p.m., Kids 4 Truth
(Children Kindergarten-5th
Grade), 6:30-8 p.m. Middle
School Youth Group; 6:
p.m. Bible Study and Prayer.
Call Church Office 948-
for information.CHRIST THE KING
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH (PCA)
328 N. Jefferson Street.
Worship 10 a.m. Nursery
provided. Pastor Peter Adams,
contact 616-690-8609.WOODGROVE
BRETHREN
CHRISTIAN PARISH
4887 Coats Grove Rd. Pastor
Randall Bertrand. Wheel-
chair accessible and elevator.
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship Time 10:30 a.m.
Youth activities: call for
information.LIFEGATE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
301 E. State Rd., P.O. Box 273,
Hastings, MI 49058. Pastor
Scott Price. Phone: 269-948-- Website: http://www.lifegatecc.
com. Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Wednesday Life Group 6:
p.m.
PLEASANTVIEW
FAMILY CHURCH
2601 Lacey Road, Dowling,
MI 49050. Pastor, Steve
Olmstead. (269) 758-
church phone. Sunday
Service: 10 a.m.Worship
Together
. ..at the church of your choice ~
Weekly schedules of Hastings area churches
available for your convenience...
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