38 Thursday, August 1, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
Sheri Ladonna Ritchie, 65,
of Scotts, died unexpectedly on
July 22, 2024. Sheri was born
August 28, 1958, in Kalamazoo,
to James and Jeanette Ritchie,
the eldest of four.
She attended Gull Lake High
School and graduated in 1976.
Immediately following high
school, she backpacked across
Europe by herself. She worked
for the U.S. State Department
in Washington, D.C., and
was accepted to Georgetown
University Law School.
However, she returned home and earned
her master’s degree in political science from
Western Michigan University, graduating
Suma Cum Laude.
After that she became a college instruc-
tor and taught political science classes at
Western Michigan and KVCC.
She led a life based on service, selfless-
ness and civic duty. She was a guiding
light and a shining example for many, many
people. Everyone she encountered was that
much better off for having known her, and
her impact was profound and indelible.
Sheri served as assistant director of
Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes for over 20
years, assistant director of the Comstock
Community Center, and most recently was
a para pro at Vicksburg High School. She
retired several months ago. She was fluent
in multiple languages and helped others by
interpreting for them.
In addition, Sheri held numerous certifica-
tions, training and accolades, and was an
ordained minister. She was a certified Master
Gardener and had a lifelong love of garden-
ing and the outdoors. An amazing cook, she
loved diverse cuisines and had an open mind
to all cultures. She was a world traveler, but
her favorite place on Earth was the cottageon Stuart Lake. A voracious
reader, she was seldom without
a book by her side.
Sheri had a tremendous
sense of humor, yet she carried
an air of dignity and class. She
could get along with anyone, she
judged no one, and she was kind
and sincere to everyone. Her
greatest love was her family
and friends, and being a mom
and a grandma was her true joy
and her greatest achievement.
She was preceded in death
by her dad; brother Jimmy
Ritchie; brother-in-law Bret Liggett; beloved
grandparents Alton and Margaret Hart; father-
in-law Jack Johnson; and grandniece twins.
Surviving are her significant other,
David Johnson; son Alex Azizi; grand-
daughter Rayna Elzinga; mom Jeanette
“Tootie” Ritchie; sisters Cheryl Ritchie and
Robin Ritchie; nieces and nephews Ashley
Rogers, Shelby (Marshall) Davidsmeyer,
Tayler (Anthony) Martin, Penelope Sackett;
grandnieces and nephews Hannah, Olivia,
Keagan, Nolan, Madison, Camden, Sydney
and Grayson; her best friends, Deb
O’Keefe, Sue “Marty” Myers, Deb Hansen
and Jenny Opdyck; and fur babies Dudley
and Amber.
Please join us for a Life Story Service
on Thursday, August 1, at 11 a.m.
at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080
Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo; (269) 375-2900. Visitation will begin one hour prior. A
reception will follow the service in the Life
Story Center, where food, drinks and stories
will be shared.
Celebrate Sheri’s life online by sharing
your favorite stories and photos on her
dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to
Animal Rescue Project.
Catherine
Marie “Cathy”
Stahlhood, 60,
of Battle Creek,
passed away
peacefully on
Tuesday, July
23, 2024, at
home under
hospice care,
surrounded by
her loving family.
In keeping
with Cathy’s
wishes, she will
be cremated and no formal services will
be held. The family is being served by
Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation Service in
Union City.
Cathy was born August 27, 1963, to
Howard Rex and Dorothy Lee (Deskins)
Stahlhood in Battle Creek, Michigan. She
graduated from Battle Creek Central High
School with the Class of 1981. Cathy was
born the fifth of eight children. She enjoyed
riding horses, spending time with her friends
and attending school.
Cathy is sur-
vived by her
loving mother,
Dorothy; her
siblings Debora
(Scott) Jones
of Tennessee,
Rocky Stahlhood
of Battle Creek,
Cindy (Jack)
Whaley of Battle
Creek, Sherry
Stahlhood of
Battle Creek,
Rahjah (CeCe)
Stahlhood of Battle Creek, and Micheal
Stahlhood of Battle Creek; and her many
nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father,
Howard; her other mother, Mary Smith; broth-
er Robert; and her nephews Jalen Potter and
Benjamin Hurt.
Memorial contributions can be made to the
family to help with funeral expenses.
Please visit http://www.lighthousefuneral.com to
share memories, pictures and videos with
the family.Maribelle (Mary) Meinke,
89, of St. Petersburg, Fla.,
passed on July 13, 2024,
comfortably at home, with her
family, friends and pastor at
her side.
She was born June 27,
1935, in Batavia Twp., Mich.,
to James and Margaret
(Strang) Wirt of Coldwater,
Mich, and was married to
Walter R. Meinke on June 29,
1973, in Battle Creek, Mich.
Mary worked for the Kellogg
Co. from 1964 ’til retirement in- Mary enjoyed cooking, gardening,
classic cars, and was an avid golfer. She
most enjoyed sewing as a hobby, hold-
ing sewing classes in her home for many
years. Making and selling dog clothes
was another hobby turned business. She
even made a famous dog dress featured
in a well-known Disney movie. After mov-
ing to Florida, she became active with a
dog group whose focus is helping rescues
and shelters. She was an
active member of her church,
Northwest Presbyterian,
where she enjoyed friends
and fellowship with many.
Above all, Mary loved spend-
ing time with her family,
friends and two little dogs,
Princess and Zoey.
Mary was preceded in death
by her parents; husband Walt;
and brother Charles Wirt.
She is survived by her chil-
dren, Jack Mattson, Diana
(Darrell) Hawthorne, Sandra
Barnes, Christine Meinke, Nancy (Steve)
Koscoe and Kenneth (Karen) Meinke; sis-
ters Marjorie (Steve) Spencer and Dorothy
Foster; 13 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchil-
dren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held
August 11, 1-3 p.m., at Glenmoor Village
Community Center, 3971 Capital Ave.
S.W., Battle Creek, MI 49015. Mary will be
interred at Battle Creek Memorial Park.Richard Duane Myers, 79,
passed away from this life at
home, surrounded by his lov-
ing family, in Battle Creek, MI,
after courageously battling a
significant illness.
Richard “Duane” was
the youngest child born to
Lawrence and May Myers
on New Year’s Eve 1944.
Duane dedicated his life to
family and friends. He was a
true handyman in every sense
of the word and was known as
a very loyal, proud and tradi-
tional man.
Duane graduated from Battle Creek
Central High School in 1963. He immedi-
ately enlisted in the United States Army,
where he served his country until 1968.
During Duane’s five years in the service,
he spent time in Germany, Vietnam and
Washington state, receiving an honor-
able discharge in 1968 at the rank of
Sergeant E-5. Upon returning home from the
service, Duane met and married the love of
his life, Jeri, and together they raised three
daughters. He was employed by General
Motors, where he dedicated the next 30
years of his life.
Duane was constantly helping others and
had a commitment to family and friends that
was unwavering. He found great joy in help-
ing with projects or fixing machines. There
was never a tool Duane did not own and
he would spend hours “tinkering” away in
his garage, organizing and cleaning them.
Often, Duane would lose track of time and
pull “all-nighters” due to his commitment to
details and dedication to get-
ting a project completed. Later
in life, Duane started collecting
pulleys and took extreme care
in refurbishing each one to its
original beauty. He loved to
share his joy of pulleys to any
person who would listen.
Outside of his love of tinker-
ing and garage projects, Duane
cherished and prioritized his
precious family, spending time
with Jeri, the kids and grand-
kids. He loved playing cards,
going fishing, helping the fam-
ily with their never-ending projects or crazy
ideas, but always keeping busy. If he was
busy with family, he was happy.
Richard Duane is survived by his loving
wife, Geraldine “Jeri”; his children, Laura
(Patrick) Johnson, Teri Myers and Kimberly
(Jim) Grafton; as well as his cherished
grandchildren, Taylor (Logan) Connell,
Kirstin (Adam) VanderWall, Riley Grafton,
Gage Grafton, Derek (Sara) Johnson; and
great grandchildren Jemma VanderWall,
Olivia, Gracelyn, Kensi, Declan and Dominic
Johnson. His legacy of love and kindness will
live on through them.
Funeral services have already taken place.
Burial was held at Floral Lawn Memorial
Gardens in Emmett Township, MI.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made
to the Wounded Warriors Project, honoring
all his brothers and sisters wounded in the
line of duty.
Arrangements by Bachman Hebble
Funeral Service, (269) 965-5145; http://www.
bachmanhebble.com.BATTLE
CREEK