http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS Thursday, August 22, 2024 17
Mark Steven
Bacon,
69, from
Harvest, Ala.,
passed away
Thursday,
August 1,- He was
born August
30, 1954, in
Battle Creek,
Mich., to parents Leland Dean
Bacon and Mary Ann Bacon.
He was the youngest of five sib-
lings. He was raised Catholic and
attended parochial school during
his early years at St. Philip and St.
Jerome schools. As a young child
he loved to spend time in the woods
near his house and developed an
early love of nature. He finished his
education at Battle Creek Central
High School, and he was employed
by Clark Equipment of Battle Creek,
Mich. He worked there until the late
1970s due to the plant closing and
relocation to Tennessee.
Mark then decided to join the
United States Army and married
Julie Jung of Battle Creek. Julie
and Mark had a short marriage;
divorced in 1980. Mark was sta-
tioned in Huntsville, Ala., at the
Redstrone Arsenal, where he was
assigned to the LCSS Missile
Defense Test and Repair center. He
became an electronics and missile
systems specialist and instructor.
In early 1981, Mark fell off the
bluffs on Green Mountain during a
nature visit with friends and sus-
tained critical injuries. As a result
of these injuries, Mark was placed
on disability retirement in April 1984.
In March 1981, he married Teresa
Dawn Moding of Toney, Ala., whom
he considered to be the love of his
life and soulmate.
Due to Mark’s electronics experi-
ence, he secured a job with Sperry
Corporation in 1984 out of Salt Lake
City as their East Coast Quality
Liaison. One of the companies he
represented for Sperry was Avco
Electronics, where his wife actu-
ally worked. In 1986, Avco/Avex
offered Mark a job as a manufactur-
ing supervisor, leading their SMT
(Surface Mount Technology) Lab,
which was considered state of the
art manufacturing for electronics at
that time. He also worked in manu-
facturing management for SCI. In
1995, Mark and his wife moved to
Wesley Chapel, Fla., and went to
work for Sypris/Group Technologies
of Tampa as a program manager.
In 1997 Mark and his wife, Teresa
(who is also in the electronics
industry), were recruited back
to Huntsville, Ala., to help in the
startup operations for Nextek Inc.,
another Electronics Manufacturing
Services company in Madison, Ala.
He served in various operations
and manufacturing management
capacities for Nextek.
Mark never met a stranger and
loved to meet and talk with people.
He had a passion for animals and
had a natural ability/gift with them.
He was kind, had a warm soul. He
was very spiritual and maintained
his Catholic identity. He enjoyed
golf and attending and watching
Alabama University football games
and attended many games in
Tuscaloosa, along with tailgate par-
ties with friends. He was a roman-
tic; he wrote beautifully to include
poems, stories and childhood
memories. He loved old rock and
roll music. In the past few years, he
enjoyed an occasional brew and
conversation with his best friend
and neighbor, Marty Raaf.
Mark was preceded in death by
his father, Leland Dean Bacon;
his mother, Mary Ann Brewer; his
stepfather, Robert Brewer; brother
Leland ‘Buzz’ Bacon; and sister
Mary Trebilcock; stepsister Sandy
Meyers; stepsister JoAnn Kennedy,
who all resided in Michigan.
Mark’s legacy will be carried on by
his wife of 43 years, Teresa Bacon;
brother Mike Bacon; sister Becky
Haywood; stepbrother Terry Brewer;
and stepsister Nancy Brewer.
It was Mark’s wish not to have a
funeral. His cremains will reside at
home in Harvest, Ala., with his wife
until her passing.Roberta
H. Cribbs,
also known as
“Noonie,” was
born June 29,
1946, in Oran,
Missouri. She
departed this
life on Sunday,
August 11,
2024, at home.
As a youth, Roberta moved to Battle
Creek, attended Battle Creek Public
Schools and graduated from Battle
Creek Central High School in 1964. She
was in the top 10 percent of her class.
She earned an associate degree in 1973
from Kellogg Community College and
her bachelor’s degree from Western
Michigan University in 1981.
She met and married Vernell Cribbs,
which ended in divorce. Roberta leaves
to cherish her one and only son, Corey
James (Beth) Cribbs of Kalamazoo, MI;
two grandchildren, Stacia Latoma Lee
Cribbs and Corey J. Cribbs II; two bonus
grandsons, Shakeem and Kentyrell Tate,
all of Battle Creek; one great-grandson,
Corey J. Cribbs III; four generations of
nieces and nephews; special sister-in-
law Betty Howlett; very special lifelong
friend Dorothy Foreman, both of Battle
Creek; goddaughters Monica Thacker of
Columbus, OH, Jamesha Quick of Battle
Creek; and godson Alvin Stevenson of
Battle Creek.
Roberta was a member of Emmanuel
Covenant Church International. Roberta
was a proud member of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority. She enjoyed playing soft-
ball, bowling, bid whist, cribbage, travel-
ing, ordering from QVC, and watching
her stories: Lifetime and Family Feud.
Roberta was employed at Kellogg Co.
for 28 years. After working many posi-
tions, she became a senior buyer in the
purchasing department in 1999 untilretirement.
She joined the NAACP initially as a
member of the NAACP Youth Council.
She wore many hats during her 34
years of service. She served as the
NAACP president for eight years. She
was not only a Life Member but also
a Golden Life Member. She imple-
mented the Heritage Quiz Bowl and the
Debutante Ball in 1991.
Roberta liked making people laugh
and mostly cared about her fam-
ily, friends and her community. She
was awarded the Sojourner Truth
Award from the Negro Business and
Professional Women’s Club for being a
pillar of the community. She loved the
kids and always stood for what was
right. She was responsible for creat-
ing the Juneteenth Celebration in Battle
Creek. She was elected and served on
the Battle Creek Public School Board
from 1992-2004, becoming the first
Black female to serve on the board.
Roberta was preceded in death by
her parents, Odis and Rosie (Babe)
Howlett; maternal grandmother Ada
Robinson; brothers Otis Jr., Andrew
Howlett, James Howlett; sisters Georgia
M. Grievous, Ada M. Barbee and Shirley
Ann Howlett, all of Battle Creek; along
with her dog, Cotee.
Visitation was held at Baxter Funeral
& Cremation Service on Tuesday,
August 20, 2024, from 4-7 p.m. and
on Wednesday, August 21, 2024,
from 11 a.m. to noon at W.K. Kellogg
Auditorium, with the celebration of life
service following at noon.
Memorial donations may be made
to the Roberta H. Cribbs Scholarship
Fund at the Battle Creek Community
Foundation, 32 W. Michigan Ave.,
Battle Creek, MI 49017 or https://
bccfoundation.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/
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