http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS Thursday, October 17, 2024 21
Clifford
Dean Webber,
77, of Battle
Creek, Mich.,
passed away
Saturday, Sept.
14, 2024, at
Kairos Dwelling
in Kalamazoo,
Mich.
He was born
Aug. 27, 1947, to Kenneth and Dorothy
(Ransom) Webber in Battle Creek, Mich.
Dean was a graduate of Springfield
High School, class of 1967. He entered
the United States Army on Sept. 19,
1967, in Detroit, Mich., and was hon-
orably discharged on Sept. 18, 1973,
at Ft. Riley, Kansas, attaining the rank
of Private. Having served during the
Vietnam War, he unfortunately was
subject to the health effects of Agent
Orange.
He was in production at United Steel
and Wire in Battle Creek, Mich., for 38
years, retiring in 2003. While working at
United Steel and Wire, he met his future
wife, Vicki, and on Oct. 21, 2021, they
married in Battle Creek. Dean, along
with his friends, enjoyed playing pool
at the Kool Family Community Center,
watching Westerns on TV, and going out
to lunch and dinner. Above all else, he
loved being with his children and grand-
children.
Dean is survived by his wife, Victoria“Vicki”; his daughters, Debbie (Frank)
Jackson of Athens, Mich., and Nichole
”Nikki” (Jeremy) Barnes of Virginia
Beach, Va.; his stepdaughters, Crystal
of Battle Creek, Mich., and Jennifer of
Battle Creek, Mich.; his stepson, Ronnie
of Battle Creek, Mich.; his grandchil-
dren, Brayden and Colbey and Lakelyn;
his step-grandchildren, Nick and Anna;
his siblings Jack Webber of Battle
Creek, Mich., Kay Bonet of California,
and Nancy Jester of California.
He was preceded in death by his
parents; his first wife, Keitha Knight;
his wife Teresa of 30 years; his sib-
lings Thomas Webber, Robert Webber,
William Webber, Ron Webber, Don
Webber, Susan Webber and Marilyn
Smith.
Interment with full military honors will
be held at Ft. Custer National Cemetery
in Augusta, Mich., at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be direct-
ed to Kempf Funeral Home to help the
family with final expenses.
Arrangements were entrusted to
Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation
Services, 2838 Capital Ave. SW, Battle
Creek, MI 49015. Please visit http://www.
kempffuneralhome.com to view the
online obituary, to sign the online guest-
book or to
leave the
family con-
dolences.Mary “Martie”
Dull 86, of
Battle Creek,
died September
27, 2024.
Martie was born
January 26,
1938, in Battle
Creek to Charles
R. and Gladys
(Boehmer)
DePond.
She graduated from Bronson
Methodist School of Nursing and
served as an RN at Community Hospital
in Battle Creek from 1959 to 1973 and
the Battle Creek Orthopedic Clinic from
1973 until retiring in 1993.
Martie was a member of the
Pennfield Presbyterian Church. She
enjoyed volunteering for the Salvation
Army soup kitchen, playing cards,
attending bible study, golfing, and
watching grandchildren's sporting
events. Martie's main passion in life
was spending time with family and
friends. She nurtured everyone around
her (including birds and her cat Tiger)
taking friends to appointments, caring
for the sick, and helping those in need.
Martie is survived by her sons,
Glenn Newton of Battle Creek and
Mark Newton of Virginia; brother, Rev.
Jack (Mary Ellen) DePond of Iowa;
step-children, Nelson D. (Sally) Dull,
Sandy Dull, Debra (Charlie) McDonald,and Catherine (James) Bruce; step-
grandchildren, Jessica (Will) Collazo,
Michael (Tessa) Curcuro, Jenny Miller,
Aubree Miller Rachel (Chad) Raynes,
and Philip (Kristen) Bruce; step-great-
grandchildren, Michael, Manny and
Antonio Collazo, Calvin, Keziah, Kuyper,
and Carlton Curcuro, Tyler (Kara)
Miller, Chase Austin, Kendall Bradley,
Ellie and Abbott Raynes, and Levi and
Hannah Bruce; and step-great-great-
grandchildren, Cameron and Benjamin
Miller; and several nieces and neph-
ews. Martie is also survived by In-laws
Eleanor Burton and William Page.
She was preceded in death by her
husbands, Jack Newton (1987) and
Nelson M. Dull Nelson (2021); her
parents; brother, Richard DePond; in-
laws, Jane Rouch Richard Page, Marie
DePond and Connie DePond
The family will receive friends 10-11
a.m., Friday, November 8, 2024 at
Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Cremation
& Preneed Care, Battle Creek where a
memorial service to celebrate her life
will be held at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial dona-
tions may be made to the Pennfield
Presbyterian Church and/or NorthPointe
Woods. Personal messages for the
family may be placed at http://www.farleyes-
tesdowdle.comOn Monday, Oct. 28, members of
the Rotary Club of Battle Creek will
raise money for polio eradication on
Kellogg Community College’s North
Avenue campus.
In 1985, Rotary International began
raising funds in an effort to eliminate
polio worldwide, said Jill Anderson,
immediate past president of the
Rotary Club of Battle Creek.
“Polio, which is a disease that
causes children to be paralyzed, has
not been a problem in the United
States for many years. However, the
war-torn regions of Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and now Gaza, threaten
decades-long efforts by Rotary and
the Bill Gates Foundation to irradi-
cate the disease,” she noted.
By partnering with the World
Health Organization and other gov-
ernment and private groups, Rotary
International has achieved a 99 per-
cent reduction of polio worldwide,
she said.
“Our local Rotary Club of Battle
Creek has been participating in this
effort from the beginning,” she said.
“Presently, through the Purple Pinkie
Project, we wish to make [certainthat] KCC students are educated
about polio and are part of the solu-
tion. Since $1 is the estimated cost
to immunize one child from polio,
local students have been encouraged
to bring $1 or more to help with this
cause.”
Each time a student puts $1 in the
Purple Pinkie Bucket, Rotary will
paint their pinkie purple as a symbol
of one child immunized from polio.
Gentian violet is a topical dye used
by Rotary International to mark chil-
dren after they have been immunized
from polio, to prevent double dosage.“However, we will use purple fin-
gernail polish to show solidarity here.
By partnering with Rotary, our local
students will become part of the solu-
tion to polio, and their purple pinkie
will be their own personal reminder
of one more child saved from the
polio virus,” said Anderson.
More than 100 students and KCC
community members will participate.
The event will be held in the
Student Center at KCC from 11 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m.
All donations will be tripled by the
Bill Gates Foundation.Rotary paints pinkies purple in fight against polio