18 Thursday, September 12, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
Edith Mae
Grashuis,
84, of Coats
Grove, Mich.,
passed away
unexpect-
edly on Aug.
28, 2024, at
Woodland
Meadows
Senior Living,
in Hastings, Mich., where she was
lovingly cared for over the past five
years.
Edith was born Feb. 21, 1940, in
Hastings, Mich., and was the eldest
daughter of Reinhart and Polly
Zemke. Edith grew up on the family
farm in Vermontville, Mich., and was
a 1958 graduate of Vermontville
High School. Edith attended Grand
Rapids Junior College and then
went to Butterworth Nursing School,
graduating in 1961. She moved to
Long Beach, Calif., with three class-
mates who became lifelong friends.
While in California, she continued
her education, earning a bachelor’s
degree in nursing. Edith was a floor
nurse and manager at Long Beach
Memorial Hospital.
She moved back to Michigan in
1973 to help care for her ill nephew.
She went on to work at Borgess
Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich. She
married Carl Grashuis on July 30,
1976, and lived in Coats Grove,
Mich.
Edith and Carl were active mem-
bers of the Woodgrove Brethren
Christian Parish.
Each summer she tended a large
garden and generously provided
friends and family with a supply of
vegetables. She also enjoyed sew-
ing, quilting and cross stitching. Carl
and Edith traveled to Florida for
many winters and north to Cadillac
in the summer, spending hours fish-
ing in both locations. After Carl’s
passing, Edith enjoyed bus trips
and vacations with friends.
Edith was predeceased by her
parents; husband Carl; sister and
brother-in-law Jeanne and Durwood
Booher; Carl’s sons-in-law, Gerald
Davis and Fred Hamann.
She is survived by her sisters
Margaret Cook and Mary Zemke;
Carl’s daughters, Ann Davis and
Nancy Hamann; nieces Polly
(Randall) Hager, Dee Dee (Mike)
Michaux; nephews Doug (Michelle)
Booher, Robert Cook and Steven
Cook. She is also survived by
Carl’s grandchildren, Carol (Jim)
Grafford, Laura (Dan) Kingma,
Julia (Jonathan) Davis-Coombs
and Michael (Tonya) Hamann;
grandnephews Paul (Grace)
Hager, Charlie (Katherine) Booher,
Kirkland Michaux; grandnieces
Victoria Hager and Gracie Michaux;
and Carl’s great- and great-great-
grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please consider
donating to the Zemke Scholarship
at Maple Valley Schools or the
Woodgrove Brethren Christian
Parish.
Services were at Koops Funeral
Chapel, 935 4th Ave., Lake Odessa,
MI on Sept. 5, 2024. Visitation was
at 10 a.m., with services at 11 a.m.Dolores Howley, 79, of Battle
Creek passed away Friday,
September 6, 2024.
A funeral Mass will be held at a
later date. A full obituary will follow.
Personal messages for her family
may be shared at http://www.farleyestes-
dowdle.com.Our beloved
mother,
Thelma
Louise
Eberhard of
Ceresco, went
home to be
with the Lord
on Sept. 6,- She was
96 years old.
Thelma was born in Rockport,
Tenn., on Aug. 31, 1928, to Wesley
and Charlzie (Barnes) Brannon.
They moved their family to Michigan
when she was a young child.
Thelma graduated from Marshall
High School in 1946, where she
loved tap dancing.
Thelma was a homemaker. She
married the love of her life, Donald
Eberhard, and raised eight children.
They enjoyed 67 years together.
She was a mother, grandmother,
great-grandmother and great-great-
grandmother. Thelma loved the Lord
and raised her family in the church.
She was one of the first members of
the Wesleyan Methodist Church of
Marshall.
Thelma loved spending time with
her family and going to church. She
enjoyed gardening, camping and
family cookouts, too. Thelma also
loved to sing in church; she enjoyed
listening to music of the Adopted
Sons, gospel music, and many
more, where you would often hear
her singing along with the songs.
Thelma and Don enjoyed going to
Florida and Alabama for the winters.
Earlier in life, Thelma worked
for Crow Carton and Keller Meyer
Janitorial, cleaning both Sears and
J.C. Penney, so she could have her
own money.
People who knew Thelma would
say she was feisty, stubborn, full of
sass and always said “Hey Kid.”
Surviving Thelma are her children,
Melinda (Ken) Lake of Des Moines,
Iowa, Mark (Sherry) Eberhard of
East Leroy, Mich., Carla (Tom)
Fleming of Clintwood, Va., Nanette
(Bruce) Willbur of Battle Creek,
Mich., Nina (Mike) Davis of Battle
Creek, Mich., Gregg Eberhard of
Battle Creek, Mich., and Jill (Lynn)
Newsome of Marshall, Mich.; 29
grandchildren; 23 great-grandchil-
dren; and six great-great-grandchil-
dren.
Thelma was preceded in death
by her parents; husband; daughter
Lori (Mark) Waidelich; two brothers,
James and Ralph; as well as two
sisters, Evelyn and Ruth.
A visitation was held at Kempf
Family Funeral and Cremation
Services, 723 US Hwy. 27 N.,
Marshall, MI 49068 on Tuesday,
Sept. 10, 2024, from 5-7 p.m., and
visitation was also held at Woodland
Church--Marshall Campus, 15510 A
Drive North, Marshall, MI 49068 on
Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, from 10
a.m. until the funeral service began
at 11 a.m.
Thelma will be laid to rest with
her beloved husband, Don, at
Fort Custer National Cemetery on
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024.
If desired, please consider a
contribution in memory of Thelma
to Woodland Church--Marshall
Campus or Oaklawn Hospice, 13444
Preston Drive, Marshall, MI 49068 or
on their website at https://oaklawn-
hospital.org/services/hospice/make-
a-memorial-donation-to-hospice/.
Please visit http://www.kempffuneral-
home.com to view the online obitu-
ary, sign the online guest book or
leave the
family condo-
lences.— ELDER LAW —- Legal advice & counseling regarding long term care.
- Protecting your home and assets.
- Advice for your financial and/or medical condition.
- Benefits available to you including Medicaid & veterans.
— PROBATE & ESTATE PLANNING — - Wills and trusts
- Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Finances
- Pre and post nuptial agreements
Stacey Lott • Planning for blended and non-traditional families
Attorney at Law
269-963-8222 • http://www.staceylottlaw.com
130 East Columbia Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49015
FUNERAL ETIQUETTE
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP LATER?
In the days and months to come, the family will continue to need your support. Try to write or call on
a regular basis. Continue to include them in your social plans, they will let you know when they are
ready to participate. It is also nice to remember the family on special occasions during the first year
following the death. Don’t worry about bringing up the pain and emotion of the loss, they are well
aware of that. By remembering such occasions as wedding anniversaries and birthdays, you are not
remembering the death, but reaffirming that a life was lived.
Source: Thefuneralsource.org