18 Thursday, November 14, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
Mary Elizabeth
Stein p assed
away peacefully,
surrounded by
her beloved fam-
ily, on Oct. 29,- Mary was
born to the late
West and Mamie
Gamble in
Kingstree, S.C.,
on Sept. 27, 1948.
She shared three sons, Tyronne,
Donnie and “JJ,” with Joffie Stein.
Mary dedicated 38 years to serving
others as a cook at the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
Battle Creek, Mich.
Known for her joyful spirit, Mary
brought warmth and laughter to family
gatherings, where she loved to sing and
dance. Mary was known for her vibrant
personality and her passion for collect-
ing nutcrackers, painting and decorating,
which brought her joy year-round.
In her spare time, Mary enjoyed
visiting FireKeepers Casino and found
delight in the quiet game of solitaire.
She also had an impressive gift for
remembering special dates; birthdays,anniversaries and countless family cel-
ebrations were always on her mind, a
testament to her deep love and thought-
fulness toward those around her.
She was preceded in death by her
parents, West and Mamie Gamble; son
Joffie “JJ” Stein Jr.; sisters Roslyn
Gamble and Kordell Richardson; brother
Olofundeyi “Richie” Olaitan; partner,
with whom Mary shared a long life of
memories, Anthony “Tony T” Taylor;
nieces Viola Richardson and Charleena
Richardson; and nephew Troy Gamble.
Mary’s legacy lives on through her
children Willie Tyronne (Patty) Steinof Seattle, Wash., and Anthony Ladon
“Donnie” Stein of Battle Creek, Mich.;
sister Ruth Louella Gamble of Battle
Creek, Mich.; brothers Wesley (Sharon)
Gamble of Indianapolis, Ind., and Robert
Frank (Annie) Gamble of Lansing, Mich.;
nine grandchildren and 10 great-grand-
children; along with a host of nieces,
nephews, close family and good friends.
A celebration of Mary’s life was held
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at 11 a.m. at
Baxter Funeral & Cremation Service.
Arrangements entrusted to Baxter
Funeral & Cremation Service, 269-788-
9800; http://www.baxterfuneral.com.Judith “Judy”
Carrie Rarick,
88, formerly of
Augusta, passed
away peace-
fully on Sunday
morning, Nov. 3,
2024.
Judith Carrie
Houser Rarick
entered this
world on Jan. 23, 1936, during a blus-
tery snowstorm at home on N. 6th
Street, Bellwood, Pa. Born to parents
Daniel Webster Houser and Marian Lela
(Cramer) Houser, she joined her sister,
Louise, and brother Eugene.
Following high school, Judy married
her high school sweetheart, Bill (William
R.) Rarick, on Aug. 19, 1953. A week
after their marriage, Bill was sent to
Africa for the Air Force for a year, while
Judy stayed in Bellwood with her par-
ents and worked. Upon his return to
the United States, they were ultimately
posted to Rapid City, S.D., where their
daughter Linda Ann (Jones Warner)
was born. Following Bill’s release from
the USAF, Bill and Judy moved to the
Michigan area of Battle Creek where Bill
was employed at the Veterans Hospital
as an electrician. Daughter Bonnie Lea
(Randall Rickard) joined the family there.
Bill and Judy built a home in Augusta,
where their daughters attended school
and grew up. Judy was a busy mother
and housewife, while Bill continued his
career at the VA. After Bill’s untimely
death due to illness in 1989, Judy
remained at her home until 2019 when
she moved to Niles, Mich., to be closer
to her daughters, living first in assisted
living and then in memory care, followed
by hospice in 2024.
In addition to her two daughters and
son-in-law Mark Rickard, Judy is sur-
vived by her three grandchildren and
their children: Nicholas W. Jones (wife
Missy) and daughter Ellie, Wende L.
Beedle (husband Chris, deceased), and
D. Adam Randall (wife Nicole) and son
Dylan and daughter Natalie. Also joining
the Jones family are great-grandchildren
Emilee, Luke, Aiden and Rachel Koerner.
She had several other bonus grandchil-
dren through marriages from the Warner
and Rickard families as well. Judy is
also survived by son-in-law Jeff Jones.
Judy was predeceased by her hus-
band, Bill; her parents, Web and Marian
Houser; her brother, Eugene and wife
Marlene Houser; her sister, Louise, and
husband Bob Donlan; her son-in-law
Joe Warner; her grandson-in-law Chris
Beedle; and numerous nieces, nephews,
brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and
many special and dear friends.
Judy was known for being a friendly,
nice lady with a beautiful smile. She was
a talented person who enjoyed a variety
of arts: ceramics, knitting, reading, nee-
dlepoint and stitching beautiful beaded
cross-stitch ornaments and pictures. For
many years she taught ceramics in her
downstairs studio to many neighbors,
friends and football mothers. She loved
feeding and watching her birds, and they
loved her as she had several hummers,
cardinals, bluebirds and others stop-
ping by often. Judy was an avid reader,
enjoyed her first computer at 50 years
old, learning to design beautiful cards
she sent to a wide variety of friends
and family over the years. Judy golfed
in a senior league after learning to golf
in her 50s and bowled with her son-in-
law Jeff Jones in a winter league. She
and her daughter Linda enjoyed taking
genealogy classes and traveled back to
Pennsylvania to research their heritage,getting together often to continue the
search for elusive relatives!
Following Bill’s death, she became
involved with the Good Samaritan
Hospice group in Battle Creek, giving of
her time for over 20 years as a bereave-
ment volunteer, working with people
who had recently lost their spouse. She
would contact them to share information
and comfort, send cards, visit and invite
them to a monthly social lunch where
she would host and make each new per-
son feel welcome. She received several
volunteer awards during that time and
continued to take training seminars to
do this important work.
Judy enjoyed traveling with family
members, visiting family in Pennsylvania
and living in Florida for several winters
with her mother and sister Louise and
husband Bob. Of special note were flying
the grands to Florida where she enjoyed
a visit with each at favorite spots
(Disney World and Universal). She loved
having Wende and Adam for overnight
visits where they all enjoyed the swim-
ming pool and going downtown Augusta
for ice cream. She cared for Nick in
his young age and they had several
adventures together. She also enjoyed
her neighborhood friends (the Beadles,
Hollaways, Linharts and McGees, among
others) over the years on Northway and
Circle Drive in Augusta.
Judy was a faithful child of God,
attending the Olivet Baptist Church as a
child in Pennsylvania and as an adult in
Michigan. She ensured her children were
brought up in the church as she had
been, and in later years enjoyed being a
member of the Women’s Sunday School
Class at Northeastern Baptist Church, a
group who stayed in touch with her via
cards and weekly updates following her
move to Niles.Thanks and blessings to her wonderful
caretakers over the years, Janet, Deb,
Chris, Debbie, our favorite special staff
members at Woodland Terrace, who
cared for and always had time to assist
Mom over the past years, and for the
ongoing cards sent to Mom (Joyce &
Janet & Linda), and for visits and ongo-
ing friendship (Jackie) even after she
moved away from the Augusta area.
We especially want to thank those who
helped be our eyes and ears those years
Mom lived on her own in Michigan when
her daughters no longer lived locally.
Judy will certainly be missed by all her
family who loved her, however, we are
all rejoicing to know she’s reunited with
her high school sweetheart, Bill, and
in God’s heavenly home where all her
health issues are gone and she’s once
again the busy, creative Judy... who
walks fast, easily recalls each and every
part of her life and all the wonderful
people she met along the way.
Funeral services to celebrate her life
were held Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at
Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Home
& Cremation Care, Augusta Chapel.
Interment followed at Fort Custer
National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may
be directed to The Mary Free Bed
Foundation, 235 Wealthy St. SE, Grand
Rapids, MI 49503 (www.maryfreebed.
com/foundation/) and/or the Kellogg
Bird Sanctuary (checks made pay-
able to MSU) W.K. Kellogg Biological
Station, Attn: Sarah Carroll, 3700 E. Gull
Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, MI 49060
(http://www.birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu/
support/).
Personal messages for the family
and favorite memories of Judy may be
placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.