Shirley Ione Johnson, 90, of Big Rapids, passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at her home.

She was born January 12, 1932, at Pogy in Grant Township, the daughter of Earl and Letha (Morse) Corey, and graduated from Evart High School in 1949.  On July 16 of that same year, she married Robert M. Johnson. Who preceded her in death on June 21, 2006. 

Shirley worked at Evart Products in her early years before the couple moved to their farm in Big Rapids, where there were lots of chores to do. Later she worked at Old Kent Bank as a teller and then was employed at the Mecosta County Treasurers’ office for 25 years, retiring as the County Treasurer in 2004.

Shirley enjoyed roller skating, jigsaw puzzles, gardening, bird watching, and traveling.  She was an avid bowler, competing in national tournaments in many different cities throughout the United States. She was also the secretary for the Big Rapids Bowling Association for several years.

Shirley is survived by her daughters, Rosalyn (Steve) Jorgensen of Big Rapids, Gayle Kloosterman of N. Fort Myers, FL, and Cindy (Jim) Hinkley of Adrian, MI; her son Robert (Carmella) Johnson of Big Rapids; 12 grandchildren; 18 great grandchildren; one great-great grandson; brothers-in-law, Herb and Ralph Johnson; sisters-in-law, Louise (Bud) Hurdle and Helen (Jack) Aaron; and many nieces and nephews. Shirley was also preceded in death by three sisters and their husbands, Dorothy (Robert) Thompson, Betty (Joe) Walkowski, and Anna Mae (Vernon) Brigham, two brothers and their wives, Maurice (June, Doris, Pauline) Corey and Lee (Emma) Corey, son-in-law Michael Kloosterman; and her in-laws, Ruth (John) Lee, Edna Johnson, and Ronald Johnson.

A Celebration of Shirley’s life will be held in the summer of 2022.  Shirley will be laid to rest next to her husband in the West Union Cemetery in Big Rapids Township. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to Spectrum Health Hospice, 100 Michigan St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Care and arrangements are entrusted to the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids.  Share a memory or express condolences at www.mohnkefuneralhome.com.

Edward L. and Sally K. Thebo, husband and wife of Norwich Township, passed away tragically on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, in a house fire at their residence. 

Sally was born January 17, 1954, in Flint, the daughter of Joseph and Lorraine (Skellenger) Gacek.  As a child, her family moved to White Cloud, where Sally graduated from high school in 1972.  Sally worked a K-Mart for several years, and enjoyed shopping and spending time with family. 

Eddie was born December 4, 1941, in Big Prairie Township, the son of Lee and Helen (Eveland) Thebo, and lived in Newaygo County his entire life.  He was a self-employed “Junk Man’ who loved to scrap.  Ed also raised draft horses, and enjoyed giving grandchildren sleigh rides. 

In 1980, Sally and Edward were married, and are survived by their children Amy (Scott) Schlaupitz, Roy (Ellie) Thebo, Edward Thebo, Jr., Ellen (Danny) Drake, Barbara Thebo, and Mary Thebo; 19 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Sally is also survived by her sisters Mary (Bob) Cook, and Joanne Telfor, and sister-in-law Sharon Gacek.  Her brother Ron Gacek preceded her in death.  Edward is also survived by his sisters Shirley (Danny) Keith, Bobbi (Harv) Ledger, Lisa Thebo (Rick Parish), and Linda (Patrick) Judd.  His sister Carolyn Cook preceded him in death.    

The Memorial Service for Sally and Ed will be 11 a.m., Saturday, January 22, 2022, at The Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids, with Pastor Adrian Eising officiating.  Ed and Sally’s family will greet friends beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday at the funeral home. A Celebration of Life will continue on Saturday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Stanwood Aerie Eagles Lodge in Stanwood.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in their names may be made to their family to help with expenses.  Share a memory or express condolences at www.mohnkefuneralhome.com.

Mark D. Reeds, 68, of Big Rapids, passed away Thursday, January 13, 2022.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, January 22, 2022, at the First United Methodist Church in Big Rapids. Mark’s family will greet friends beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. 

A complete obituary to follow.

Mereda Maxine Bailey, 95, of Big Rapids, passed away Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

She was born April 2, 1926, the daughter of Lawrence and Matilda (King) Hamilton, and lived most of her life in Traverse City.  Mereda was an avid bingo player, and also enjoyed knitting, her flower gardens, and traveling.

On June 20, 1947, Mereda married Robert L. Bailey, who preceded her in death on June 4, 2001.   She is survived by her daughters, Linda (Donald) Chilson, and Nancy (Randy) Stephan; many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren; and her sister Delores Halvorsen.

Graveside services will be 3 p.m., Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens in Traverse City, where Mereda will be laid to rest next to her husband.   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to Our Brothers Keeper, 405 S. Third Ave., Big Rapids, MI  49307.  Care and arrangements are entrusted to the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids.  Share a memory or express condolences at www.mohnkefuneralhome.com.

Robert G. “Bob” Davis, of Colfax Township, passed away peacefully and went home to Jesus on Jan 9th, 2022, at the age of 83.

Bob was born August 19th, 1938, in Big Rapids, the son of Gaylord and Frederica (Nehmer) Davis, and graduated from Big Rapids High School in 1957.   He met Janet Petersen when he was 22 years old, and they married on June 16th, 1962.   They went on to become the proud parents of two children, a daughter Carrie and a son Ken.

 In addition to being a dedicated and loving father and husband, Bob served in the United States Army from 1962-1964, to ensure his family was provided for.  Following his discharge, they settled back in Rodney where he became an invaluable member of the community. For several years, Bob worked at Hanchett Manufacturing, and then became the owner of two small businesses, Remus Car Wash and Bob’s Contracting Service. He then went on to, and enjoyed being, a bus driver and the friendly neighborhood plowman. During this stage of his life, he also found the time to volunteer with many groups and work with troubled youth, starting a mentorship with many in the area.

Bob also actively participated in and was a member of REACT, the American Legion, and the Big Rapids Eagles #2535. Throughout his entire life he faithfully served God and was an enthusiastic member in whichever church they attended.  Bob was the epitome of a family man, was always there to help when needed, and was the rock of the family he created. His face would light up whenever family was around and he was always taking his grandkids on camping trips or on his boat to teach them the ways of fishing while they were growing up. He had a quick wit and was never short of jokes to tell when family was around and made sure that Janet always had a smile on her face.

Robert joins his mother and father along with his sister Marilyn Skaggs in Heaven. He is survived by his wife Janet (Petersen) Davis; daughter Carrie (Dion) Adams; son Ken Davis; three granddaughters and their spouses, Kai Finney (Joel), Kori Russell (Nick), Kelly Carmichael (Stephen);  four great-grandkids, Jozlynn and Arianna Finney, and Hunter and Ari Carmichael; his sister Vicky (Henry) Spedowski;  along with many loving nieces, nephews and other family members.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m., Thursday, January 13, 2022, at Chapel of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Canadian Lakes, with Pastor Will Hooper officiating.  Spring burial will be in the Pine Plains Cemetery in Colfax Township.  Bob’s family will greet friends at the church on Wednesday, January 12, from 5-8 p.m., and after 10 a.m. on Thursday.  Please wear a mask while in the church.   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be made for Angels of Action.  Care and arrangements are entrusted to the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids.  Share a memory or express condolences at www.mohnkefuneralhome.com.

Burdett Alex “Al” Stout loved sharing stories of all the miracles God performed during his battle with cancer over the past couple of years.  The last and greatest miracle of healing came on December 30, 2021, when he was forever healed as he passed through death into eternal life with Christ.

Al was born on August 6, 1948, to Carol and Maxine Stout of Stanwood, Michigan.  The third of three children, Al grew up working in his parents' cherry orchards.  After he left home, he worked at General Motors for a couple of years and then went into banking where he worked primarily in commercial lending for 43 years.

Al had many interests and hobbies.  He loved hunting, boating, antiquing and sports.  He spent many years refereeing, umpiring and coaching various basketball and baseball teams.  He was particularly fond of his time as one of the assistant coaches for the men’s basketball team at Grace Christian University (formerly Grace Bible College) from 2011-2016 during which time they won two National Championships.  During his early years of coaching baseball, one of his players needed their mitt repaired so Al took it home and taught himself how to restring it delivering it back the next day in mint condition.  From that point forward, players brought their mitts to him for repairs, and he became affectionally known as “the glove man.”

In spite of all these worldly pleasures and accomplishments, Al would be the first to tell you none of it brought him true fulfillment.  It wasn’t until June of 2019, that in desperation and with a repentant heart (like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32), Al turned back to the Heavenly Father he learned about as a child hoping for a few scraps of love and forgiveness.  Instead, he was met with overwhelming love, mercy and grace as God came running toward him with open arms proclaiming, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:23-24).  Al was so transformed by God’s love and grace, he couldn’t even be deterred by a diagnosis of terminal cancer just 4 short months later.  In fact, after being told he only had 2-4 months to live without treatment, Al said, “Well, I win either way.  I get to stay here with my family and friends a little longer or I get to go home to be with Jesus."

Al is survived by his sister, Lexie (DeWayne) Coxon; his brother, Gary (Carolyn) Stout; daughter, Kim (Richard) Bradshaw; granddaughters, Emerson and Ava Ross; Matt (Mieke) Botsford and Jason (Lisa) Botsford who were like sons to him and their children - Grace, Aiden, Matthew, Jack and Sara; several nieces and nephews and their children; as well as special friends, Joe and Sally Hart.

Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday, January 7, 2022, at Magnify Church – Ensley, 7077 E. 120^th St., Sand Lake, MI. Burial will be in the Stanwood Cemetery. Al’s family will greet friends from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Thursday, January 6 at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations in Al’s name to one of these two organizations: DeColores Ministries of Grand Rapids https://decoloresgr.org/donate/ Al attended a DeColores weekend the summer of 2019 and came to know Jesus Christ in a personal and powerful way through that experience.  He left that weekend a completely transformed man and was passionate about this ministry and sharing it with others. The Al Stout Legacy Scholarship Fund - Another Beautiful Mess https://anotherbeautifulmess.com/donate/ Al was equally passionate about the Christian Coaching business his daughter, Kim, started called Another Beautiful Mess.  This ministry helps struggling women and girls find healing and hope again.  Al faithfully donated to help cover start up costs and eventually a scholarship fund was created in his name to cover some of the membership fees for those who may not otherwise be able to afford it.

Care and arrangements are entrusted to the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids. Share a memory or express condolences at mohnkefuneralhome.com.

 Gertrude Edna (VanWestrienen) Ottobre, 86, of Big Rapids, went to be with her Lord on Saturday, January 8, 2022.

She was born July 22, 1935, in Rodney, the daughter of Harvey and Gladys (Smith) VanWestrienen, and lived in the area her entire life.  For 17 years, Gertrude worked for Mecosta County General Hospital before retiring.

On September 1, 1956, Gertrude married Paul Ottobre Sr, and together they raised their family with love, strong faith, and prayers.  She enjoyed baking, embroidering baby blankets for the growing family, playing with her grandkids, and gardening with Daddy.  She filled the flower baskets on the porch in summers, liked feeding the birds, and loved to reminisce about her favorite stories of her loving husband and large family.  They will all miss her smiling face and hugs. 

Gertrude is survived by her husband Paul; their children, Terry VanWestrienen, Donna (Henry) Glover, Paul Ottobre Jr., Tony (Cindy) Ottobre, Cindy (Darrell) Wymer, Mike (Dorothy) Ottobre, Joe (Debbie) Ottobre, Phillip (Amy) Ottobre, Patty (Jim) Langell, Linda (Mark) Bolton, and Alice (Delmer) Steffes; 30 grandchildren; 62 great grandchildren; four great great-grandchildren; her sisters, Maxine (Elmer) VanAlstine and Pat Skipper; and many nieces and nephews, including a special niece Gladys (Dennis) DePew. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Margaret Kirshbaum, Alice VanderSchuur, Wilma Jean Holt, and Esther Watson, infant brother Charles VanWestrienen, and brothers Kenneth and Jack VanWestrienen Sr. 

The Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m., Friday, January 14, 2022, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Big Rapids, with Father Jegar Fickel as celebrant. Spring burial will be in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery.  Gertrude’s family will greet friends beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to St. Mary/St. Paul Parish, or the Manna Pantry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.  Care and arrangements are entrusted to the Mohnke Funeral Home in Big Rapids.  Share a memory or express condolences at www.mohnkefuneralhome.com.