{"id":11609,"date":"2021-02-25T20:56:29","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T01:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/?p=11609"},"modified":"2021-02-25T20:56:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T01:56:29","slug":"transitions-151","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/?p=11609","title":{"rendered":"Transitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n.
\n.<\/p>\n

Eileen M. Strickland<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Eileen M. Strickland of St. Johns, Michigan and Mesa, Arizona went to be with her husband in heaven on February 16, 2021. Eileen was born on October 17, 1946 to Gerald and Kathleen (Nokes) McLaughlin in Seattle, Washington. On April 15, 1966, she married the love of her life, Larry Ray Strickland in Seattle, Washington. They went on to raise a family and create a life together in St. Johns, Michigan.<\/p>\n

She worked as the play-ground aid at St Joseph Catholic School and at Rite Aid in St Johns. She was very involved with her children’s activities; bowling, gymnastics, and theatre. She used her sewing skills to teach a multitude of St Johns Theatre students sewing from 1989-1997. She wintered in Mesa, AZ where she enjoyed time with her friends making stained glass, creating jewelry in the lapidary shop, China painting, ceramics, playing Bingo and her passion for managing the STAR Tree at Christmas.<\/p>\n

Eileen is survived by daughters, Lorretta Snyder of St. Johns and Linda Isaacson of Grand Ledge; son Lonnie (Jennifer) Strickland, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and brother, Ed McLaughlin of Mesa, AZ. She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Strickland; her father, Gerald McLaughlin, mother, Katie McLaughlin-Donahoe; and her brother, Dennis (Duke) McLaughlin, and two grandchildren.<\/p>\n

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Catholic Charities of Mesa, AZ or Catholic Charities of Lansing, MI or United Ostomy of America.<\/p>\n

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.<\/p>\n

\n

John K. Sears<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"John Kendrick Sears, 41, devoted father of two children, died on February 15, 2021 in Baja California Sur, Mexico. He was born in Lansing, Michigan on April 27, 1979, and graduated with the Class of 1998 from St. Johns High School.<\/p>\n

John is survived by his cherished children, daughter Willa and son Zane, their mothers, Jennifer (Sascha) Eisner and Faith (Brandon) Warner, parents, Doug Sears and Terry Sears, three brothers, Ryan, Noah (Amanda), and Melvin (Salena), two sisters, Jaime (Rahul), and Kathleen (Randy), and many beloved friends, relatives and employees.<\/p>\n

A lifelong entrepreneur, John was shaped early on by his family’s business, College Bike Shop, and growing up on the family farm. There he learned the value of hard work and perseverance. John began his own demolition company in 2006 and his projects combined his passion for old buildings with his design and renovation acumen. He loved beauty in the unadorned, and having traveled all over the world, found his favorite place in Baja California Sur, Mexico.<\/p>\n

If John had a love language, it was food. The consummate host and cook, he enjoyed blending the art and science of creating meals for family and friends. John was generous and capable in all ways. He taught his children to urban garden and gifted them with his sense of adventure. The loves of his life, John’s most peaceful moments were spent hiking with his two kids and their dog, Tigre.<\/p>\n

The funeral will be held on Thursday, February 25 at 11:30 am at Resurrection Church, 1505 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI. A zoom link will be offered.<\/p>\n

A graveside service will be held at Gunnisonville Cemetery, 2000 E Clark Rd, Lansing, MI, followed by a gathering at 701 E South St, Lansing MI. Masks and social distancing will be required.<\/p>\n

\n

Mildred L. Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Mildred L. “Millie” Smith, age 91, of Pewamo, MI, passed away Sunday, February 21, 2021, at Hazel I. Findlay Country Manor, St. Johns, MI.<\/p>\n

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Fowler, MI, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at 2:00 P.M., with Rev. Fr. Darrel Kempf officiating. Burial will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery, Pewamo, MI. For those unable to attend the funeral mass, you are welcome to view the service on Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church’s Facebook page www.facebook.com\/MHTParish\/<\/font><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Millie was born in Bengal Township, MI on April 2, 1929, the daughter of Julius Constantine and Anna Eleanora (Spitzley) Thelen. She graduated from Fowler High School with the class of 1946. On May 4, 1948, Millie married Philip Carl Smith. He preceded her in death on December 6, 2004 after 56 years of marriage.<\/p>\n

She was a homemaker and a social worker with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Millie was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Ladies Altar Society.<\/p>\n

She is survived by children: Dave (Germaine) Smith of Pewamo, Rosemary (Luke) Koenigsknecht of St. Johns, Alan (Sharon) Smith of St. Johns, Kathy (Randy) Schafer of Okemos, Therese (Dean) Miller of Westphalia, Rick (Maureen) Smith of Wilmette, IL, Sharon (John) Mann of Glenview, IL, Nancy (Dave) Lawrence of Sheffield Village, OH, Marilyn (David) Heinle of Elmhurst, IL, Paul (Beth) Smith of Westphalia, Brian (Stephany) Smith of Mt. Pleasant, son in law Greg Lounds (Sheri) of St. Johns, 37 grandchildren, 64 great grandchildren, sister Aileen Thelen of Fowler and sister in law Eldine Thelen of Lansing. Millie was preceded in death by her parents, husband Philip “Carl”, daughter Julie Lounds, 3 sisters: Juliana Thelen, Germaine Rehmann, and Laurene Thelen; and 3 brothers: Justin Thelen, Alan Thelen, and Mark Thelen.<\/p>\n

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Joseph Trust Fund, 126 East Street, PO Box 37, Pewamo, MI 48873. The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes<\/font><\/a> – Goerge Chapel, Fowler, MI.<\/p>\n

\n

Donald Michael Sabo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Donald Michael Sabo, a resident of St. Johns, age 86, died on February 18, 2021.<\/p>\n

Services will be held privately on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Burial Mt. Rest Cemetery.<\/p>\n

For further information, phone McGeehan Funeral Home<\/font><\/a>, Keck-Coleman Chapel, St. Johns.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

\n

William John Strpko<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"William “Bill” John Strpko, age 97, of Ashley, MI, passed away peacefully Friday, February 19, 2021, at Sparrow Carson Hospital, Carson City.<\/p>\n

Private Funeral Services will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes – Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, MI, at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, with Mr. Thomas J. Bradley officiating. The service will be available to view on the Smith Family Funeral Homes Facebook page<\/font><\/a>. Burial will take place at North Star Cemetery, North Star, MI. A public Celebration of Bill’s Life will take place at a later date.<\/p>\n

William was born in Toledo, Ohio on September 26, 1923, the son of William and Anna (Stvartak) Strpko. He graduated from Ashley High School with the class of 1941. Bill proudly served his country in the United States Army and Air Force during WWII as a Staff Sergeant.<\/p>\n

Bill married Peggy Jane Dougherty on October 27, 1951 at St. Cyril’s Catholic Church, Bannister, Michigan; Peggy passed away on March 9, 2012 after 60 years of marriage.<\/p>\n

Bill was a man of many talents and interests. He owned and operated Strpko Radio and TV Sales and Service in Ashley for many years. He was a school bus driver for Ashley Public Schools for 34 years. Bill was Superintendent of the Village of Ashley Water Department. Bill was a musician and artist all of his life. He began playing the accordion at the age of 13. He played in many Polka bands over the years. As a life long resident of Ashley, Bill was the local historian and photographer for the Ashley area and a charter member of the Ashley Lions’ Club since 1953.<\/p>\n

Bill is survived by 4 children: Kathrine (John) Guerrero of Ashley, Michael (Janice Seperic) Strpko of St. Johns, Tina (Ernie) Block of DeWitt, and Gary (Libby) Strpko of Lansing; 9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters: Helen Townsend and Josephine (Art) Baker; sister-in-law Delores Strpko and many nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, wife Peggy, siblings: Frank Strpko, Anton “Butch” Strpko, and Anna (Walter) Gregory; and brother-in-law Ted Townsend.<\/p>\n

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ashley, Michigan History Museum (make checks payable to “Village of Ashley” designate for Museum in Memory of Bill Strpko – P.O. Box 158 Ashley, MI 48806) or Ashley Lions’ Club (PO BOX 177, Ashley, MI 48806-0177). The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes<\/font><\/a> – Osgood Chapel, St. Johns, Michigan.<\/p>\n

\n

Michael J. Doerr<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Michael J. Doerr, and though he left this world on Tuesday, Feb. 16, he left plenty of tall tales, laughter and vivid memories in his wake. It’s safe to say the Fat Tuesday celebration in the sky was a lively and well-attended reunion of relatives — Mike being the center of attention, of course.<\/p>\n

Mike was born to Frank and Kathryn (Stadtfeld) Doerr at Mecosta, MI on September 17, 1935. He attended St. Michael\u2019s Parochial and Remus consol. Dated schools, graduating in 1953. He was an Air Force veteran as a C-130 mechanic. He loved his country. Mike was proud of many things in his life, but working for Oldsmobile for 37 years, 29 as a millwright, was right near the top of the list. He was a Michigan man. Michigan men made cars for the nation. The large ruby Auto Workers of America ring was always on his finger. That, along with a wall clock from General Motors, were his prized possessions. Plant 3 and 5 in Lansing was his home away from home.
\nMike loved to hunt spending many of his hunting trips in Wyoming as well as up in the Blanchard\/Remus area with family and friends.<\/p>\n

He loved his sports – playing and coaching softball and bowling but generally, he was likely watching his beloved Michigan State Spartans on the hardwood or gridiron. Tigers baseball wasn’t just background noise in the summer for Mike. Somehow, someway, he was invested to the end.<\/p>\n

Then there was “Barbie,” Mike’s beloved wife of 60 years. They celebrated that milestone on New Year’s Eve, 2020. What began as a young military man and his beautiful bride, produced all of that love. Mike would often wander into Horrocks Farmers Market in Lansing, holding Barbara’s hand. Barbie wanted to smell the spring flowers.
\nTheir unfiltered devotion to each other set the tone and example for generations.<\/p>\n

What would this world remember most about Mike? Well, that answer is about as simple as the man himself. Family. That came first. His many friendships, some lasting decades. Mike loved his riddles and one-liners. He was always “Gooder than hell” when you asked. He had nicknames for everyone, especially those grandkids. They were often on the wrong end of his intense six-handed — not four — Euchre games, too. You likely weren’t beating him in cribbage either.
\nAlong with that grin always came the twinkle in his eye. He wasn’t simply telling you a story, he wanted you to live it with him.<\/p>\n

He loved his crossword puzzles in the morning paper and he was never too far away from his trusty drinking cup. If he wasn’t swigging on it, one of the kids surely was.<\/p>\n

When you ask Mike’s family, they all refer to him as the “glue.”
\nThe glue that held his very large family together.
\nThe glue that made family reunions a priority – his much-anticipated Doerr Reunion, which would reach into the hundreds of people.<\/p>\n

Keeping his legacy alive is now his ultimate goal.<\/p>\n

Mike wouldn’t have wanted a normal obituary. His life — and larger-than-life personality was much more impactful than lines of names and a funeral date. We will always remember that smile, the stories and the unwavering love he gave. Whether you were a neighbor, a stranger, or Tom Izzo calling to wish you a happy birthday, everyone was family to Mike.<\/p>\n

Michael J. Doerr is survived by his loving wife Barbara Ann (Newhall). He is also survived by his children: Vincent (Vicki) Doerr of Casper, WY, Michele (Warren) Tack of St. Johns, MI., Susan (Tim) Brawner of St. Johns, MI, Laura (Alan) Post of Bannister, MI, Frank Doerr of St. Johns, MI, and Dianne Doerr of Ovid, MI. Thirteen grandchildren: Michael, Carmen, Anthony, Jessica, Emily, Jamie, Joel, Jayson, Jeffrey, Stephanie, Michaela, Jordan and Jaxson, and 11 great-grandchildren and one due in July.<\/p>\n

Visitation will be held at McGeehan Funeral Home (Keck-Coleman Chapel), 1500 Waterford Parkway, St. Johns, on Thursday, February 25, from 3-8 PM with a Knights of Columbus Rosary at 7 PM. *For those friends attending the visitation, please call the funeral home at 989-224-4422 to schedule an hour between 3 and 8 to attend.<\/p>\n

Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 109 Linden St., St. Johns, on Friday, February 26, at 11 AM with the Rev. Fr. Michael Williams officiating. Mass may be viewed via Livestream on the church YouTube page<\/font><\/a>. Full Military Honors will be held after Mass.<\/p>\n

Memorials may be made in his name to Alara Caring Hospice. For further information please phone 989-224-4422 or visit www.McGeehanFH.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

. . Eileen M. Strickland Eileen M. Strickland of St. Johns, Michigan and Mesa, Arizona went to be with her husband in heaven on February 16, 2021. Eileen was born on October 17, 1946 to Gerald and Kathleen (Nokes) McLaughlin in Seattle, Washington. On April 15, 1966, she married the love of her life, Larry Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transitions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/newindy\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}