Felix M. Rice II, Died Dec. 19, 2017

Felix M. Rice II

Died Dec. 19, 2017

MAPLE CITY – Felix Michael Rice II, 67, of Maple City, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 19. 2017 at home surrounded by his loving family.

Felix was born Aug. 12, 1950 in Traverse City the son of Felix M. Rice and Cecelia E. (Bembeneck) Rice.  On July 17, 1971 at St. Rita’s Church of Maple City he married his loving wife of forty-six years, Diana M. (Shorter) Rice, who survives.

Felix was a man whose character was based on faith, family and hard work.  From the age of 17 until he retired at age 65 he worked as a mason.  He rose to become a master mason and for decades owned and operated his own company.

He was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting; with his brother Leo, on the Rice family farm and his school lake property.  Felix’s friends knew him as an early morning fisherman with start times of 4:30 or 5:30 AM being the norm.  A treasured family memory is when his brother Leo and son Phillip took him on his first out of state trip to go Elk hunting in Montana.

Felix was a master cook and baker.  He crafted a lot of food from his giant garden.  He grew a lot and gave a lot away to help his friends and family.  Felix could cook soups, venison, and many other dishes. 

He was a man of faith who dedicated his skills and time to his church, the Holy Rosary Church of Cedar.  Felix thought of others before himself; he was called home with the treasure and enjoyment of his family, children and especially his grandchildren.

Felix is survived by his wife, Diana; his four sons, Matt (Amy) Rice, Michael Rice, Phillip (Stephanie) Rice, Felix M. Rice III; his siblings, Alfred Rice, Jim (Mona) Rice, Millie (Ronald) Evans, Harold Rice, Leo (Marilyn) Rice, Mark (Linda) Rice, Rebecca Houser; four grandchildren, Nick, Aubree, Kara, Tyler, a great grandchild, Braylon; and many loving cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother, Thomas Rice.

Visitation will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec 28 with the Rosary to be prayed at 7:30 pm at the Holy Rosary Church of Cedar.  The mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 29 with the family greeting friends at 10 a.m., also at the church.  Burial will follow in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.  Father Donald Libby will serve as celebrant.

Memorials may be directed to St. Judes’ Children’s Research Hospital, and/or Shriners Hospitals for Children, and/or Mass Intentions.

Please share memories and condolences below or at the Martinson Funeral Home facebook page.

Betty J. Edwards, Died Dec. 20, 2017

Betty J. Edwards

Died Dec. 20, 2017

OMENA – Betty Jane Edwards, 90, of Omena passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 at home surrounded by her loving family.

Betty was born June 20, 1927 in Northport the daughter of John and Ester (Jackson) Franklin.  In 1985 in Benzonia she married David William Edwards who preceded her in death in 1999.

Betty loved gardening, especially her flowers.  Betty enjoyed the outdoors and especially the birds that would visit her bird feeders.  She loved going to the casino, shopping until she dropped and putting together picture puzzles.  Betty also enjoyed playing cards and was unbeatable at 500 Rummy.

She was master seamstress, crafting clothes, baby blankets, matching cushions and curtains.  Betty loved to act silly and have fun.  She was a practical joker and loved her dogs, Buddy the jack russell terrier and her beagle, Jiggs.

Betty was never in a bad mood, a naturally nice loving person who never had a bad thing to say.

Betty is survived by her children, Joseph (Judy) Raphael, George (Marty) Bailey, Hank (Amy) Bailey, Randy (Faith) Bailey, Phyllis (Jim) Carr, June Bailey, Pauline (Tim) Koon, Cyndi (Michael Dargis) Bailey, Scott (Becky) Bailey; her step children, Judy Battle, Linda (William) Valleau, David (Michael) Edwards, Thomas (Sara) Edwards, Lorrie (Ken) Porte, Kristee (Wade) Mariage, Vince (Jill) Edwards, Jan (Steve) Bailey; thirty-eight grandchildren, fifty-one great grandchildren and sixteen great great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, David; an infant son and a granddaughter, Joline.

Visitation will be held today, Dec. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Martinson Funeral Home of Suttons Bay.  The funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23 at the Northport Indian Mission Church.  Burial in Omena Hillcrest Cemetery will be announced in the spring.  Pastor Terry Wildman will officiate.

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Carol A. (Reincke) Nelson, Died Dec. 12, 2017

Carol R. Nelson

1918- 2017

SUTTON BAY – Carol Reincke Nelson, 99, of Suttons Bay, died on December 12, 2017 at French Manor South Assisted Living in Traverse City.  On January 2, 1943 she married Kenneth Nelson in Traverse City.  Ken preceded her in death on Feb. 24, 1989.

Carol was born to Arthur and Mary Reincke on a family farm in Bingham Township on April 23, 1918.  She graduated as salutatorian from Suttons Bay Union High School in 1935 and then worked as an assistant to Dr. EJ Bolan.  Carol joined the Congregational Church in Suttons Bay in 1935 and at her death was its longest living member.

During World War II Carol was a teller at Traverse City State Bank.  From 1955 to 1977, she and Ken owned and operated the Bay View Hardware Store in Suttons Bay. During their retirement years they enjoyed time with their family, traveling, and boating on Grand Traverse Bay.  In her later years Carol enjoyed doing a daily crossword puzzle, watching television game shows, and following Tiger baseball and Michigan State University basketball.

Carol had a kind and generous spirit and will be missed by her family and all who knew her.

Carol is survived by her two children, Sharon Nelson of Wayland; Randy (Chris) Nelson of Empire; two grandchildren, Katherine (Mark) Daniels and Emily (Milan) Bhandari; three great grandchildren, Kyleigh and Micah Daniels and Mira Bhandari; a nephew, Ron Nash; and special friend, Mimi Byrne. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ken, and her siblings, Ruby and Glen Reincke and Garnet Nash.

A memorial service will be announced in the spring.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Suttons Bay Congregational Church, PO Box 70, Suttons Bay, MI 49682; Suttons Bay-Bingham Friendship Community Center, PO Box 51, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 and/or ShareCare of Leelanau, 7401 E. Duck Lake Road, #600, Lake Leelanau, MI 49653-8701.

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Donald E. Hacker Died Nov. 27, 2017

Donald E. Hacker

Died Nov. 27, 2017

FLORIDA – Donald Edward Hacker, 94 years young, and always having a good Lake Michigan tan of Suttons Bay, Michigan, and Bradenton, Florida, passed away on November 27, 2017 at Manatee Memorial Hospital of Bradenton, Florida, surrounded by his loving family.

Don was born August 22, 1923, the son of Hobart and Florence Hacker in Royal Oak, Michigan.  He attended Hobart College in Geneva, New York.  Don served with the Navy as a Seabee in the South Pacific during WWII.  He married Mary Ann on August 12, 1950.  Don was one of the seven founders of the Chrysler Management Club (founded in 1962) and a member of its Board of Directors.  He retired from Chrysler in 1983 after 25 years.  Don was an avid golfer.  He was a Deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Michigan, where he had the honor of serving as Chairman of the Ministerial Selection Committee.  Don was a charter member of ShareCare of Leelanau and volunteered at the Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

Don is survived by his wife, friend, and soulmate of 67 years, Mary Ann Hacker; his three children: daughter Mary and husband Eric Moorehead, son Donald and wife Sheri Hacker, and daughter Carole Carpenter; his six grandchildren: Leslie Knight, Ryan Moorehead, Alex Hacker, Reed Hacker, Kyle Carpenter, and Kaitlyn Carpenter.

Memorials may be directed to ShareCare of Leelanau, 7401 E. Duck Lake Road, #600, Lake Leelanau, MI 49653-8701 or through www.ShareCareLeelanau.org.

A memorial service will be held in Northern Michigan in the summer of 2018.

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Harold R. Gronseth Died Dec. 10, 2017

Harold Roosevelt Gronseth

September 4, 1929 - December 10, 2017

Harold Roosevelt Gronseth, 88, a longtime resident of Suttons Bay and teacher in the Traverse City Area Public Schools, died Sunday, Dec. 10 in Perry, Georgia.

Mr. Gronseth, who last taught at the former Norris Elementary School before his retirement in 1982, was a 1948 graduate of Suttons Bay High School. He also taught in two other Michigan communities, Reed City and Greenville, during his 27-year teaching career. He was born in Detroit and moved with his parents to Suttons Bay while in high school.

Mr. Gronseth and his family had deep ties to Suttons Bay, where his father had a cherry orchard and his paternal grandfather, and later his uncle, operated Gronseth’s Shoe Store. His Norwegian immigrant grandfather, Lars J. Gronseth, moved to Suttons Bay from Bay City in 1886 after answering an ad for a shoemaker.

As a young man, Mr. Gronseth was a boater and joined the United States Power Squadrons in Traverse City, earning a navigation certificate after taking a rigorous course.

He established scholarships in his parents’ memory at their alma maters. The scholarship for his mother is at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, and for his father at Albion College in Albion, Michigan, where Mr. Gronseth also studied. He graduated from the school in 1952 with a teaching degree, with concentrations in history and art.

Mr. Gronseth told Albion officials that he “just wanted to do something that would be a lasting tribute.”

“I knew how much he thought of his time at Albion,” he said of his father, Harold E. Gronseth, who died in 1962 in Suttons Bay. “It’s just a very satisfying thing for me, to know that there is something permanent and beneficial that I did while I was walking around this good earth.”

On his mother’s side, Mr. Gronseth was proud of his middle name – Roosevelt – and family ties to two presidents, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt. Mr. Gronseth was a distant cousin of both presidents, just as his well-known relatives were to each other.

Mr. Gronseth moved with his mother, Alice Roosevelt Gronseth, to Perry in 1982. She died there in 1988.

In the 1970s, Mr. Gronseth made two transoceanic voyages to Europe, one aboard the Queen Elizabeth to England, and the other on the Leonardo da Vinci, a memorable trip with a number of celebrities aboard en route to the film festival in Cannes, France. He remembers sitting in the bar one evening with a journalist and spotting the famous Spanish artist, Salvador Dali, sitting with his wife at a nearby table. The journalist had been assigned to write about him and others, but he confessed that he was too frightened to approach the artist. Mr. Gronseth, who had written a paper about him in college, proclaimed: “I’m not.” He marched over to the table and chatted with Dali about his art. “He was pleasant,” Mr. Gronseth recalled.

Mr. Gronseth will be remembered for his wonderful storytelling, especially about family. He had an exceptional memory of family history from his childhood and beyond. He will also be remembered for his love of cars, trading them in about every two years for a new one.

“I never saw a car I didn’t want to buy. I had to have it,” he once said.

Mr. Gronseth’s first car was a 1937 Packard, a gift from his father in 1952. It was among his favorites, with its sleek lines, running boards and iconic hood ornament. He continued his love affair with cars, even later in life in Perry, where he once purchased, as he called it, “a tricked-out” 2008 Dodge pickup.

Survivors include cousins in several states, including Michigan.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Suttons Bay, with visitation held one hour prior.  Burial will be held at a later date at the Lutheran Cemetery, Suttons Bay. 

Memorial gifts may be made to the Leelanau Historical Society, P.O. Box 246, Leland, MI 49654.

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