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Joseph Arthur “Joe” Esty

Joseph Arthur “Joe” Esty of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Ann Arbor, Livonia, Princeton, NJ, and Del Ray, FL, passed away Monday, January 5th, 2026, at the age of 88, at the Chelsea Retirement Community in Kresge. He was born June 28th, 1937, in Plainfield, NJ, the son of Dr. Geoffrey and Valerie (Wrightmyer) Esty.

Joe went to George School Preparatory, a Quaker school in Newtown, PA, and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Union College in NY, in 1959. Joe worked as a Civil Engineer Manager for Pennwalt Wallace and Tiernan for 37 years. He was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, Ann Arbor, and Boca Raton. Joe was an avid Detroit and Michigan sports fan. He loved playing tennis, hiking in the Everglades, bicycling, and running, and enjoyed traveling with his wife Gail. He also enjoyed playing guitar with his son, Geoff, for family and friends, and at open-mic nights throughout the area, under the name Joe Troubadour.

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Paula Curtis

Paula Curtis of Jackson, Michigan, formerly of Chelsea, age 98, went to be with her Lord, Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at Legacy Assisted Living in Jackson. She was born January 18, 1927, in Aalen, Germany, the daughter of Edward and Monika (Bauhammer) Hefele.

Paula came to America in February of 1952. She was a longtime resident of Sharon Township, having lived there since 1953. Paula was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Chelsea, Sharon Township Women's Guild, and German Club. Over the years she worked as a nanny, at Kroger in east Detroit in 1952, and was a devoted employee for 23 years at Cedar Knoll Rest Home in Grass Lake. She moved to The Pines in 2015. Paula had an immense love for gardening, especially her flowers, baking, and cooking. You never visited her and went home hungry.

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Barbara Ann Hochrein

Barbara Ann Hochrein of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Dexter, age 91, passed away Friday, January 2, 2026, at the Chelsea Retirement Community in the Kresge Rehabilitation Center. She was born March 11, 1934, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of Emanuel Carl & Elsie Barbara (Bernthel) Seitz.

Barbara was a Charter Member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Chelsea, where she planned funeral dinners, taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and was the president of the Phoebe Guild, and Silver Streak. Barbara was a member of Lambda Chi Omega Professional Women's Organization and the Ann Arbor Lionesses. She worked at the University of Michigan School of Social Work & School of Public Health. Barbara enjoyed spending time at their family cabin, attended all the sporting activities of her sons, and enjoyed being with her grandchildren.

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Joyce Ann Boltz

Joyce Ann Boltz of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Tulsa, Oklahoma, age 93, passed away Monday, January 5, 2026, at the Chelsea Retirement Community in Glazier Commons. She was born August 9, 1932, in Lansing, Michigan, the daughter of Kenneth & Gertrude I. (Graham) Graham.

Joyce was a member of the Chelsea First United Methodist Church. She worked as a farmer's wife, a seamstress, office manager and a financial secretary at the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. Joyce also did wallpapering and was a volunteer at the Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Darrin Lopez

Sweet Darrin Lopez of Jackson, Michigan, age 15, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, December 25, 2025, at Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor. He was born March 28, 2010, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the son of Roberto Lopez and Kelly Sue (Allward) Lopez.

Darrin was a student at High Point in Ann Arbor, and was currently a student at Jackson County Intermediate School District. Darrin was a very vocal, loving kid, with the best smile and great belly laugh. He liked to swim and be around his siblings- especially when they were in trouble.

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