Obituaries

Vale Salkauskas

Vale Salkauskas of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Manchester, age 79, passed away Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at the Chelsea Retirement Community Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. She was born September 21, 1946, in Lubeck, Germany, the daughter of Leo and Bronislava (Astrauskas) Rutkauskas.

Vale was a wonderful cook. She loved to cook, bake and feed everyone that came across her path, including her friends at the Pines. If you ever stopped in to see Vale, you left with a full stomach or a bag with some wonderful snacks in it. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting and crafting. Vale loved doing craft shows with her family and friends. She was an adoring grandmother and loved her grandchildren to no end. Her paying job was being a nurse, but it never ended there. She was a nurse to the very end. Vale loved to take care of people and had the biggest, caring heart. Even when the MS took away her ability to walk, she was always taking care of people. Vale was an amazingly caring, wonderful woman who made a big impression on a lot of people's lives.

Rev. James "Jim" Henry Maxwell

Rev. James “Jim” Henry Maxwell, 86 years old, born January 25, 1939, passed away on November 5, 2025, in Chelsea, Michigan.

Born to Frank “Donald” and Letitia “Pat” Maxwell, Jim was raised in Yonkers, New York. He attended Gordon High School. A lifelong athlete, he played basketball (“infamously” once at Madison Square Gardens), and was an avid runner until his legs no longer could carry him that way. While attending Columbia University, he served as captain of the track team and completed his undergraduate studies. He also enjoyed tennis well into his 70s—still managing to win the occasional game even after adopting a cane on the court. Following college, Jim responded to a call to serve God, amending plans to go into engineering, instead completing a master’s degree in divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary. After ordination as an Episcopal priest, Jim’s first church assignment placed him in Covington, Kentucky, where he met Martha May “Mardi” Maxwell, the daughter of the Rector. She became the love of his life, and together they shared 60 years of marriage. They moved to Philadelphia in 1967, where they welcomed their three children: Stephen (1968), Timothy (1970), and Debra (1972).

Joy Renee Sexton

born July 13, 1973 in Detroit was set free from the bonds of this earthly life on Sept 10, 2025. Left to remember her amazing but shortened life are her daughter Kynze Gilbert (19), her stepson Ken D. Gilbert (25), sister Chelsea Plymale, brother Ian Kummer, nephew Paul Heck, and her parents Lorin and Joseph Kummer. She leaves behind many other caring family members and dear friends. Her last few years found her also surrounded by devoted health care workers who were essential to her well-being during her illness and disability.

Gail Disbrow Esty

of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of New Jersey, and Florida,

beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at the age of 85. She was born August 29, 1939, in Keyport, New Jersey, the daughter of Harvey G. and Ruth (Disbrow) Hartman.

Gail was a member of Farmington/Ann Arbor Unitarian Universalist. She received her undergraduate degree from Hood College and her MSW from Wayne State University. In 1979, she was one of the first to join FirstStep, a shelter for domestic violence. She continued in private social work practice for 20 years. Gail loved to learn and explore other world religions. She and her husband loved to travel.