Obituaries

Paul Gene Denton

Paul Gene Denton passed away at the age of 96 on Saturday, March 21, 2026. He was blessed to be sleeping peacefully at home with his family nearby.

Paul was born February 2,1930 in Barlow, Kentucky, the son of Paul Furman and Florence Gertrude Denton. Shortly after his birth they moved to Jackson, Michigan, where the family lived until 1940 when they moved to Dexter. Paul graduated from Dexter High School, Class of ‘48. He was drafted into the Army in 1951 and trained and served as a helicopter mechanic in Oklahoma, until his discharge in 1953. He had no college education but with the help of several mentors who believed in his self-motivation and determination, he learned to fly at the Ann Arbor Airport. He was hired as a Co-Pilot by North Central Airlines in 1958 and flew out of Willow Run Airport until the 70’s when he became a PIC (Pilot in Command) Captain for Northwest Airlines, flying out of Metro Airport. He was a Captain’s Captain and was well-respected among his peers. He loved flying.

Beverley Jean (Hill) Crump

of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Albion, Michigan, passed away on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Silver Maples of Chelsea, at the age of 92. She was known throughout her life for her kindness and compassion, her dedication to family and community, her love of life and love of music, her wit, her endless optimism, and perhaps most of all, her smile.

Bev was born February 13, 1933, in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Alvin Floyd and Mary Ethelene (Frye) Hill. Her parents were educators in the public schools in Fairmont and Frankfort, Illinois, where she and her younger siblings, Marnita and Bob, attended primary and secondary school. She was a good student and enjoyed playing clarinet in the band from the time she was in grade school. She also sang in a quartet with three of her friends.

After graduating from high school, Bev attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she majored in elementary education.  During her college years, she continued playing clarinet in the university marching band. She was also active in the campus Wesley Foundation, and there she met a Ph.D. student named John “Jack” Crump, the love of her life. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry until she finished college, so she and Jack married in Urbana, Illinois, on June 19, 1955, the day after her graduation.

Cynthia Ann Corpron, M.D.

Cynthia Ann Corpron, M.D. of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Ann Arbor, Albany, New York, and Houston, Texas, age 64, returned to the Lord peacefully, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Glazier Commons at the Chelsea Retirement Community. She was born February 14, 1962, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of Richard Earl and Beverly Jane (Crabill) Corpron.

Rosemary Collins

of Dexter, Michigan, age 78, went to be with the Lord on Friday, February 20, 2026, at the University of Michigan Hospital. She was born December 11, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan.  Rosemary graduated from Waterford Kettering High School in 1967. She then earned her Associate's Degree in Culinary Arts from Washtenaw Community College and her Bachelor's Degree from Eastern Michigan University in Early Childhood Education. Rosemary was a Deacon at Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, and a member of the Dexter Senior Center where she enjoyed playing Mahjong. She also enjoyed hiking, reading, painting, drawing and herb gardening.