Obituaries

Nancy Lynn (Pope) Jedele

Nancy Lynn (Pope) Jedele was called home to be with her Lord on August 26, 2025 after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Nancy was born on August 22, 1950 to Herbert A. and Elizabeth A. (Foote) Pope, in Ann Arbor Michigan.

She was confirmed at Salem Ev. Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor and graduated from Pioneer High School in 1968.

She met the love of her life, James L. Jedele, in the fall of 1968 and they were married on September 12, 1970.

In 1975, they moved to Dexter, MI where they raised their 6 children in the house that they built.

Nancy was an active member of Faith Lutheran Church in Dexter, MI for more than 50 years.

Nancy worked at UofM hospital for more than 25 years as an inpatient unit clerk. She spent most of those years in the SICU where she made many wonderful friends. She truly loved her job and considered it her “home away from home”.

Lucille Doke

of Northville, Michigan, formerly of Ann Arbor, age 90, passed away Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at Brookdale Senior Living in Northville. She was born August 7, 1935, in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Ellis and Lucille (Woodly) Doke, Sr.

Lucille was part of Deep Spring Center for Meditation and Spiritual Inquiry. She worked at the University of Michigan as a Major Gifts Officer and Accountant, retiring in 1989.

Boyd Lavern Pitts

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 77, passed away Sunday, August 24, 2025, at Trinity Health Livingston Hospital. He was born August 8, 1948, in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Theodore and Edna (Fierstien) Pitts.

Boyd graduated from Flint Central High School in 1966, and was drafted into the Army, serving in California. After meeting Kathy, he started working for the University of Michigan in housekeeping, then stockkeeping/receiving, truck driving, and finally, in the mailroom. Boyd loved collecting military memorabilia and Civil War re-enactments. He enjoyed going to the Saline Celtic Festival and Michigan Renaissance Festival, and volunteered with the Waterloo Farm Museum.

Vionne Edell Johnson

Vionne “Vi” Edell Johnson of Chelsea, Michigan, age 94, passed away Monday, August 18, at Chelsea Retirement Community. Vionne was born in 1930 as the youngest child of a Scandinavian farm family in Granite Falls, MN – the much-loved daughter of Emil Carl and Hulda Nelson.

In December of 1951, Vionne married her high school sweetheart and trombone rival, Kenneth E. Johnson. Fifty-nine years of marriage and corporate moves took them to Minneapolis, New Jersey, Iowa, Northern Minnesota, Kansas, Maine, and finally here in Chelsea. With each move, Ken and Vi would become active members in their local churches, making enduring friendships along the way. Vionne was an elementary school teacher, a homemaker, a Deacon of the Presbyterian Church, and most recently a member of the Huron River Methodist Church of Dexter. Kenny and Vi’s shared wanderlust also led to travel around the world. Well into her 94th year, Vionne was a lively companion on family trips, near and far. She will be missed for her grace, wisdom, and laser-like wit.