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Obituaries

These obituaries are listed in order from newest to oldest.  If you want to look for a specific obituary, just type the last name in the search bar (at the top of this article).  You can click here to sign up to receive obituaries by e-mail.

John A. Hand

John Hand, age 80, of Chelsea died on November 29, 2025, at St. Joe’s Hospital (Trinity) with his loving family at his side. John was born in Ann Arbor on January 25, 1945, and lived in Ann Arbor for the first 5 years of his life. After that, his family moved to North Lake where his parents, Stanley and Alice Hand, owned the Inverness Inn and also resided there.

John went to Chelsea Schools where he lettered in Football and Wrestling and his love of golf began at Inverness Country Club. He graduated in 1964 and remained a true Bulldog his entire life keeping in contact with many of his classmates over the years. After high school, he was off to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, where he was on the wrestling team. Sadly, during John’s first semester of college, his brother, Stanley Jr., died suddenly. Despite dealing with his grief, John excelled in college. He received many honors including being named in Who’s Who in Colleges and spending a semester at American University in Washington D.C. as part of an honors program.

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Sandra Joy Avery

Sandra “Sandi” Avery, age 79, of Dexter, Michigan, passed away November 20, 2025. She was born on January 11, 1946 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Tom and Fran VandenBrink. Sandi lived an extremely vibrant, full life and was the embodiment of adventure, from traveling the world, to jumping off bridges and out of airplanes, to trekking up mountains, to riding her motorcycle about the country.

Sandi was a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, and served as an occupational therapist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, until retiring in 2006. Her career was a reflection of her thoughtfulness and genuine caring about people. Sandi will be remembered for the way she made everyone who knew her feel valued, welcomed, and cared for. Her regular calls and visits to friends and family will be deeply missed. She was fiercely devoted to her family and was considered the family social coordinator and was often referred to as the family “glue.” Her legacy of kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity will live on in the hearts of all those she touched.

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Ruth M. Thompson

of Ann Arbor MI, our loving and nurturing mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on November 15, 2025 at the Chelsea Retirement Community (Chelsea, MI) at the age of 95 years. Ruth was born to James A and Alice Barton Payne on January 16, 1930 in Newburgh, NY, and grew up in nearby Highland Mills, NY. Following High School, she graduated from St Luke’s Nursing School in New York City in 1950. After two years of hospital nursing, she left the city for Denver, CO eventually moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan to work at the Women’s Hospital at the University of Michigan (1955).

She met a young resident physician, George R Thompson, MD and within a year they were wed (1957). They lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan to raise their family, then in their late years resided at the Chelsea Retirement Community. Ruth was our stay-at-home mom, shuttling us to this and that, helping with homework, raising us to be productive adults, all the while modeling a quiet faith and teaching us how to interact in the world with grace. She was active in the United Methodist Women at the Calvary UMC for much of her life, International Neighbors (assisting spouses of international students), and made the finest potato salad ever served at the church potluck dinners. She was also an expert pie chef and was fascinated by Lady Slippers.

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Robert Volney Beatty, Jr.

Robert Volney Beatty, Jr. of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Hartford, age 66, passed away Sunday, November 23, 2025, at Beechwood Living Center in Taylor. He was born June 4, 1959, in Hartford, Michigan, the son of Robert Volney and Helen Aileen (Pomeroy) Beatty, Sr.

Robert graduated from Hartford High School as Valedictorian. He served 2 years in the Air Force and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering. Robert worked as an Engineer at General Motors in Lansing, and formerly attended the Free Methodist Church. Robert was a great storyteller, enjoyed fishing, and loved his kids and dogs immensely.

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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.

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