Obituaries

Willis Dean Westphal

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 82, passed away Wednesday, December 11, 2024, in Chelsea, Michigan. He was born January 29, 1942, in Austin, Minnesota, the son of Alvin Herman & Hazel Grace (Fox) Westphal.

Will served in the US Air Force in Inventory Control in Oscoda, Michigan, and Watertown, New York. Will & Jan moved to Chelsea in 1970. He worked for Bendix in Ann Arbor for ten years. He then worked as a Warranty Administrator for Auto Strasse BMW/Mercedes in Ann Arbor from 1983 to 2007. Will was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church, and enjoyed gardening, fishing, and bowling.

Kelly (Stebelton) Vollmar

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 62, peacefully went to be with the Lord on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor. She was born April 3, 1962, in Detroit, the daughter of Richard Tyrone & Patricia Lorraine (Moore) Stebelton.

Kelly graduated from Chelsea High School in 1980, and attended William Tyndale College from 1980-1984. She was the office manager at Pucci Vollmar Architects from 2009-2024. She was a very active member of Immanuel Bible Church in Chelsea. Kelly ministered to youth for 25 years, serving most recently in AWANA. She was also the Area Director for Youth For Christ. Kelly was an accomplished singer and dedicated her voice to the Lord. She was outgoing and had a dry wit. Kelly was fiercely loyal and always signed her letters that she was “in His grip.”

Mary Jo Cordell (Lawson)

Mary Jo (Sherburne) Cordell was born on December 17, 1929, in Coldwater, MI, to Virgil Arthur and Mary Katherine (Gruner) Sherburne. The family moved to Battle Creek in 1936. Mary Jo is a graduate of Battle Creek Central High School Class of 1947, and attended Argubright Business College in Battle Creek. She is also an alumna of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where she was a member of the Stoic Society and Phi Kappa Phi honor fraternities.

She married Allen C. Lawson, Jr., in 1950, and they made their home in Ypsilanti. He preceded her in death in 1988. After his death she endowed the Willow Run School District with funds to create the Allen C. Lawson, Jr., Mathematics Scholarship.

On August 3, 1991, she married Carl Leonard Cordell of Belleville, and they made their home in Chelsea.

Mary Jo retired as an administrator at the University of Michigan Law School’s Child Advocacy Law Clinic in 1992. Prior to that she was Executive Assistant to Florine Mark, President of Weight Watchers Group, Inc., in Southfield, and at one time was Assistant Executive Vice President of the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors.

Ann Poley

Ann "Nee" Stephanie Poley passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on December 1, 2024, at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor at the age of 82. Ann was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 19, 1942, and lived in Chelsea, Michigan. Ann was the daughter of Stephen Harvey and Lucille (McHenry) Nicholson.  There are no words that could capture the caliber of woman that Ann was, but here is the closest one could come to doing so:

Ann was a devout Catholic, having attended Catholic school as a young girl. She attended and became an active member of Zion Lutheran Church in Chelsea after marrying her husband Howard Poley, Jr., and returned to her Catholic roots, attending St. Mary Catholic Church in Chelsea. Ann would always tell her friends and family she was "rolling the beads" for them when prayers were needed. Her rosary went with her wherever she went and was worn thin from use.

In her years of working, Ann was a school bus driver for Manchester Public Schools for 27 years. She also had a long list of part time jobs. After she retired, she became an active member of the Manchester Senior Citizens where she enjoyed helping with meal preparations and striking up conversations with friends and strangers alike.