Obituaries

Rev. George A. Luciani

Rev. George A. Luciani passed away peacefully after a long illness on January 10, 2018 at his home in the Chelsea Retirement Community with his wife and family at his side.  George was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan on July 18th 1935.  As a teenager he answered God’s call to the ministry.  After his high school graduation, he attended Vennard College in University Park, Iowa.  It was there he met, and then on May 29th 1956, married Carolyn Bowlin from Natchez, Mississippi. They made their home in Ewen, Michigan where George was appointed by the Detroit Conference of the United Methodist Church to serve the Ewen Charge which was made up of four churches, in addition to Ewen it included Bergland, Kenton and Sidnaw.  While there he also graduated from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Charles E. “Chuck” Lilly

of Chelsea, MI,  age 86, died January 2, 2018 at Chelsea Retirement Community, Chelsea, MI. Charles was  born in Macon, IL the son of E. B. Spurgeon Lilly and Beulah Mae Lanter.  He was a Veteran of the Korean Conflict serving as a Cryptographer in Alaska.  Chuck was a Past President and Life Member of the Decatur, IL Jaycees and a JCI Senator for IL.  He was a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in six states and a member of The American College of Nursing Home Administrators.  In retirement Chuck was a Gold Member of SCORE Chapter #296 Decatur, IL and SCORE Chapter # 493 Osage Beach, MO.

Betty Ruth Damren

of Chelsea, MI, formerly Ann Arbor, MI, age 99, passed away Friday, January 5, 2018 at the Chelsea Retirement Community. She was born July 19, 1918 in Ames, Iowa, the daughter of Frank & Florence (Wilcox) Jessup, and grew up on a farm near Adrian, Michigan. Betty was a retired educator, living at the Chelsea Retirement Community. Her undergraduate degree was from Eastern Michigan University. After Pearl Harbor, she volunteered for the Red Cross and was stationed in London during some of the perilous times of World War II. She and her husband Samuel N. Damren married after the war and moved to Ann Arbor. She received graduate degrees from the University of Michigan and worked at the University's Children's Psychiatric Hospital and the Ann Arbor Public Schools as a reading specialist during her career. She was a long-time volunteer with Arbor Hospice and Friends in Need.

Larry Dale Yates

of Albion, MI, age 71, died Friday, December 29, 2017 at VA Health Care Center in Ann Arbor. He was born February 19, 1946 in Carmi, Illinois, the son of Guy and Norma Jean (Hughes) Yates. Larry was an Air Force Veteran.

He loved Nascar, video games, feeding the birds, and spending time with his Mrs. Bear. One of his favorite memories was when the Cubs won the World Series. Larry loved spending time with his grandchildren and enjoyed motorcycles.