Obituaries

Charles Melvin Smith

Age 87, died Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at Saline Evangelical Home. He was born April 18, 1929 in Chillicothe, Missouri, the son of Elmer Louis & Lucy Ann (Sharp) Smith.

At the age of 16, Charles left school to become a chef for the Coast Guard on the Great Lakes.  He was an Auxiliary Police Officer for the City of Wayne.  He began his career with Ford Motor Company in 1953 and retired after 36 years as a Mechanical Engineer.  After retirement, he and his wife, Julia, moved to Lake Leelanau, enjoying 20 years of boating, fishing and hunting.  Charles was a member of the Cedar Chamber of Commerce doing volunteer work, especially helping with the Polka Festival.

Jacqueline Joyce Richards

of Ypsilanti, formerly of Ann Arbor. Age 81, died Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at Birchwood Estates of Ann Arbor. She was born July 17, 1935 in Burlington, VT, the daughter of Norman & Celine (Snyder) Bleau.  Jacqueline worked at Comfort Inn on Carpenter Road in Ann Arbor, as well as some other hotels in the area. She enjoyed going to Cloverleaf Restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor, where she met Roy. Jacqueline enjoyed watching movies, mainly Lifetime and Shirley Temple movies.

Heather Ann Shurmur

of Chelsea, Michigan, age 58, died Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at in her home after a long fight with cancer. She was born May 29, 1958 in Dearborn, the daughter of Herbert Edwin & Isabelle Smith (Barnes) Madion.  Heather attended Walled Lake Western High School. She worked at Chelsea Retirement Community in food services for 19 years.

Survivors include her husband, Donald Michael “Mike” Shurmur; a son, Jason (Liz) Shurmur of Oregon; a daughter, Tiffany Shurmur of Chelsea; a grandson, Liam; a sister, Wendy (Don) Miller of Roseville, CA; and a brother-in-law, Ted Durandetto of Grass Lake.

James David Thurber

of Ypsilanti, MI, formerly of Lincoln Park, age 50, died Sunday, March 26, 2017 at his home in Ypsilanti. He was born May 15, 1966 in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of George Michael & Bonnie Jean (Tollefson) Thurber.

  Jim attended Calvary Lutheran School until 8th grade, and then Lincoln Park High School, which he left to join the Army. He became a paramedic for two years at Metro Airport, and later Cass Corridor in Detroit. Jim did many odd jobs over the years, including car mechanic, lawn care, and carpentry. He was christened at Hope Lutheran in Dearborn, and confirmed at Mt. Hope Lutheran in Allen Park, and attended church in Ypsilanti before his death. Jim enjoyed martial arts and loved animals, especially dogs.