Steve

 

Sandy

 

Peggy

 

Jim
 

 Jim & Dave

 Donna, Becky, Jim, Dave

Donna
 

 Becky

 Clyde

Our 65th class reunion!

 Yikes!

Our reunion will be held on Friday, September 29, 2023

at 1 pm

at the VALLLIANT BAR AND GRILL

corner of South Main and Old US 12

RVSP --

Please call Jan Bernath at 475 5753 or Sandy Weber at 475 8862

Barbara Hoskins Flaugher died recently.

 

BARBARA FLAUGHER OBITUARY

Flaugher, Barbara 6/18/1938 - 2/20/2023 Ypsilanti, Michigan Age 84, passed away on February 20, 2023 at her home. Barbara was born in Salyersville, Kentucky on June 18, 1938 to Doc and Mary (Dyer) Hoskins. She moved to Chelsea in 1956 and graduated from Chelsea High School in 1958. She married Allan K. Flaugher on February 18, 1961, and he preceded her in death in December 2019. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Family and faith meant the world to her. She enjoyed quilting and word searches, camping, traveling, and cooking family meals. She worked for the Willow Run School District for many years. Barbara is survived by her children, Perry Flaugher, Mark (Carey Lynn) Flaugher, and Elaine (Eric) Cantrell; her grandchildren, Melissa, Thaddeus, Kaitlynne, Danielle, Ethan, Michelle and Xavier; great-grandchildren, Makenzie, Abigale, Anna, and Aryca. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her eldest son, Paul and his wife, Brenda, as well as her siblings, Herman (Cheryl) Hoskins and Janet (Tim) Schulze. Visitation will be held on Friday, February 24, 2023 at Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea, from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023, 11:00 a.m., at Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea. Burial will follow at Oak Grove East Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Immanuel Bible Church Youth Program.

Published by Ann Arbor News from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, 2023.

Bill Sorensen's obituary

 

William "Bill" Sorensen

William Hugh Sorensen, 82, of Kalamazoo, Michigan passed away peacefully in his home on January 4, 2023. He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Sharon Stickney Sorensen; daughters Jennifer (Dave) Barry and Katrina (David) Steele; grandchildren Gabriella and Kyle (Lauren) Barry and Brenna, Lydia, and Elyse Steele; great-granddaughters Malaya and Nyla Barry; and other cherished extended family.

He was predeceased by his loving mother Margaret Marshall Sorensen; beloved sisters Mary Anne Balmer and Janet Hinterman; and father Hugh Sorensen.

Bill was born June 13, 1940 to Hugh and Margaret Sorensen in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Growing up in small town Chelsea, Michigan in the 40’s and 50’s filled him with unforgettable experiences. His grandparents lived nearby and he recalled memories of spending Saturday afternoons in their home listening to classical music. He played the coronet in his high school marching band and was quite the self-proclaimed delinquent during his teenage years, undoubtedly the reason his mother sent him to spend summers on a Montana ranch. After graduating high school in 1958 he went on to attend his class reunions for more than 50 years; always delighted to catch up with old classmates.

In 1967, Bill graduated from Ferris State College and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan where he and his late, former wife, Ann Browder, raised their two daughters. As a young man, Bill was a self taught wood worker and model train builder. His passion for long distance biking and running sparked him to compete in a biathlon in which he jokingly bragged that he came in 2nd place (out of 2 in his age category). He treasured time spent with his daughter cheering on the WMU volleyball team and family vacations to Glen Lake.

In 1988, Bill married the love of his life, Sharon Stickney. Together they built a life focused around church, family, and friends. Bill was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo where he volunteered and worshiped throughout his life. He cherished his church family and was an ardent supporter of racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equality. After retirement, he spent many summer hours volunteering at Hope Garden growing produce to donate to Loaves & Fishes and volunteering at Gilmore Car Museum. Both brought him great purpose and joy for many years.

Through his soft, gentle nature ‘Gramps’ lovingly built a unique and special bond with each of his grandchildren, unceasingly supporting and championing them everyday of their lives. It was not uncommon to see tears of joy and gratitude streaming down his cheeks. Bill lived his life graciously bestowing love, encouragement, and tenderness to those he cared about. He will be remembered for his fierce love of family and church, his sense of humor, his tender heart, and his open mind. The family would like to thank the many people from Centrica Care (formerly Hospice Care of Southwest MI) who provided such compassionate care during his final weeks.

Memorial Service will be held Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 1:00pm in Kalamazoo’s First Presbyterian Church, 321 W. South Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Interment will be in the church Columbarium. Contributions may be sent in Bill’s memory to First Presbyterian Church, Kalamazoo for the Hope Garden.

While visiting Bill’s webpage at www.amsfuneralhomes.com please sign the guestbook and/or sharing a memory with the family. The family is being assisted by Avink, McCowen & Secord Funeral Home; 5975 Lovers Lane in Portage 269 344-5600.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William "Bill" Sorensen, please visit our flower store.

Bill Sorensen died on January 4, 2023

After a short battle with pancreatic cancer.  His wife, Sherry, survives.
 

Gathering 2022 - Bob, Jim, Linda, Peggy, Donna, Dave, Becky, Jan, Sandy, Ed

 

Upcoming reunion is on September 15, Thursday

 at Stiver's in the back room at 2 pm.

Please let Sandy know: 475 8862.

Shirley Dyer died during July, 2022

Ron Clark will be missed. Please read below about the celebration of life on June 4 at 2 pm. RSVP requested.

 Ron S. Clark

April 23, 2022

Ron S. Clark passed away peacefully in Neenah, WI, surrounded by family on 23 April 2022 after a brief illness. Ron was born in Chelsea, Michigan, on 15 June 1940. He was the son of Steve G. Clark and Beatrice Truckey Clark and grew up in Chelsea, graduating from Chelsea High School in 1958. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Janet Harvey-Clark, and their child, Kit Chelsea Clark Glogovsky, who is married to Sam E. Glogovsky. Ron and Janet moved from Jackson, Michigan, to Neenah, Wisconsin, a year ago to live near Kit and Sam.

Ron is survived by his son Bill Clark Palikainen, who is married to Theresa Palikainen and is father to Ron’s granddaughters Jasmine Palikainen Salem and Alexis Palikainen, both of whom live in Michigan. Bill and Theresa live in Wayne, Michigan. Ron is survived also by son Jared Damien Clark, partner to Melissa Peters-Bishop and father to their child, Kellan Clark, Ron’s grandson. Jared, Melissa and Kellan live in Plymouth, Michigan. Jared is also father to Ron’s grandson Brandon Clark, who lives in California.

Ron’s brother, George Clark and his partner Utpala A. Patel, live in Chelsea, Michigan. Ron’s brother, Bruce Clark and his wife Marilyn O. Clark, live in Merrill, Michigan. Ron is survived also by his sister Bonnie Clark Dempich.

Ron began his higher education at Michigan Technical College before transferring to Northern Michigan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Education, with specialties in Art, History and Psychology. He also earned a master’s degree in Math Education from the University of Detroit. Ron taught a variety of subjects from kindergarten through high school for over 40 years, including Art, English, and History. Ron spent over 10 years teaching Mathematics to high school students in Detroit, Michigan; Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina; and Battle Creek, Michigan. When he left teaching, Ron took on his favorite role—full-time dad to Kit while the family lived in Jackson, Michigan.

One of the many reasons Ron loved teaching—in addition to inspiring students to learn, question assumptions and express their creativity—was the opportunity his summers gave him to travel. Ron explored all the continental United States and many parts of Canada, with a special love of discovering America’s national parks, and he loved introducing camping and many of these areas to his kids. He took up flat-water kayaking in the 1980s, and Ron kayaked and camped solo along over 800 miles of Lake Superior’s shoreline. Ron met Janet in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula became a much-loved destination for their family.

Another favorite place for Ron was Sanibel Island and Captiva Island off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Ron worked several summers at South Seas Plantation on Captiva and loved sharing the wonderful nature of these areas with all three of his children.

After Ron and Janet married in 1989 and moved to North Carolina, they discovered Topsail Island off the Southern coast of the state, and this beautiful beach area became a favorite of Ron, Janet, and Kit. Ron also traveled in the 1990s to Great Britain, exploring Scotland and England. Ron and Janet took a special trip to Sanibel and Captiva over Christmas 2021, and they visited North Carolina in April 2022, spending time with Janet’s brother, Robert, sister-in-law, Lynn, and their young daughters, Karli Rae, 3, and K’La Claire, 5 months. Ron and Janet enjoyed a final beach vacation together on Topsail during this time.

The depth of Ron’s lifetime experiences shared an appreciation and love of nature, which included a passion for fossil/rock hunting and collecting, a fascination with and incredible knowledge of all creatures great and small, and an awareness and understanding of science as the method by which knowledge is acquired. His love of art, music, and literature equaled his enthusiasm for nature and science. He was an avid reader—especially sci-fi and fantasy. He enjoyed going to museums and had eclectic tastes in music, with his favorite group being Pink Floyd, while also enjoying Willie Nelson, Celtic music, Simon & Garfunkel, and a variety of jazz.

Ron’s range of interests and knowledge reflected his attitude that life is to be lived in the moment with attention to learning what lessons await. He respected people as individuals, did not judge others, and was a staunch defender of human and civil rights for people of all ethnicities, races, and nationalities as well as sexual orientation and gender identity. Most of all, he loved his family unconditionally and was with his family the day he left this world to go on his next adventure.

A Life Celebration for Ron will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at the Michigan Friends Center in Chelsea. The service begins at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow. The venue is located at:

Michigan Friends Center

7748 Clark Lake Rd

Chelsea, MI 48118

Directions may be found at:

https://mfcenter.org/diriving-directions/

To have an accurate count, please RSVP by Friday, May 27, 2022, by sending an email to Janet Harvey-Clark at:

janetharveyclark7@gmail.com

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth) at:

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

63 years after we graduated...here we are....

 

 Donna & Violet & guest

Bill & Sherry

Sandy & Donna

Becky & Marti

Ron & Janet

Dave & Jim

Linda & Ed

Note:  Peggy, Bob, and Jim H. didn't make it as they had planned...

The photographer is not pictured, but she looked smashing!

Dave, our witty and couregous classmate, died on August, 27, 2021

David Knisely, age 81, of Chelsea, MI passed away on Friday, August 27, 2021 at Silver Maples of Chelsea.

He was born in Chelsea, MI on July 17, 1940, the son of Holton and Mildred (Noah) Knisely. He had lived in the North Lake area his entire life, graduating from Chelsea High School in 1958.

Dave was a polio survivor and thriver. He was a life-long member of the North Lake United Methodist Church, where for many years he was an organist as well as a member of the choir. He was an english and reading teacher at Beach Middle School, retiring after 30 years of service to the Chelsea School District.

On March 29, 1969, he married Janet P. (Austin), and they enjoyed 52 years of marriage. Dave was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He enjoyed nature, birds, butterflies, and flowers. He enjoyed North Lake for many years, and after retirement, he and Janet wintered in Ozello Keys, FL.

Dave is survived by his wife, Janet Knisely, two sons, Kurt (Lisa) Knisely and Jason Knisely, grandchildren: Michael and Chasey Knisely, and Kathleen, Karolyn, and Kayla Scripter; several great-grandchildren , and many nieces and nephews; two sisters, Lorna Eberts and Beth (Mike) Folts, and one brother, Eric (Beth) Knisely. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Jim Eberts.

A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 11:00 a.m., at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, August 30, 2021 from 6-8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the North Lake United Methodist Church.

 

Upcoming reunion!

 Our next gathering will be on Wednesday, September 15, at Stivers in the "back room".

We'll meet at 3 pm!  It would be great if you'd let Sandy (475 8862) or Jan (475 5753) to let us know if you're able to come or not.

Hope to see you soon!