The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Obituaries
PUBLISHED: January 4, 2007
George L. Staffan of Chelsea passed away Jan. 1, 2007 at his cabin at Luzerne, Mich. He was 95.
He was born Feb. 12, 1911, the son of George P. and Mae (Wood) Staffan. George was the former owner of the Staffan Funeral Home which his grandfather started in 1853 and he was the oldest living funeral director in the state of Michigan. George also was a former member of the Chelsea Village Council and a member of Kiwanis. He was married to Kathryn A. (Hindelang) Staffan on Nov. 28, 1932 and she survives. Also surviving is a son, George A. Staffan; a sister, Katherine Wagner; a daughter-in-law, Joanne Ingles; three granddaughters, Susan Lundgren, Kristin (Paul) Rossi and Andrea Staffan; several nieces and nephews; Frederick (Margaret) Wagner, John (Wendy) Wagner and Stephanie Kanten; brother-in-law, Victor (Dorothy) Hindelang and a sister-in-law, Gertrude Hindelang; and five great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at 11 a.m. from the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home with Rev. Dr. William J. Turner officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. The family will receive friends today from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
William "Bill" J. Bott of Chelsea passed away peacefully Dec. 22, 2006. He was 82. He was the only child born to Mathias and Marguerite (Rademaker) Bott on March 2, 1924 in Marion, Ind., where he lived until serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later went on to graduate from Indiana University.
Mr. Bott spent 25 years as a Chamber of Commerce Executive-18 in Ann Arbor. Before retiring he spent 11 years as Vice-President of Society Bank (now Key Bank.) He was also one of the founding committee members that established the Washtenaw Community College system. He then went on to serve as a trustee 1969-1972 of Washtenaw Community College. All that knew him will remember him as the man who got the job done.
Mr. Bott is survived by four children; Michael Bott of Detroit, Lawrence Bott of Novato, Calif., John Bott of San Francisco, and Carol Boisanault of Byron Center, Mich.
Also surviving are nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His ashes will be interred at Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor. Memorial contributions can be made to the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation for the Guy C. Larcom, Jr. Fund or the McKune Library in Chelsea.
Rita Ann Fischer of Dexter died Dec. 29, 2006. She was 85.
She was born May 6, 1921 in Toledo, daughter of Charles and Mary Walsh. She moved to Dexter at the age of 3, and following the death of her mother, Rita was raised by George and Mary Walsh, her uncle and aunt. She became a lifelong resident of Dexter and was a faithful servant to her church and her community. She was an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, where her ministry and service on numerous boards and committees spanned nine decades, including her most recent work on the building committee planning the church's new facilities. She was active in village government, where she served on the Village of Dexter Council and she served multiple terms as Dexter's Village Clerk and Treasurer. She also was involved in many other community services in the village, including Family Services, Meals on Wheels, the Dexter Historical Society, and the Dexter Antiquarians. Her employment history included positions at Fingerle Lumber and Bob Estes Ford in Ann Arbor and she retired in 1988 from her position at Sears.
Her survivors include her three children, son Michael R. (Cindy) Fischer of Saline, daughter Mary Ellen Fischer (Ron) Cooper of Novi, daughter Ann Marie Fischer (Kevin) Aven of Zionsville, Ind., seven grandchildren; Sarah Gallaway, Jennifer Gallaway, Aimee Cooper, Erin Cooper, Logan Aven, Jacob Aven and Griffin Aven. On Tuesday, Jan. 2, a Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated, with Fr. Brendan J. Walsh presiding. Contributions may be made in memory of Rita Fischer to St. Joseph Parish, 3430 Dover Street, Dexter, MI 48130.
Lois Faye Speer of Chelsea died Monday, Dec. 25, 2006 at Chelsea Retirement Community. She was 89.
She was born May 6, 1917 in Marion, Ind., the daughter of James M. & Gladys (Speece) Smith.
She worked at King Seeley in Ann Arbor, and Rockwell Spring in Chelsea. She then worked as a nurse at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Chelsea Community Hospital, United Methodist Retirement Community and Hospice nursing. She was a life member of VFW in Chelsea and Ann Arbor and the Rebekah Harmony Lodge 460-PNC.
She married Byford Jason Speer in Ann Arbor on June 1, 1934, and he preceded her in death on Nov. 24, 2001. Survivors include three sons, Gary Speer of Chelsea, Bill (Dianne) Speer of Ann Arbor, Jack (Darbe Stewart) Speer of Parma; three daughters, Barbra (Don) Fritz of Dexter, Dorothy (Sam) Vangor of Chelsea, Dianne (Allan) Rose of Murray, Ky.; one sister, Imogene Slocum of Chelsea; a brother-in-law, Paul Speer, many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, friends and loved ones.
She was preceded in death by a son, James, one daughter, Judy Palmer, 1 sister, 1 brother, 2 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday, Jan. 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan. 20, 1:30 p.m. at Cole Funeral Chapel, with Erik Hansen officiating. Burial will be at Oak Grove Cemetery, Chelsea. Memorial contributions may be made to the VFW National Home for Children.
Lyndon Carl Benjamin of Chelsea died suddenly, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006 at Chelsea Community Hospital. He was 57.
He was born May 11, 1949 in Ann Arbor, the son of Carl Lee and Lorraine M. (Weatherwax) Benjamin.
He was a systems analyst at the U of M Hospital and was a member of Dexter Church of Christ. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandson.
On Oct. 20, 1972, he married Patricia Rose Frye in Ypsilanti, and she survives. Other survivors include two daughters, Angela (Eric) Jensen of Chelsea, Rachel Benjamin of Chelsea; two sisters, Cyndi Benjamin of Canton, Cathy Benjamin of Chelsea; a brother, Jerald (Nancy) Benjamin of Chelsea; one grandson, Owen Daniel Schemanske. He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother Timothy.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Jan. 4, 11 a.m. at Cole Funeral Chapel, Chelsea, with Carl Whitelaw officiating. Burial will be at Oak Grove East Cemetery, Chelsea. Memorial contributions may be made to Dexter Church of Christ.
Elaine Schultz, formerly of Michigan and Altoona, passed away Friday evening, Dec. 29, 2006, at the Fall Creek Valley Nursing Home, with her family at her bedside. She was 76.
Elaine Marie Schultz, daughter of Emil and Hazel (Campbell) Ruhlig, was born April 18, 1930 in Ann Arbor. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor. She grew up in the area of Dexter and lived in Detroit during her teens where she attended and graduated from Detroit Lutheran High School in 1949. She had married Edwin Schultz on April 24, 1954, and to that union three children were born.
Mrs. Schultz had been employed by the Sarns Co. in Ann Arbor for 26 years, where she worked on the electrical assembly of heart and kidney machines. After she retired she moved to Altoona, Wisc., in 1992, to be near her family. While in Altoona she was an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and enjoyed working with its brail ministry. She had worked on the Altoona Election Board, and had also worked part-time for Mega Food East. In 1999, she suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a pedestrian-car accident. This injury eventually forced her into nursing facilities. She spent one year at a nursing home in Mondovi, Wisc., before entering the Fall Creek Valley Care Center five years ago. Elaine loved her family, and her church work was so very important to her. During her years with Sarns she was a member of the company softball team where she pitched a no-hitter. She was playing and enjoying softball into her 50's.
She is survived by 3 children, daughter Carlene (Gary) Volbrecht of Fall Creek, Wisc.; 2 sons, Duane Schultz of Jackson, Brian Schultz of Havre De Grace, Md., 7 grandchildren, Kimberly (Jeff) Ruby, Rebecca Schultz, Gregory Volbrecht, Alexander Schultz, Timothy Volbrecht, Justine Schultz, Steven Volbrecht; 3 great-grandchildren, Dylan, Jordyn and Anna; 2 brothers, Albert (Madonna) Ruhlig of Dexter, Erwin (Karen) Ruhlig of Athens, Ill., 4 sisters, Dorothy (Ronald) Spiegelberg, Vicksburg, Mich., Alice Gall of Ann Arbor, Helen (Howard) Schafer of Pioneer, Ohio, Lois (Donald) Lutz of Jeffersonville, Ind.; sister-in-law, Alice Ruhlig of Ann Arbor; several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Donald Ruhlig.
Funeral services were held Jan. 2, 2007 at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Fall Creek, with spring burial in St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Augusta, Wisc. The family is assisted by the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta.
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