Muriel Crooks

March 20, 1929  - October 12, 2024 

Died peacefully at her home in Ithaca Michigan on her beloved farm Saturday morning surrounded by her son and daughter.   

She was the Carson City Bean Queen before marrying Stuart Crooks on August 21, 1948 they were married for 55 years before Stewart passed in 2003.  They raised 5 children together.  The first few years they lived in Huntington Indiana, then moved to Grand Rapids Michigan and lived there for 5 years before returning to the Crooks Family Farm.    

Muriel started a quilters qroup in her mom’s basement in 1983 called the Olde Time Quilters*, there were approximately 13 ladies that would meet weekly to hand quilt.  Along with being a master quilter she made sour cream cookies, making as many as a thousand dozen cookies at Christmas.  She also was a Bookkeeper at Middleton Farmers Elevator where she was always looking out for the farmers.   She retired at the age of 76 working for her nephew Kris Duflo. 

After retiring she lost both her legs at the age of 81.  For the last 14 years she has been on a “Jazzy Scooter” driving it throughout the house and  farm.  She was an inspiration to all for her resilience and never give up attitude.    She continued making her Sour Cream Cookies making sure her grandchildren had cookies every Christmas.   Her love for quilting continued right to the end, her quilting ladies  came Wednesday to work on one of the two quilts that she had on the quilt frames.   

She would put her “Jazzy Scooter” on high and get to the kitchen as fast as she could when Greg came in to cook or can some vegetables from his beautiful garden.  Greg was always here with his mother making sure all her needs were met.  Greg would tell you that his mom was his Hero, but we all knew that Greg was her Hero. 

Barbara with her diligence to make sure her momma was always taken care of.   Muriel had a word that she would put special emphasis on from time to time “Whatever”, we can honestly say that Barbara heard it more than all of us.  The relationship of a mother and daughter is always beautiful. 

She loved watching game shows, her and Mark would try to guess the answers to Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy,  most of the time guessing the right answers.    She would keep Linda busy trying new recipes, she loved watching the cooking shows, always making sure the recipe was printed to try it.  It never seemed like Mark and Linda could come up often enough to please her. 

She was loved dearly by her family, always there to listen, always there with unconditional love and support.   We are all so Blessed for having this amazing woman in our lives. 

We would like to thank her 6 care givers for taking such excellent care of her and loving her.  You  are all amazing people, we will always be grateful. 

Surviving are her four children: 

Steven Crooks, Florida 

Gregory Crooks, Ithaca MI 

Mark (Linda) Crooks, Warsaw, IN 

Barbara VanAtten, Ithaca MI 

Four Grandchildren: 

Amber (Kris) Howes, Kalamazoo, MI 

Sarah (Ralph) Ponze, Holt, MI 

Nicole (Marcus) Haskin, Mount Pleasant, MI 

Cody VanAtten, Lansing MI 

Nine great grandchildren 

Preceded in Death: 

Husband:  Stuart  Crooks 

Daughter:  Elladyne MacNabb 

Grandson:  Jason Crooks 

Brother:  George Smith 

Sister:  Phyllis Duflo 

Funeral services for Muriel will be 1pm Saturday, October 19, at the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Burial will follow at Fritz Cemetery. Visitation will take place prior to the service from 11am - 1pm at the funeral home.

The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.

Barbara Jean Flegel

Barbara Jean Flegel (Barb), 76, of Perrinton, Michigan unexpectedly left this earth on October 9, 2024.

Barb was born on February 14, 1948, to Ruth and Romaine Flegel in Lansing, Michigan. When she was still a young girl, the family moved “home” to Gratiot County.  Barb’s youth was filled with fond memories of playing in the creek with her brother, cousins, neighbors, and friends and spending her days with her large extended family.

She graduated from Ithaca High School in 1966 and attended Lansing Business University (now LCC) where she developed her talent with numbers. Her love of cars and knack with numbers lead her early career path to car dealerships in the Lansing area. She spent most of her career at Meridian Township, where she retired in 2008. After retirement, she moved back home to Gratiot County.

Barb was proud of her family heritage and carried the traditions, values and stories of her family with reverence and pride. She was known as the keeper of family history and passed along the stories with detail and care. Barb had a sharp mind and playful sense of humor. She was quick-witted and always ready with a comeback to keep the laughter rolling with a smile and a mischievous glint in her eye.   She enjoyed traveling, camping, music, and her annual trips to Arizona to spend time with her long-time best friend, Ellen (Green) Neumann. Barb carried a compassion for animals and treated her pets as cherished members of the family. Her love of animals extended beyond her own pets, and she could be found feeding the local strays, helping find homes for animals in need or watching the deer graze and play in the fields.   

In 2019, Barb married her childhood friend, Larry Dean Andrews, whose paths crossed again when they both needed each other the most. They lived their remaining years in Perrington, Michigan.   

Barb was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Andrews (by one day), mother, Ruth (Souden) Flegel, father Romaine Flegel, in spirit, “sister-in-law” Brenda Crooks and many cherished family members. Left behind are her brother, Ron Flegel of Ithaca, Michigan, daughter, Arlene (David) Vincent of Mecosta, Michigan, special uncle, Phillip Flegel of Elsie, Michigan and too numerous to mention special aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews and other extended family members.

Her humor, kindness and spirit will be missed by all that knew her.  

A memorial service will be held at 11am on Friday, October 18, 2024 at the Edgewood Church of God with Pastor Dave Perry Officiating. Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 17, from 4-7pm at the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dalis to the Rescue, a non-profit animal rescue in Gratiot County.

The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.

Larry Dean Andrews

Larry Dean Andrews, age 78 of Perrinton, Michigan passed away Tuesday, October 8, 2024 as the result of a motor vehicle accident. 

Larry was born March 5, 1946, to John and Marie (Wermuth) Andrews. He attended Wheeler Country School and then Ithaca High School where he left at the age of 16 to help support himself and his mother. He eventually earned his diploma in 1974, an accomplishment he was very proud of. 

He married Wilma Jean Drake on November 5, 1965. They had four children, James (Denise Krueger) Andrews, Ronda (Dean) Sills, Brent Andrews, and Karla Lindsey. They were married for 52 years before Wilma passed in 2018. 

In 2019, he married Barbara Flegel. Barbara passed away a day after Larry from injuries sustained in the same accident. 

Larry had five grandchildren; Raelyn Jabrocki, Michelle (Nick) Rademacher, Bradly Andrews, Meggan (Mark) Garrity, and Gary Andrews that he treasured more than anything and attended as many of their events as he could. He also had three great grandchildren Kason and Jase Jabrocki and Amelia Garrity. 

Larry worked at Whitman Manufactured Homes for several years until they went out of business. He did construction for a couple of years and then in 1983 he became a custodian for Fulton Schools until his retirement.  Larry enjoyed tractors, especially his John Deere B and was a member of the A-Tractive Tractor Club for over 40 years. He always made sure to attend the antique tractor show in Oakley, MI. He also enjoyed fishing, making several trips to Drummond Island, other UP waters and in the past few years many trips to the Detroit River with his sons, grandson, and bonus son Mark Natale. 

He is survived by his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, special niece and nephew, Pam and Darvis LaVoy, and many other nieces and nephews. 

Visitation will take place at Barden’s Funeral Home on Sunday, October 13, 2024, from 3:00-7:00pm. A funeral service will be held on Monday, October 14, 2024, at 11:00am at Barden’s Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Newhaven Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  

The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.

Kurt Allen Jones

Kurt A. Jones, age 70, of Perrinton, died suddenly at his home on Friday, October 4, 2024.

Kurt was born  in  Ionia, Michigan, on August 10, 1954, the son of Joel B. And Virginia (Liscombe) Jones.  He graduated from Central Montcalm High School, and attended MCC and completed his education at  Grand Valley.  He worked for the State of Michigan Department of Corrections for 29 years, retiring as Warden in 2006 from the prison in Carson City.  

Kurt married Nancy Cowling in St. Louis on April 6, 1991.  He loved the outdoors and was a member of the NRA, Safari Club International, and Michigan Trappers Association.  Kurt was a Pistons fan and enjoyed spending time in his garden.  He also  enjoyed traveling, and had been to Africa and New Zealand.

Kurt is survived by his wife, Nancy; his brothers and sister: Joel (Sharon) Jones, Jr. of Sheridan, MI, Blaine (Lee) Jones of Findley, Minnesota, Margaret Jones of Reston, Va, and John (Sherene) Jones of Mt. Pleasant, MI; his nieces and nephews, Annette Jones, Jason (Kaci) Jones, Courtney (Todd) Fortun, Collin (Joanne) Jones, Ryan (Kelly) Jones, Sean (Christina) Jones, and Bryce (Maricruz) Jones; and his great nephews and nieces: Brett Jones, Lillian Jones, Madison Jones, Isabella Jones, Myla Jones, Dawson Jones, Rowan Fortun, Xander Fortun, and Odin Jones.  He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister and brother-in-law, Katherine and Kamal Agarwal; and his nephew, Joel Jones III.

There will be no services.  Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.

Jack Ginther

Jack Ginther, lifelong Ithaca, Michigan resident passed away on Monday, September 30, 2024 following a short illness, surrounded by love and family. He was born September 20, 1926 in Ithaca,  the son of Loretta (Borton) and Irvin Ginther.  Jack lived all of his 98 years in the hometown community he loved.

On April 18, 1947 he married Avis Andrews in Pompeii, Michigan.  She survives.  Jack is also survived by two sons, Larry (Susan) and Mike (Cheryl) of Elkhart, IN; four grandchildren, Cara (Ryan) Sample, Erin (Jason) Gibbs, Glenda Ginther, and his namesake, Jack Ginther, as well as six great grands, two great great grands, and special niece Jacqy (Dave) Jackson.  Jack was preceded in death by his sister, Theda LaFontaine.

A gifted three sport athlete, Jack's high school education and athletic hopes were cut short when he was drafted for WW II in February of 1945.

He regretted he was never able to graduate with his class in 1945, but he was invited to walk with Ithaca's class of 2011 and was finally awarded his diploma. 

Jack exemplified the best of the Greatest Generation - a small town boy who came home from WW II, made a good life, raised his family, worked hard and never left his hometown.  A true "people person," he could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere.  He was a trustworthy and steadfast friend, and quietly earned the respect of those who crossed his path.  In 2016 he was named Ithaca's Citizen of the Year, an unexpected honor he cherished.

Visitation for Jack will be Thursday, October 10th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Barden Funeral Home. His Celebration of Life will take place at the Barden Funeral Home on Friday, October 11th at 1:00 p.m. with an hour of visitation from noon to 1:00.  Burial will follow at the Ithaca City Cemetery with full military honors. Barden's Funeral Home, 225 West Center Street, Ithaca, is in charge of arrangements.  At 3 pm,  there will be a reception at the Ithaca Senior Activities Building, 1011 East North Street, Ithaca.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in honor of Jack may be directed to the Ithaca Senior Activities Building (address above) where Jack and Avis were founding members and involved for many years.

Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.