Obituaries

Ruth M. Carr of Munising, died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 102 early in the morning of Tuesday, November 28, 2023. She was born on October 16, 1921 in Munising, Michigan to William and Elizabeth (Hebert) LaFave. Ruth graduated from Sacred Heart School and is the last surviving member of the Wm. G. Mather Class of 1939. She briefly worked at Kimberly Clark and then Ruth served in the Women’s Army Corps as a medical technician during WWII. She was proud of her service and the care she gave to the wounded soldiers on American soil at O’Reilly General Hospital in Missouri. Ruth returned to Munising and married John Carr in 1947 and together they raised their family. She was a lifetime member of Sacred Heart Church.

Ann Marie Clapp, age 77, longtime AuTrain resident, died late Tuesday evening, November 21, 2023 at the Munising Memorial Hospital following a brief and unexpected illness. She was born on July 7, 1946 in Marquette to George and Elmira (St. Martin) McCollum. Ann grew up on the family farm and helped with the chores of milking the cow, collecting eggs, and making egg and chicken deliveries on Saturdays. She went to school in AuTrain and graduated from Wm. G. Mather High School. Ann attended Northern Michigan University and was studying to be a teacher and excelled in shorthand. She married Leonard Clapp on October 22, 1966 and when Len joined the Air Force, she moved with him to Kansas. Ann worked on the base by babysitting children and washing, ironing, and steaming the uniformed personnel’s uniforms. They returned to the U.P. in 1971. In 1976, Ann and Len were integral participants in raising the monies and the building of the AuTrain Fire Department and Hall. In 1978, they were blessed with their daughter, Amber, and together lovingly raised her. In 1985, they purchased Bob’s Grocery in AuTrain and owned and operated A & L Grocery for many years. Len preceded Ann in death on August 7, 2017 after over fifty years of marriage, and the following year, she sold the store. Ann moved to Iowa with Amber and her family but returned to the U.P. in 2021. She loved to cook, sew, and crochet years ago. She was also a talented artist at drawing. Ann was a hard worker and a staple in the lives of the AuTrain community. She served as the Township Treasurer and medical first responder for the Township and Fire Department. Recently, Ann became involved with the Munising Bay Cruisers – she loved those classic cars.

Luey David Edward Smith, age 39, of Munising, died unexpectedly in his sleep at his home on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. He was born in Grand Rapids, to Edward Adam and Tina Marie (Barringer) Smith on January 17, 1984. David played little league baseball and rocket football before moving to the U.P. in 1997. He graduated from Munising High School in 2003. David enlisted into the Army National Guard and was called to active duty to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a member of the 1072 Maintenance Company and worked as a Construction Equipment Repairman. While stationed in Kuwait, David maintained, repaired, and installed armor to the Humvees. David was honorably discharged and received multiple decorations and medals. He worked at a number of different places throughout the years: Mainstreet Pizza, Denman’s Hardware, Barge Inn, Timber Products, and currently at the Mativ Paper Mill. David enjoyed playing pool, smear at the Barge, horseshoes at the Bear Trap, and bowling. David had a passion for certain music and films. He loved rock music and his favorite band was Kiss. His favorite movies were true horror movies like Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street, and anything by Stephen King. David was a talented artist and designed many of his favorite tattoos. David’s greatest love was his daughter Ava. They would be seen taking walks around town, four wheeling, golfing, snowmobiling, and fishing. David’s life revolved around Ava. He is survived by his daughter – Ava Smith; parents – Adam and Tina Smith of Munising; sister – Shelby (Jon) Cook of Shingleton; nephew – Ryan and one more nephew due any day; grandpa – Edward Smith of Rockford, MI; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. David was preceded in death by his sister – Kayla Jo Smith; and grandparents – Luey and Laura Barringer and Carol Smith.. Visitation will be on Saturday, November 25, 2023 at the Bowerman Funeral Home from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. David’s funeral service will begin at 1

Shawna King, age 48, of Munising, died late Wednesday evening, November 8, 2023 at her home surrounded by her loving family following a brief illness. She was born on November 25, 1974 in Munising to Leonard and Linda (Schierschmidt) Martin. Shawna graduated from Munising High School in 1993. During her senior year, she interned as a teacher’s aide and found that she loved working with children. She went to work as a paraprofessional at AuTrain-Onota School. Shawna then started childcare for numerous children over the years. She loved caring for those kids and treated them all like they were her own. Shawna also worked at the casino and a coworker wanted to introduce Shawna to her brother. She and Perry King were married on August 16, 1997. Shawna and Perry enjoyed side by side rides in the woods, family camping trips at Colwell Lake, and just being together for a movie or date night. A night at home with Perry and her dogs, always made Shawna happy. She loved being a dog mom until they misbehaved and then she yelled at Perry for not training them better. Shawna was so proud of what Perry and Alger did with the Alger County K-9 Unit and was an integral part of their social media presence. She had plans to help train the new dog, Finny, so she could assist on Search and Rescue with Perry and the K-9 unit.

Eleanor M. Bell, age 105, of Shingleton, died Friday, November 10, 2023 at the Schoolcraft Medical Care Facility in Manistique. She was born on September 23, 1918 in Germfask, Michigan to the late James and Margaret (Batway) Berry. Eleanor graduated from Germfask High School in 1936. She met James Bell while he was working at a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, and they were married on October 18, 1938. Eleanor worked for the United States Postal Service for many year and retired in the 1980’s. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Hospital Auxiliary, and St. John’s Episcopal Church. She enjoyed working in her flower garden, rides in the woods, picking berries, and quilting. Eleanor is survived by her children – Ronald Bell of Shingleton and Karen (Edward) Dziak of Mosinee, WI; grandchildren – Gary (Tonia) Dziak, Chritine (Tim) Goldsmith, and Cassie (Ben) Steinhoff; great-grandchildren – Kian, Matthew, Leslie, Mason, Grayson, Caitlin, Cassidy, Callie, Lorelei, Courtney, Monica, and Natalie; numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents James and Margaret; husband – Jim; son – Donald Bell; daughter-in-law – Iris Bell; granddaughter – Melissa Syers; and sisters – Dorothy Davis, Janette Mannila, and Beatrice Miller.

Beverly Louise Ghiardi, age 84, of Munising, died surrounded by love early Friday morning, November 10, 2023 at Medilodge of Munising. Beverly gracefully fought dementia for almost twenty years. She was born on June 24, 1939 in Munising to Willard “Boy” and Bertha (Hixon) Depew. Beverly graduated from Sacred Heart School and then Wm. G. Mather High School in 1957. Bev was the first female percussionist in Munising’s history. She was a hard worker throughout her life and worked at the A & P Grocery store in high school. Bev then went to work for Kimberly Clark shortly after graduation. Her brother Jim brought his best friend and college roommate home for a visit to Munising. David Ghiardi came to Munising as Jim’s friend and left as Bev’s boyfriend. They were married on December 26, 1960 and together raised their three children. The family spent countless days and nights with Jim and Laurie Depew and family. Those cousins were like brothers and sisters. Some of the family’s most enjoyable memories were at 16 Mile Lake being together and playing euchre and pinochle. Bev had briefly left the mill to raise her kids but returned to the mill and retired after twenty-six years. She spent most of that time in Planning and Customer Service, and Beverly worked alongside her father and her daughter Kathy at the mill.

Terry “Pooch” Monroe, age 71, of Shingleton, died early Thursday morning, November 2, 2023 at Medilodge of Munising. He was born in Munising on April 11, 1952 and raised in Shingleton by his mother, Dormalee Monroe. As a kid, he was a great catcher for the Shingleton Little League team. Pooch graduated from Wm. G. Mather High School in 1970. He married Trudy Becker, and they raised their two children. They lived in Detroit where Pooch worked for TRW Automotive. The family moved back to the Upper Peninsula and Pooch worked at the White Pine Mine before going to work at Kimberly Clark in Munising. He used to love spending time with his friends at the Shingleton Gas Station. Pooch loved to travel, whether it was a cruise around town with his kids, road trip across the U.S. or tropical vacation to Hawaii or Jamaica he loved his trips. One of his yearly trips he enjoyed was to the U.P. State Fair, as well as the occasional trip to the Casino.

Carl Richard Saari, age 86, of Trenary, MI, passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at the DJ Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette, MI,… Login to continue reading Login…

Diane L. Rantz, age 75, of Munising and formerly of Bristol, WI, died Sunday, October 22, 2023 at her home surrounded by loving family and friends. She was born in Evanston, Illinois on September 18, 1948, the second of four children to the late Edwin and Sophie (Laurich) Malaszewski. Diane grew up in Illinois but would spend her summers in the U.P. with family at Forest Lake swimming in the basin and playing at the dam. She graduated from Evanston High School in 1966. Diane married William D. Rantz on October 12, 1968 and together they raised their two sons in Mundelein and then Grayslake, IL. Diane was a loving wife and mother who supported her family in all they did. She worked multiple jobs in finance as a bookkeeper. Diane enjoyed bowling and bowled in leagues. Diane’s favorite pastime was horses. She loved riding with the Lake County Mounted Posse and the trails across the U.P. on her many horses she had over the years, but especially on her favorite horse Curley. Shortly after Bill died, Diane moved to Munising and made the shores of Lake Superior her home, enjoying the beautiful sunsets and watching the deer. Diane attended Sion Lutheran Church and enjoyed helping in the kitchen on their lunch committee. In these past couple years Diane found a truly loving partner in Mark Wilson. They enjoyed countless miles on the side by side through the backwoods, feeding the deer, and sharing their time and stories together.