Obituaries

Randy Gatiss, age 63, of Munising, died unexpectedly Saturday, December 17, 2023 while in Franklin, Wisconsin. Randy was born February 1, 1960 in Munising, MI the fourth of eight children to Robert Bruce and Lois Marie (Mellin) Gatiss.

Charles E. “Chuck” Riley, Sr., age 79, of Shingleton, entered eternal life early Tuesday morning, December 12, 2023 at the Trillium House in Marquette surrounded by his loving family. He was born on January 6, 1944 in Manistique, Michigan, and was lovingly adopted by Ernest and Hazel (Simmons) Riley. He grew up on the family farm raising horses and enjoying the outdoors hunting and fishing. Chuck left school early and worked hard at the farm and in the woods. He eventually started working at CCI in the sawmill and became head sawyer. Chuck retired from Timber Products after working there over forty years. In retirement, he obtained his captain’s license and started Riley’s Charter. Chuck guided countless people on Lake Superior and always knew where to find the fish. Chuck had a passion for the outdoors and living from the land. He hunted and fished, picked morels in the spring and berries in the summer, and he worked countless hours in his bountiful garden. He made homemade wine and beer, canned and pickled his vegetables, made sausage and smoked fish in his homemade smoker. And with all of his hard work and creations, he could make the best meals, fresh bread, and delicious apple pancakes. Chuck married Colleen Tyner on June 26, 1982, and they enjoyed spending time together and watching the birds. Chuck also enjoyed snuggling up in his chair with his cat Bubba.

Barbara Jean Feldhusen, 71, died Wednesday, November 28, just six weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. She was under the care of her goddaughter and Vantage Hospice in Katy, Texas, where she’d wintered for the last eight years.

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.