Charles L. “Chip” Kasten IV, age 33 of Blissfield, passed away suddenly at his home on Sunday, February 15, 2015.
Chip attended Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla., and attended both Owens and Stautzenberger Community Colleges, Toledo, where he studied his passion of auto repair. He enjoyed fishing with his dad, working on cars, was an avid hunter and loved his Ohio State Buckeyes. He had currently built display and window cases for “Simply Stated & Painted,” a ceramics store in Toledo. Overall, his children were his absolute joy.
Chip is survived by his fiancée, Heather Nine and children, Emma N. Kasten and Charles (C.J.) L. Kasten V; parents, Charles and Sandy (Retzke) Kasten III; brothers, William “Billy” Michalski and Keith (Hope) Michalski and numerous uncles, aunts, nieces and cousins. He is preceded in death by a sister, Dayna Kasten-Briggs, a sister-in-law, Kay Michalski; grandparents, Lester and Ellen Retzke and Charles and Barbara Kasten, Jr.
A memorial service to celebrate Chip’s life will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2015, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1825 Glendale Ave., Toledo, Ohio, with Pastor James Wicker officiating. Friends and family are welcome to greet the family during visitation on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. prior to the service. Condolences may be given online at www.andersonfuneralservices.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to, The Kasten Memorial Fund at Huntington Bank. Envelopes will be available at the church or you can pick one up at Anderson-Rudd Funeral Home in Blissfield.
Month: February 2015
Robert Piotter
Robert P. Piotter, 89, of Blissfield, passed away Thursday, February 12, 2015, at Blissfield Place.
Bob was born on Sept. 4, 1925, the son of Paul and Madeline (Vanest) Piotter.
Bob graduated from Blissfield High School in 1943, and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.
He was married on July 1, 1950 to Violet Goetz, who preceded him in death in 2013.
Bob worked for 37 years at Tecumseh Products, and was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Riga.
He was a member and past commander of the Blissfield American Legion Post 325, and member and past Chef de Tran of the 40et8 in Adrian.
Bob also was a member of the Thursday night men’s bowling league in Blissfield for many years.
Surviving are three children, Doug (Irene) Piotter of Katy, Texas, Steve (Marcia) Piotter of The Woodlands, Texas, and Patricia (Jeff Gyde) Marks of Oak Harbor, Ohio; six grandchildren, Carey Reid, Sonja Piotter, Heather Norris, Adam Marks, Mark Piotter, and Brice Piotter; and two great grandchildren, Brooke and Liam Reid. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, wife Violet Piotter, step father Walter Watson, brother Carl Piotter, and sisters, Betty Lou Piotter and Joan Dart.
Funeral services were held Saturday, February 14, 2015, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Riga.
Memorial contributions are suggested to go to St. John’s Lutheran Church of Riga, or Hospice of Lenawee.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Wagley Funeral Home where online condolences and memories may be shared at www.WagleyFuneralHome.com.
Thomas Yarger Sr.
Thomas M. Yarger Sr., age 65, of Blissfield, passed away Friday, February 13, 2015, at Hospice House in Adrian. Thomas was born on May 22, 1949 in Lansing.
He worked for Ford Motor Company for approximately 24 years, beginning in 1991.
Thomas loved NASCAR and his favorite driver, Mark Martin. He also loved to travel to the Smoky Mountains, Nashville and the Bourbon Trail and also hiked Mt. LeConte. Thomas enjoyed bass fishing, bowling and golf and was a talented woodworker.
Thomas is survived by four sons; Thomas (Gail) Yarger, Jr. of Blissfield, Eric (Diana Swiger) Yarger of Detroit, Brandon Yarger of Ypsilanti, and Kyle Yarger of Blissfield. He is also survived by daughter Kaitlyn (Mike French) of Tecumseh, former wife and mother of his children, Vivian Yarger of Prudenville, Mich., half-brother Ron (Pat) Hale of California, and sister Nancy (Dennis) Hultberg of Holt.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Funeral services for Thomas was held on Monday, February 16, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Anderson-Rudd Funeral Home, 9205 E. U.S. 223, Blissfield. Visitation took place on Sunday, February 15, 2015 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Monday from noon until the time of service.
Burial was private in the Pleasant View Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the family. Envelopes are available at the Anderson-Rudd Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at andersonfuneralservices.com.
Margie Lee Shick
Margie Lee Shick, 95, passed away peacefully on January 15, 2015 in Kalamazoo. Margie Lee was born in Millboro Springs, Va., on February 28, 1919.
Margie Lee received her undergraduate degree from Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA and taught elementary school for three years. She received her Masters of Religious Education from Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va. She was a Sunday School Extension worker for the Synod of Virginia, and later served as Director of Christian Education in Hazard, Ky. Margie Lee and Mel were married in Waynesboro, VA in 1949.
Margie Lee is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 45 years, Melvin Shick. Margie Lee is survived by three daughters, Gayle (Charles) Shull of Belton, Texas; Doris (Mike) DeNudt of Riga; and Ruth (Ron) Wiser of Kalamazoo; and two grandchildren, Morgan DeNudt of Toledo, Ohio, and Miles DeNudt of Riga. In addition she is survived by sisters LaVelle Pool and Ruth (the Rev. William S.) Metzel and loving nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death were brothers Brig. Gen. Charles Henry Phipps and Rev. Dr. William E. Phipps and sisters Rosa Williford and Lois Brown.
Her wonderful spirit, joy and talents will be celebrated at a graveside and memorial service at Mount Horeb Presbyterian Church in Grottoes, Va., on Saturday, February 28, 2015. The family will also receive friends at Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Home in Waynesboro, VA on Friday, February 27th. Please find memorial information on the Reynolds Hamrick, Waynesboro, Va., website.
Johnson to become Blissfield superintendent
Blissfield High School Principal Jerry Johnson was approved in a unanimous 7-0 board decision during the Monday night, Feb. 16, Blissfield Board of Education meeting to be named as the Blissfield district’s next superintendent. The position of superintendent would begin July 1 officially.
Johnson was one of three candidates who interviewed for the interim superintendent position last summer after the board of education voted not to renew its contract with former Superintendent Scott Moellenberndt. Along with Johnson at last summer’s interview were former Pittsford Superintendent Andrew Shaw and current Blissfield Interim Superintendent David Pray.
Pray’s interim contract with the district expires this July.
President Dave Brewer motioned to approve Johnson as Blissfield’s next superintendent to begin July 1 and run for a two-year contract term with salary and an immediate title change to assistant superintendent now, and then superintendent come July.
For Brad Heineman’s complete story of the process leading to the decision, please pick up a copy of The Advance, Feb. 18, edition.
Youth charged as juvenile with threat of terrorism after alleged Blissfield threat
Even though a threat made by a teen to do harm to Blissfield High School students through a post on a computer app that was received in an email by the superintendent was found not to be credible Wednesday, Feb. 11, police and prosecutors are taking his actions seriously.
The youth, who has not been identified by authorities, was formally charged in Lenawee County Probate Court, that handles juvenile matters, with a single count of threat of terrorism.
Blissfield Interim Superintendent David Pray received an email from the After School App officials and read it early Wednesday morning that informed the school of the post on their program which alleged violence against students.
Blissfield Village Police were called and protocols were put into place early on to assure student safety.
Pray said by the time the school was aware of the potential threat, many students were already in transit to school for the day.
Blissfield Police Chief Dale Greenleaf said the youth, who police identified as allegedly making the threat, was detained Wednesday afternoon and lodged later that day at the Maurice Spear Campus.
Greenleaf had requested extra police presence from the Michigan State Police and Lenawee County Sheriff’s office for the remainder of the week. Pray said the patrols remained in effect through the end of the week even though the particular threat was found to be untrue.
A future court date for the youth was unavailable.
“I am convinced that the child had no intent or means to carry out the threat, but there is no question he made the threat,” Greenleaf said.
Blowing snow hinders drivers
As winds howl and the snow blows, it is making travel treacherous for area drivers on Saturday. Police are reporting near whiteout conditions throughout the county.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. police reported several vehicles stuck in the roadway on Deerfield Road near Palmyra Road. It was unclear if they were struck in the snow as the road was down to one lane in that area or if they weren’t moving due to the extremely low visibility. Tow trucks were also having a hard time getting down the road.
The Lenawee County Sheriff and the Ridgeway Township Fire Department have M50 east of the village of Britton shutdown as several vehicles have slid off the road in that area. A separate minor personal injury crash occurred at Downing and M50 as well possibly due to the near whiteout conditions. Another minor injury crash was reported about 3:35 p.m. at Ridge Highway and M50.
The village of Dundee reported online that 15 cars were involved in a crash in front of the Walgreens Pharmacy on M50 sometime before 2:30 p.m..
The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning in effect until 12 p.m. Sunday. The wind chill Saturday afternoon is hovering around -12 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing out of the northwest at approximately 17 mph according to the NWS. Wind gusts up to 38 mph are expected this evening and a wind chill near -24.
Winter road advisory issued for Lenawee County
A winter weather road advisory has been issued as of 3:35 p.m. by the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Lenawee County Emergency Management Office and the Lenawee County Road Commission.
Lenawee County will be under a wind chill warning through noon tomorrow, is one of the reasons for the advisory. Many areas of the county are already experiencing white-out conditions. The forecast is for temperatures to be as low as -9 with wind chills as low as -25. The forecast is for winds to be 13 to 22 mph with gust as high as 36 mph with additional scattered snow flurries.
The Lenawee County Road Commission will have two trucks out throughout the night however, keeping up with the conditions is difficult a joint press release said. There are many roads in the county that will become impassable. Trucks will be available all night to assist emergency vehicles.
“We are recommending citizens stay inside and off the roads. With wind chills below zero tonight, being stranded could very well be a life-threatening event. In addition, getting stuck on the road only hinders the snow plows,” the release stated.
Officials said they will continue to advise local media who will report on current weather conditions as this storm progresses.
“Staying inside and off the roads is the best way to stay safe tonight.” The release said.
Lenawee County officials said winter weather not only creates hazardous driving conditions but also creates an enormous demand for police, EMS and Central Dispatch services request residents not call 911 and request weather or travel information.
Teen in custody in alleged threat against Blissfield School
A teenage suspect is in custody at the Maurice Spear Campus in Adrian just hours after parents in the Blissfield School district were alerted about a threat to the school today (Feb. 11, 2015).
According to Blissfield Police Chief Dale Greenleaf, a full confession was obtained from the suspect who was not named. He said it did not appear that the youth had the means to carry out the alleged threat nor that anyone else was involved.
Police were called in around 7 a.m. when Interim Superintendent David Pray read the email, and parents of students in Blissfield Public Schools were alerted mid-morning by Pray of a threatening email regarding Blissfield High School. High security mode had already been put in place by that time.
“I was sent an email (not a phone call or fax) in which I was told ‘a threat(en)ing email was posted anonymously on the After School App regarding Blissfield High School’,” Pray wrote.
Later, he told The Advance, that embedded in a lengthy post on After School App was allegedly a threat to kill students “tomorrow” which would have been Wednesday, Feb. 11. The post was apparently made on Tuesday, Feb. 10. The app company flagged it because of the nature of the post and alerted him to the allegedly threatening language contained in the post.
The suspect was detained before school was dismissed for the day.
Greenleaf, at the time the alert went to parents, issued a press release that until the threat was disproven, it would continue to be treated as credible.
“A joint investigation between the Blissfield Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been initiated,” Greenleaf said in the release prior to the arrest. “At this time, there is no evidence to support a credible threat, however until the investigation has disproven the threat, we will continue to treat the threat as credible.”
Greenleaf said he had received contact early this morning from Pray of the email and that the school and police department had immediately implemented protocols designed to respond to incidents of this nature.
“The safety of our schools is of paramount importance to the Village of Blissfield,” Greenleaf said, “We take any threat very seriously and ask that anyone with information regarding this threat, or any threat, contact the Blissfield Police Department at (517) 486-4340 or Crimestoppers at (517) 266-6161 or (877) 276-8477.
Pray echoed the chief regarding the credibility of the threat prior to the apprehension of the suspect.
“At this time, there is no evidence this is a credible threat, but until we can rule this out completely, we will continue to treat this as a credible threat,” he said.
“Further investigation has found that the company which sent the email ‘After School App’ is an application which Apple has chosen to remove from their sales because of numerous unwarranted threats in other areas of the state and nation,” Pray wrote in a message to the Blissfield Community School District.
To be proactive and as a precautionary measure, Pray said, the village police, Michigan State Police and Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department provided extra patrols on the school campus. In addition, he continued, office staff took extra precautions to assure the safety of students and staff of the Blissfield District.
Greenleaf said the app company had been cooperative in the investigation, which is still ongoing.
“The investigation will continue until we are satisfied that no other persons were involved in the preparation or transmission of this threat,” Greenleaf said in a news release after the suspect was lodged at Maurice Spear Campus, Adrian.
Winter royalty crowned at BHS, BD, WHS
Britton Deerfield’s Patriots crowned Emily Steuwe and Josh Papworth as Winterfest Queen and King Jan. 30 at the Britton Deerfield-Whiteford basketball game.
The following week, Blisfield High School students crowned Emma Essen and Connor Friess as their Coming Home Queen and King during halftime Feb.6 while several male school officials dressed as women did a Dash for Cash to raise funds for After Prom activities. The candidates for royalty were delivered in via children’s wagon “floats,” except one who rode in on a friend’s back.
In Whiteford, Mr. and Miss Whiteford are Garrett Crozier and Katie Ebersole. They were crowned Saturday, Feb. 7.
For more Coming Home photos, please see the Feb. 11, 2015, edition of The Advance.
