Welcome West Branch High School Alumni Association West Branch, Michigan

CLASS OF 1957

Reservations made for Alumni Banquet 2021

Althea Cascadden Phillips
Nancy Blancher Finerty

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Norman "Butch" Painter, age 81, passed away on Feb. 6, 2021 at Advent Hospital in Davenport, Fla. with his wife and his son at his side.
He was born in Highland Park on Sept. 13, 1939 to William and Grace Painter and they later moved to West Branch. He is survived by his wife, the former Judy Ruegsegger, whom he married on Sept. 21, 1962; his daughter, Nikki Painter Stilwell (Phil) and grandson Hunter Stilwell of Midland; his son, Eric Painter of Grand Ledge; granddaughter, Lauren Painter of Grand Rapids; and grandson, Mitchell Painter of Ann Arbor.
Butch was predeceased by his parents; his step-mother, Margaret; and his only brother, "Billy."
Butch graduated from West Branch High School in 1957. He attended Flint Junior College prior to entering the military in 1959. He was a proud member of the 101st Airborne and was stationed in Ft. Campbell, Ky. After completing his service, Butch worked as a parts manager from the 1960s until he retired in 2002. He and his family moved to East Tawas in 1973. The majority of that time, he was employed by Roger McIntosh Chevrolet Cadillac in East Tawas.
Butch was a past Exalted Ruler of the Elks Lodge No. 2525 and was Elk of the Year in 1993-94. He was also a past Commander of the American Legion Post No. 211. He was a volunteer at Tawas St. Joseph Hospital.
Butch dearly loved his wife and they enjoyed 58 years together. He loved his children and his grandchildren and was extremely proud of all their accomplishments. He also enjoyed being with his large Ruegsegger family.
Butch was a proud veteran and you rarely saw his without his 101st Airborne hat. He loved to fish, especially with his grandkids, hunt, travel, and golf, and finally got a hole-in-one in 2015 in Florida. He was a died-in-the-wool Detroit Tiger fan. He attended Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp in 2007 and it was one of the highlights of his life. He spent 17 winters in Florida near Lakeland which gave him the opportunity to work for the Tigers during Spring Training. A "job" he thoroughly enjoyed.
A memorial service with a Elks remembrance service will be held at Buresh Funeral Home on Saturday, June 12 at 11 a.m. His family will welcome friends at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the time of the memorial service. He will be laid to rest immediately following the service at the American Legion Cemetery in East Tawas with full military honors.
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Thomas Russell Schmitt, age 84, passed away on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at The Villa at West Branch. He was born on April 16, 1936 in West Branch to Russell and Theresa ;Irene; (Green) Schmitt. Tom lived in West Branch all of his life, attending St. Joseph High School... On October 12, 1957, he married Janet Bragg in West Branch.

Tom served in the United States Army from 1959-1961 with the USA Polar R&D Center, specifically moving supplies across Greenland to Camp Century. He was a lifelong member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed photography, hunting, fishing, woodworking, playing cards, working around on his tractor and helping his neighbors. Tom took pride in his garden and won many awards for his produce at the Ogemaw County Fair. He especially cherished all of his time spent with his family and friends.

Tom is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Janet Schmitt of West Branch; children, Rusty (Mary) Schmitt of West Branch, Randy (Vonnie) Schmitt of Rose City, and Rose Wiltse of Rose City; grandchildren, Amber (Bobby) Bonnell, Victoria Schmitt, Tommy Schmitt, Miranda Schmitt, Richard Schmitt, Joshua (Mayra) Schmitt, Lynn (Francis) Wilson, and Brittany Wiltse; great grandchildren, Clint, Ari, Clay, Easton, Bradley and Matthew; brother, James (Diane) Schmitt of West Branch; and brother-in-law, Dallas Ostrander. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Phyllis Ostrander.

Visitation at Steuernol & McLaren Funeral Home in West Branch will begin on Monday, April 19, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A private funeral mass will be held.

Visitation will be held with precautions, due to the current pandemic, limiting the number of attendees at a given time.

Memorial contributions can be made to St. Joseph Catholic School
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Anne Marie age 79, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at Green Acres Assisted Living. A Memorial Service for Anne will be held on Friday, July 27, 2018 at 5 p.m. at Clark Family Funeral Chapel, with Pastor Wally Hostetter officiating. A luncheon will immediately follow in the Reflections Reception Center. The family will receive friends on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Widow's Might Ministry International. Envelopes will be available at the funeral chapel. Anne was born on January 1, 1939, in West Branch, the daughter of Joseph and Marie (Norris) Raymond. She married Audley "Barney" Smith on April 18, 1959, in Alma. Barney preceded her in death in 2012. Anne was a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Alma, and worked for the Fabric Center in Alma for many years. She enjoyed sewing, painting, and interior design. Anne is survived by her children: Denise (Thomas) Anthony of Mt. Pleasant, Joseph (Terisa) Smith of Lake, and Marcia (Jack) Burch of Mt. Pleasant; 10 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; 3 brothers James Raymond of Cheboygan, John (Diane) Raymond of Minnesota, Michael Raymond of Rose City; 2 sisters Bette Thompson of Rose City, and Connie (Don) Wolfgang of West Branch. Anne was preceded in death by her husband and her sister Bonnie Johnson
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Albert H. Miles, age 77, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at West Branch Regional Medical Center. He had lived in West Branch since 1995, formerly of Oxford, MI. Albert was born to Harold and Cora Miles in Alpena, MI on August 23, 1937. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Council #2022. Albert enjoyed fishing, hunting, going to Mac’s Place, spending time with his family, and helping anyone in need.

Albert is survived by his children, Larry (Cheryl) Miles of West Branch, Terry (Janette) Miles of West Branch, and Albert (Christy) Miles Jr. of Farwell, MI; grandchildren: Nolan, Chelsea, Shayne, Kyle, Kaylyn, Aleesa, Travis, and Brandi; great grandchildren: Aniston, Hadley, Olive, Ivy, and Colin; sisters: Beverly (Max) Breault of Gladwin, MI and Betty Hoskins of Howell, MI; brothers: Lloyd (Linda) Miles of Gladwin, MI and Gary (Terri) Miles of Flint, MI. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife, Mary in 2011, and brother, John. 

Gerald Woughter

Class of 1957

Cheri Nadeau Wright

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Dorothy J. Spencer Shutter, age 72 of Houghton Lake passed away Monday, September 27, 2010 at Bortz Health Care in Rose City after an extended illness. Dorothy loved to travel and camp, paint and sew and she enjoyed quilting and downhill skiing. She owned and operated 3 Cheers Ice Cream Store in Roscommon. Dorothy is survived by her husband Richard Shutter of Houghton Lake, children, Ron (Annie) Parrish of West Branch, Guy (Charlene) Parrish of Pottsboro, TX, Brian Parrish of Newport Richey, FL, Kelly (Chris) Sappington of Lakeland, FL and Kristi (John) Bonk of Lacy, WA, stepchildren, Kim (Doug) Lowell of Houghton Lake, Mike Butson of Fife Lake, Dawn Shutter of Blaine, MN, Rick (Debbie) Shutter and Deborah Shutter both of Mudenlien, IL and Tracey (Jim) Heidecker of Evansville, IN. 21 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Also surviving are her sisters, Shirley White of Charlotte, Dawn Kennedy of St. Helen and Nancy (Leroy) Prentice of West Branch. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Lyle, Dave and Gary, her stepdaughter Karen Zavitz and her step-grandson Scott Lowell. Visitation at the Steuernol & McLaren Funeral Home in West Branch will begin on Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. Elder Richard Hamilton will officiate.

Judy Lebzelter Jameson

Class of 1957

Our beloved mother, Judith Ann Jameson, née Lebzelter, passed on suddenly on the afternoon of August 21st. Born January 23, 1939 in West Branch, she was the first of the two children of Paul R. and Dorothy (McGowan) Lebzelter. Her maternal McGowan relatives came to West Branch in the 1880s, where John C. McGowan, Sr., her great-grandfather, established a hardware that was carried forward into the late 1970s by Paul Lebzelter. Paul’s family came from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by way of Detroit. Her great-grandmother, Mary Ann Hyde McGowan, helped to lay the cornerstone of Trinity Episcopal Church in West Branch.

Judy attended public schools in her hometown, where she graduated in the class of 1957. She then attended Michigan State University, majoring in Child Development; while there she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She received her B.A. in Education from San José State University in 1961.

In the early 1960s she married and moved to Leelanau County, where she taught grade school at the Leelanau Schools, which, together with the Leelanau Homestead, was owned and managed by her husband and his family.

Judy inspired others with her boldness and adventurous spirit. She took flying lessons while pregnant with her first child. She was an accomplished horsewoman, one of the first women certified as a ski instructor in the Midwest, a Little League baseball and high school tennis coach. She invented an ingenious baby spoon when her youngest child was born. In the early 1980s she ran an interior design business, Ann Huey Interiors at Leland, and later was one of the principals of Huey/Heeseman Interiors in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her passion in later life was for painting.

Though her family always took center stage, she was intensely interested in community and others around her. Judy was a former member of the Little Garden Club in Leland, where she was a moving force in the beautification of Main Street through the planting of maple trees in the 1980s. Those trees are now beginning to reach their maturity. She later joined the Marquette Garden Club and served on the Marquette Hospital Auxiliary. She was on the Board of Directors of the Marquette Child and Family Services in 1992.

Her first marriage to Richard K. Huey II produced the three of us: Richard K. Huey III (Sally Williams), Michael C.M. Huey (Christian Witt-Dörring), and Susanne Sandmeyer (Tim McCracken). Also surviving are her five adored grandchildren, Francesca, Camille, and Caroline Huey, and Kate and Luca McCracken. Her beloved brother, William “Shipen” Lebzelter, died in 1986, her parents more recently.

Doug Jameson became a part of our family after falling in love with our mother, and later marrying her, on September 12, 1998. Doug survives, along with his children David (Stacey Rae Ott) and Becky (James Smith), as do his grandchildren Reed, Gage, Parker, Gabrielle, Lou, and Eli.

Doug and Judy delighted in all their grandchildren together.

We will forever miss Judy’s kindness, generosity, and grace - expressed even at the very end by her wish to be an organ donor - but know that these are qualities that are steadfast and enduring, and part of something larger.

When we returned to her home after her death, we found on her easel what we all agreed was her best artwork yet - if not quite completed - a successful experiment in an entirely new subject and palette.

We cannot help but feel that her work here, too, was not quite done, but we stand in front of it in awe.

We would especially like to thank Sara Huey Thompson, Jim and Leah Lebzelter, Becky and James Smith, and Stacey Rae Jameson for helping us to send off our mother with many kisses, caresses, tears, and joyful words. We honor Doug’s quick action and kindness to our mother in her last moments, as well as the EMT and hospital staff, which provided such good and heartfelt service.

The memorial service for Judith Ann Jameson will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 28th at Trinity Episcopal Church in West Branch, followed by refreshments at the West Branch Country Club.

Friends may call on the evening of Friday, August 27th from 6-9 p.m. at Steuernol & McLaren Funeral Home, 109 E. Houghton Avenue.

In lieu of flowers please direct memorials in the name of Judith Ann Jameson to Gift of Life (www.giftoflifemichigan.org); Trinity Episcopal Church, West Branch; or The Leelanau Conservancy (www.theconservancy.com).