Mary Jane Overby
November 24, 1939 – August 5, 2022
Longtime Newberry resident, Mary Jane Overby, 82, died Friday morning, August 5, 2022 at her residence.
Born November 24, 1939 in Newberry, daughter of the late Alfred Sr. and Margaret (McLellan) Normand, Mary was a 1959 graduate of Newberry High School.
After raising her five children in Minnesota, Mary moved back to Newberry to care for her father. Mary provided home day care services for numerous families in the Newberry area until her passing and. later in life, took up crocheting making blankets for family, friends and the children she cared for.
For several years, Mary wrote the article “Goings On” for the Newberry News which highlighted the activities and travels of former and current residents. She enjoyed hosting family reunions and parties for friends and was an avid and passionate Green Bay Packers fan.
In addition to her parents, Mary is preceded in death by her daughters Rhonda Sande and Margaret “Bridget” Lehman; siblings Alfred Normand Jr., Kenneth “Mickey” Normand, James Normand and twin sister Margaret “Margie” Miller.
Survivors include her children Connie (Ken) Trumble of Royal Oak, Michigan, Sandy Overby of Hill City, Minnesota and Scott Overby of St. Paul, Minnesota; nine grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Debra Normand of Evart, Michigan and brother-in-law Richard Miller of Kalamazoo, Michigan; several nieces and nephews; her two best friends, Mary Sue Williams and Cindy Smith.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Mary will be held Friday August 12, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the Beaulieu Funeral Home with Pastor Jackie Roe officiating. Interment will follow at Forest Home Cemetery. The family encourages to wear your Green Bay Packers attire to the Mary’s celebration as she would love it!
Memorials may be directed to the LINK, 111 West Helen, Newberry, Michigan 49868 in her loving memory.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
Prudence E. Taylor
April 10, 1924 – July 16, 2022
Prudence Elizabeth Taylor, 98, a member of the Newberry community since 1976, passed away at home on July 16, 2022, cared for by her family and North Woods Home Care and Hospice during the last months of her long life. She was preceded in death by her long-time friend and partner, Carol Janssen, who died just three months earlier on April 16, 2022.
Prudence was the last surviving sibling of the five children of Evelyn and Charles Taylor who lived in Hulbert for years when the children were young, then moving to Evelyn’s family home in Rudyard where Prudence grew up and graduated high school.
Prudence left the Upper Peninsula to attend Alma College, graduating in 1948. After graduating from Alma, she worked as a caseworker for adoptions at the Methodist Children’s Home Society in Detroit. She received her MA in Social Work from Wayne State University in 1956 and worked as a social worker for institutions in the Detroit area for many years.
In 1976, she was called back to the Upper Peninsula to help care for her elderly parents. She applied her skills to the local Tahquamenon, Engadine and Whitefish schools as a social worker, residing in Newberry.
As her school district appreciation recounts, she “tried to retire” in 1985 but returned to continue work part-time for the schools until 1993, “complaining that she really doesn’t have enough time to do everything that needs to be done!” She was much admired for her dedication and sensitivity to both students and parents she worked with through the years.
Prudence was a loyal pet love – friends will remember her dogs Buster, Shannon, Sky, Scamp and Lucky among many others who accompanied her throughout her life. Her partner Carol was equally dedicated and any visit to their home would include noisy greetings by their dogs and inquisitive examinations by their cats.
Prudence loved to travel and went on numerous tours to Europe and South America as well as travelling vacations by car and train across the U.S. and Canada. She always traveled with her many friends and recorded their journeys together with pictures and stories that she shared afterward with much accompanying laughter and delight.
She was a dedicated Democrat and made special detours to visit Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia during her travels to Florida during the winter. She regularly traded light-hearted banter and donkeys for elephants with her late brother-in-law Donald Gerrie Sr., of Sault Ste. Marie, who was an equally dedicated Republican.
She was a regular attendee of Newberry United Methodist Church for many years and assisted in the many activities of the church community.
Prudence loved the outdoors and physical activity. She loved to play tennis, snowshoe, cross-country ski, sailing and golf. She participated in many local tournaments at the local golf club, Newberry Country Club. She celebrated making a hole-in-one in 1985.
She leaves behind many nieces, nephews and other generations of family descendants, as well as many dear neighbors and friends from work and travel. She will be much missed.
Memorial arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be posted at a later date.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
