Philip Robert Brow
December 6, 1949 – September 26, 2021
Lifelong Lakefield resident, Philip Robert Brow, 71, died unexpectedly Sunday, September 26, 2021.
Born December 6, 1949 in Newberry, son of the late Robert and Phyllis (Farrell) Brow, Philip was a 1969 graduate of Newberry High School. On June 7, 1986, he married the former Rebecca “Becca” Sampsell in Newberry.
Philip worked his entire life as a truck driver in the construction industry. He worked many years for Payne and Dolan, owned and operated PR Brow trucking and most recently drove for MJ VanDamme until his retirement in 2020. Philip was a member of B.P.O.E. #1705, F.O.E. #3701, Moose International #1627, Local Operators Union #324 and Teamsters Union #329. His hobbies included riding motorcycles, flying airplanes, reading, researching all things, sharing family history, traveling, horticulture and spending time with the light of his life, his grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, Philip is preceded in death by mother and father-in-law Elaine and Wilbur Sampsell.
Survivors include his wife Rebecca “Becca” Brow of McMillan; children Tonia (Steve) Brauer of Mussomeli, Italy, Christy Brow of Honor, Nikki (P.J.) Costa McMillan, Gunnar (Ashley) Brow of Buckely and Jessica (Allan) Macaulay of Portage; grandchildren John-Anthony “Appleseed” Macaulay, Emily “Auntie Em” Macaulay and Joel “Little Joe” Macaulay, Elaina “Beanie” Costa and Sarah “Cecil” Costa; sister Victoria (Dale) Kurian and sister-in-law Roxanne (Bart) Pope.
A gathering of family and friends will take place Tuesday October 5, 2021 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 am at the funeral home with Pastor Paul Williams officiating. Interment will take place at the West Lakefield Township Cemetery.
The family would like to thank the Michigan D.N.R, Michigan State Police, Schoolcraft County Sheriff Department, Luce County Sheriff Department and everyone else involved in searching for and bringing home our beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother.
Memorials may be directed to Bay Cliff Health Camp, P.O. Box 310, Big Bay, Michigan 49808 or at www.baycliff.org in his loving memory.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
Thomas J. Hoogterp
January 5, 1947 – September 25, 2021
Thomas John “Tom” Hoogterp passed away on September 25, 2021 at his beloved home in Engadine.
Tom was born on January 5, 1947 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Dorothy and Pete Hoogterp, the 6th of 13 children. He graduated from West Catholic High School in 1964 and later from Wayne State University with a bachelor’s degree in education. Tom taught school in Detroit and Grand Rapids in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He then moved to his chosen home in the UP, where he met Kathy Garthwaite in 1978. The two were married a year later and enjoyed almost 42 years of love in their wooded homestead, while raising two children. After working several years in residential construction, building his first cabin and two subsequent family homes along with many others in the Curtis area, Tom joined the United States Postal Service where he worked as a rural carrier and postmaster until his retirement. He was elected supervisor of Mackinac County’s Portage Township in 2014 and served a full term. Tom was also a long-time contributor of news and features to the Newberry News.
Tom enjoyed many pursuits and was a man of many talents. From construction to ping pong, gardening to guitar, writing to teaching, reading to juggling, and almost everything in between, he simply enjoyed all that life had to offer and did it in a manner that put others at ease. Tom loved entertaining friends and family around one of hundreds of campfires in his trademark bib overalls, playing baseball with his son, shooting baskets with his daughter, reading with his grandsons, and walking in the woods with his wife.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, Barb and Mary, his brother Frank, and his daughter Jonel. Survivors include his wife, Kathy, his father-in-law Dick Garthwaite, sister-in-law Sue Bunker, his son Jake (Michelle) Hoogterp and grandsons Wyatt and Cole; sisters Joan Loveland, Ruth Ashley, Terry (John) Foley, Angela (Bobbie Rosencrans) Hoogterp, Sue (Doug) Shank and Sara (Mike) Yob; brothers Mart (Barb) Hoogterp, Ed (Millie) Hoogterp and Dan (Helena) Hoogterp along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Tom also leaves behind large, loving circles of friends in the Grand Rapids and Engadine/Curtis areas.
Per request, cremation services were accorded with no scheduled services at this time.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
Catherine Labron
May 30, 1922 – October 1, 2021
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
Catherine Labron, also known as Katie, Mother, Aunt Catherine and Grandma Labron, died Friday, October 1, 2021 at Helen Newberry Joy Hospital.
During the 99 years she spent on this earth, a motto that she adopted as her own defined her life: “If you rest, you rust.” She seldom rested and was certainly never rusted in her drive to make better the lives of the people she knew and, through her missionary work around the country and around the world, the lives of people she would never know.
A lifelong member of the Methodist Church, she embodied the teaching of its’ founder John Wesley “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can”. Whether it was rolling pasty dough to help pay for scholarships for countless local kids to attend Camp Michigamme or organizing mission trips to clean up hurricane damage in Louisiana or refurbishing a hospital in Haiti or building a community center in Peru or working on a school in Siberia or cleaning a chicken coup in Russia so that the Russian Orthodox nuns could use it as a chapel, or taking six of her grandchildren on a mission trip Belize to do cement work at a school she lived her motto and made John Wesley proud. Regarding the trip to Russia, she fell off a ladder scraping chicken droppings off the rafters and loved to tell the story of riding in what passed for a Russian ambulance which was a chair in the back of a Soviet era truck.
Between 1983 and 2010 she participated in 59 Mission Works Trips. She was one of the richest people we knew in terms of love given and received, in terms of admiration and respect and in terms of the inspiration she was to countless people.
Catherine was born May 30, 1922 in a logging camp along the railroad at a place called Hungry Run, attended early elementary school in a railroad car, skipped first grade because she impressed her teachers by being able to read the only book she owned “The Little Red Hen” and graduated from Newberry High School in 1939.
Catherine worked as a housekeeper, child care provider, made bullets and tank shells in a munitions factory in Benton Harbor during World War II and retired from the Newberry Regional Mental Health Center as a nurse.
Lest you think she was all work and no play, she was always excited and enthusiastic about her garden which she shared, her quilts that she gave away, sharing a good time with her Red Hat friends, fishing, camping and making s’mores with anyone who would enjoy the experience with her.
In addition to her parents, Catherine is preceded in death by her husband Charlie Labron and siblings Albert Brown, Harvey Brown and Howard Brown.
Survivors include her children Shirley Davis of Rudyard, Paula (Roland) Smtih of Newberry, Pat (Gary) Mark of Mt. Pleasant, George (Linda) Labron of McMillan, Chuck (Janet) Labron of Marquette and Pam (Dave) Welters of Mio; 12 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Hers’ was a life enjoyed, well lived and full of purpose.
A gathering of family and friends will take place Thursday, October 7, 2021 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Newberry United Methodist Church. Funeral services celebrating the life of Catherine will follow at 11:00 am at the church with Pastor Jackie Roe officiating. Interment will take place at Forest Home Cemetery. Due to COVID-19, the family encourages mask wearing during the time shared at the church.
Memorials may be directed to the Newberry United Methodist Church or God’s Country Cooperative Parish in her loving memory.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
James A. Mikowski
August 30, 1938 – September 27, 2021
James Anthony Mikowski, 83, of Germfask, died Monday morning September 27, 2021 at his residence in the presence of his family and the care of North Woods Home Care and Hospice.
Born August 30, 1938 in Omena, Michigan, son of the late Anthony A. and Leola E. (Bussey) Mikowski, James enlisted in the United States Navy on September 30, 1955 serving during the Korean War and stationed in Okinawa, Japan until his honorable discharge on August 29, 1959 attaining the rank of Airman.
James resided in Suttons Bay and was employed as a machinist at Essex Wire in Traverse City. On October 26, 1973, James married the former Charlene “Joyce’ Giba in Leland, Michigan.
A resident of Germfask since 1998, James was a member of Christ’s Fellowship Ministries in Germfask and enjoyed rebuilding plane, automobile and Jon Deere motors. James was also a volunteer distributor for Feeding America.
In addition to his parents, James is preceded in death by his wife Joyce on November 24, 2008 and siblings Raymond Mikowski, Arthur Mikowski, Dale Mikowski and Donna Marie Mikowski Coyne.
Survivors include his children Jay (Amber) Mikowski of Manton and Jill Mikowski of Traverse City; step-children Rhonda (Victor) Thompson of Escanaba and Andrea (Greg) Timm of Marquette; seven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren; siblings Glenwood Mikowski of Germfask, Rosemary (Bill) Houdek of Germfask and JoAnn Roy of Bruce Mines, Ontario, Canada; several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service celebrating the life of James will be held Saturday October 23, 2021 at 1:00 pm at Christ’s Fellowship Ministries with Pastor Diann Bowler officiating. Interment will follow at the Riverside Cemetery in Germfask.
Memorials may be directed to Christ’s Fellowship Ministries, 8082 Cornell, Germfask, Michigan 49836 in his loving memory.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
