Faith LINK

“ACCENT YOUR LIFE!”

“You are the light of the world ” Matthew 5:14

By Rev Dan M nor - revdminor1945@gmai com

St Augustine descr ibed himself as “a vendor of words ” I think ever y preacher can say the same thing I have been doing it for over fifty years now, and I must add I enjoy wr iting and preaching One of the lessons we lear n from the English language is one word can be used in different ways While in seminar y, we lived in Kentucky for three years

One of the first things we noticed was their souther n accent For example, how do you pronounce the word Louisville? The souther n way is different than the nor ther n version where we call it “lu-ee-ville ”

Another use of the word is in decorating a room

A home decorator may use a cer tain color scheme to accent a room That is, to make it look br ighter, lighter and more inviting The same is tr ue of clothing, music and ar tistic designs

To accent can also mean to stand out Jesus used var ious metaphors to identify believers such as “light of the wor ld ” Thus, we can accent our lives

WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

A l o c a l m e t e o r o l o g i s t a n d n ew s p e r s o n a l i t y repor ted (at this wr iting) that in the last month we’ve only had about 3 days with more than 50% sunshine! So, the answer is that on cloudy days we can make our own sunshine from within In John l: 4 we read, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men ” In other words, when we allow Jesus to live in us, we br ing light to the wor ld

It has been said, “Attitude is our paintbr ush It colors ever y situation ” In any given situation, we can choose to be positive or negative

WITH A POSITIVE INFLUENCE

Some time ago I was in a conversation with a man w h o s e fa t h e r h a d r e c e n t l y d i e d We we r e standing outside his father’s home on a sunny day I asked him how he would sum up the stor y of his dad’s life He said, “See, that shadow behind me? My father cast a long shadow” meaning his life had been largely shaped by his father’s influence upon him At the end of the day, it is not about having status, power or wealth It is about character, dignity, kindness and respect To touch the lives of others in positive ways is life’s greatest reward

WITH A POSITIVE WITNESS

Years ago, in a big city and a large stadium, a celebration event was held The stadium was totally dar k At the invitation of the speaker, those in attendance were asked to light a candle In minutes the large arena was lit up with great light The point: We may feel that the witnesses of our lives are small Yet when combined with other Chr istians, we can light up the wor ld

The function of light is to shine So accent your life! Stand out for God! Allow the light of Chr ist’s presence to shine through your life!

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to light up the wor ld with Your living presence In Your strong name Amen

When you find yourself facing the loss of a loved one we can assist in making the details you face a little e a s i e r To p l a c e yo u r o b i t u a r y announcement on our community pages, simply ask the funeral home to send the details to the Community Shoppers Guide or call/email us yourself Obituar ies are approximately $75 and are included in our online edition and on our website

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Onalee J AUSTIN AGE 93 - MARTIN MI

Onalee Jean Austin (Baese), 93, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2023 Onalee was born on August 6, 1929 in Elsie, Michigan to Onas and Thelma (Doten) Baese She was lucky number five out of twelve siblings Some in the area might know of the famous Baese family Onalee loved her siblings deeply and even helped raise some of the younger ones The stories she would tell of growing up in a three-bedroom house, with a houseful, would make you smile and laugh Onalee knew of the man she would eventually marry; his name was Jerry Austin He lived one town over in Ovid, and he knew the moment he saw her he would marry her One of the fondest stories Onalee would tell was how Jerry showed up to her family’s house and told her that he was going to take her on a date Of course Onalee didn’t believe it and brushed him off Well sure enough, he did They dated and then soon married They moved to Kalamazoo, MI where Jerry was still in college and started their life together as any other happily married couple does They started a family together with Barbara and Brian, then came Beth and Bryce The children were all named with the letter “B” in honor of her maiden name: Baese Onalee would always say about the age differences of the kids, “They just couldn’t stop at one The other needed one to grow up with and to play with ” Onalee and Jerry would raise their kids in Otsego, MI and later move to Lansing, MI Other than having children, Onalee’s other passion was having grandchildren She has 14 grandchildren,19 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren Onalee's traits of being compassionate, nurturing, creative, loving, warm, stern when needed, and having a great singing voice were all the ingredients needed to be a wonderful grandmother - which she was No matter what stage of life you were in, Onalee was always there with coffee, stories, hands to wipe tears away or just her presence Onalee was very creative; she could make simple things magical Onalee, at age 93, lived such a rich, loving and long life She was reunited with her greatest love, her “big guy” Jerry, finally and with her family that has long passed We all can imagine right now that she is sitting at the table with Jerry and a cup of coffee, enjoying themselves once again

“So long, and God bless the Baeses’, wherever they may be ” - Onalee Austin, Memories of My Family

For ever ything there is a season, and a time for ever y purpose under heaven Ecclesiastes 3:1

On October 30, 1955 at the Ovid Methodist Church, Onalee Jean Baese married Jerry Brian Austin Also surviving are her children: Barbara (Dave) Blanchard, Brian (Sheryl) Austin, Beth (Alan) Charles, and Bryce (Toni) Austin Also surviving Onalee are her siblings: Mary Lou Hanold, Gale (Marcy) Baese, Merle (Carol) Baese, Richard (Linda) Baese, and Diane (Dick) Bates Surviving are her sisters-in-law: Shirley Baese, Dorothy Baese and Diane Baese Onalee was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 50 years Jerry; brothers Versil Baese, Robert (Shirley) Baese, Eldon (Jean) Baese, Lewis Baese, Raymond Baese, Owen Baese and Bryce Kevin Baese, also brother-in-law Ed Hanold A “Celebration of Life Memorial” will be taking place on May 20, 2023 from 2-6pm at the home of Barb and Dave Blanchard, 1256 12th St , Martin, MI 49070 In lieu of flowers, Onalee’s children request donations go to Wings of Hope Hospice – Allegan or the Allegan County Medical Care Community

Arrangements by Winkel Funeral Home - Otsego

Arlene Dorothy BOWEN (HOAG)

AGE 100 - PLAINWELL, MI

After achieving her lifelong goal of living 100 years, Arlene Dorothy Bowen finally went home to be with her Lord and late loved ones on February 3, 2023 She died peacefully in the presence of family at The Fountains in Kalamazoo, MI

Born in Plainwell, MI on August 31, 1922 to Dorothy and Seymour Stace, Arlene was eventually raised by her mother and stepfather, Hazen Meier, whom she deeply loved She was one of many children between the two mixed families, perhaps the catalyst for her love of children throughout her life Arlene raised three intelligent, hard working, adventurous men, Harold, Mike, and Kevin “Spark” Wright, who in turn created their own beautiful families All three sons passed away during Arlene’s lifetime Throughout her life, Arlene had a taste for elegance and was bright, driven, and resourceful Together with her second husband, Bill Hoag, she owned and operated The Silent Woman in downtown Plainwell and helped Bill run the hardware store They, along with other community leaders and Chamber of Commerce members, went on to help found the inaugural Plainwell Days, the city’s largest annual event It was around this time that Arlene, being involved in numerous organizations and committees, received the prestigious American Business Women’s Association “Woman of the Year Award” Bill and Arlene loved to travel, especially Europe, a passion that Arlene never lost even after Bill’s passing When Arlene married Ken Bowen years later, they too would travel the country, this time in their RV, adorable little schnauzer poodle Suzie alongside them, enjoying the autumn colors together in their waning years After Ken’s passing, Arlene spent her final years living back in Michigan (after previously living in New Jersey and Arizona), where she loved to entertain and host friends and family, as well as write poetry When her body began to show signs of being almost a century old, she moved into The Fountains, where she met her great friend and final companion, Ed Thornburg, whom she adored Arlene leaves behind a family and community who loves her, including daughter-in-law Mary Wright, grandchildren Tammy Lober (Doug Verpooten), Tari Wright (Kevin Christensen), Tom (Barb) Wright, Traci (Mike) Bosch, Jamie (Libby) Wright, and Kimberly (Steve) Dais, numerous great- and greatgreat-grandchildren, and many siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews No services are planned at this time; a family gathering is being considered for late spring

Arlene also leaves behind these beautiful verses from one of her poems, titled “Farewell, Dear Ones”:

“And now when I must leave you all, Just remember our good times The laughter, fun and eating out And listening to my rhymes And I will take with me the love You’ve shown me all these years And all the happy memories I ll remember through my tears ”

Sandra CRAWFORD

AGE 79 - OTSEGO MI

Sandra passed away Monday, February 13, 2023 at her home in Otsego She was born September 10, 1943 in Kalamazoo the daughter of Leroy and Alta (Hambright) Cushing She was active with her husband with their business Otsego Glass In her leisure time she loved listening to Elvis, square dancing, line dancing and water skiing Sandra was a very organized individual who enjoyed hosting fantastic parties and was an amazing cook Family was everything to her and she very much enjoyed watching her 3 sons and sister play in band On March 31, 1962 in Texas Corners she married Larry Crawford Sr who preceded her in 2020 Surviving are her children, Randy (Jody) Crawford, Annette (Dave) Mathis and Chris (Cheryl) Crawford; 11 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren; and her sister Debbie (Orrin) Sinkler She was preceded in death by parents, her son Larry Crawford Jr and sisters Carol Greenwood and Margie Evink Friends may meet with Sandra’s family on Sunday, February 19, 2023 from noon to 2:00 P M A service will be held at 2:00

Burial will follow at Mt Home Cemetery, Otsego Memorial donations may be made to Promedica Hospice

Arrangements