Rhea Lusena Church

Rhea Lusena â??Ervinâ? Church, a lifelong Barry County resident, passed away at the age of 97 on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009 at Thornapple Manor with her daughter by her side.\r

Mrs. Church was born on Dec. 19, 1911 at her parentsâ?? home on Soloman Road near Middleville. She was the daughter of Warren and Amanda (Weaver) Ervin.\r

She attended the Brew Country School, then went into Freeport for her 7th and 8th grade years. When it came time for high school, she roomed at the Coles home on South Broadway and attended Hasting High School, graduating in 1929. On Jan. 1, 1931 Rhea was married to Leo S. Church at her motherâ??s home in rural Middleville.\r

Following her graduation Rhea stared her working career. Her first job was at â??Goods Garageâ? in Clarksville where she did bookkeeping. She then went to work at Hasting s Manufacturing , â??Piston Ringâ? as she called it, where she did bookkeeping for Aben Johnson and later ran the keypunch room. Altogether she worked there for 25 years. She also worked as a cook at Hastings Central School for a couple of years.\r

Her last 10 years of working were at the Home For the Aged she and Leo owned and operated on Green Street in Hastings. In her retirement years she did bookkeeping for the â??Fowlerville News & Viewsâ??, owned by her daughter and son-in-law.\r

Rhea was a member of the Hastings First United Methodist Church for almost 60 years. She was active in the United Methodist Women , was a church circle leader, and taught Sunday School.\r

Rhea enjoyed cooking and baking, then sharing the treats with family and friends. She enjoyed reading poetry, especially Edgar Guest poems, sewing, quilting, crocheting, playing cards, growing roses and other flowers, traveling, and collecting bone china cups and saucers.\r

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Leo, son Ervin Church, grandson Brian Jay Church, sister Gladys Huntington, and daughter-in-law Betty Church.\r

Surviving her are a son: Stuart (Marie) Church of Ionia; a daughter: Dawn (Stephen) Horton of Hastings; daughter-in-law, Phyllis Church of Arizona City, Arizona; six grandchildren: Warren (Sandy) Church of Round-up, Montana; Tim Church of Eloy, Arizona; Jennifer (Chad) Miller of Hastings; Kris (Howe) Jacobs of Hastings; Walter (Stephanie) Church of Hastings; Beckie Webb of Ionia; and Bradley Horton of Hastings; 13 great grandchildren; four great great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; her life-long friend, Carol (DeGolia) Mead, and special friend Mary Caris..\r

Funeral services were held on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Hastings First United Methodist Church with Rev. Kenneth Vaught and Rev. David Nelson officiating. Interment was at the Irving Township Cemetery.\r

Memorial donations may be made to: Cure PSP, The Society of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Inc., Suite 906, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031 or Thornapaple Manor, 2700 Nashville Rd., Hastings MI 49058.\r

Arrangements were handled by the Girrbach Funeral Home of Hastings. You may leave a message or memory to the family at (girrbachfuneralhome.net).\r