Cleo Sampson Hopkins, Jr. (70) of Belding, went to be with his Lord and Savior on December 14, 2025 at Butterworth hospital after a long battle with lung cancer. Cleo was born on August 7, 1955 at the old Belding hospital to Fern and Cleo Hopkins, Sr. Cleo was a 1973 graduate of Belding High School. On October 20, 1973, at the age of 18, he married the love of his life, Nancy (Bradley) Hopkins. Cleo worked at Kennedy’s Grocery store from the age 15-18 years old and spent the remainder of his working years at General Tire of Ionia before being diagnosed with Meniere’s disease.

Meniere’s disease didn’t hold Cleo back. During his retirement, he devoted himself to caring for each of his grandchildren, who were truly his pride and joy. In 2006, Cleo began a church in his living room, where he faithfully served as Deacon. Grace Bible Chapel of Belding, remained his Church Home for the past 19 years. Cleo loved his Church Family.

Cleo met the love of his life Nancy, at the age of 12, on Scalley Lake. They just celebrated 52 years of marriage. Cleo is survived by his wife, Nancy; their children, Lydia (Chris) Conley of Greenville, Samantha Hopkins of Belding, Amanda (Buddy) Holyfield of Belding; grandchildren, Isaiah Hopkins (Melissa Cross), Jesse Holyfield, Martin Holyfield, Nevaeh Harris, Alexzander Harris, Brooklynn Holyfield; his great-grandson, Brantlee Hopkins; and his extended grandchildren, Hailey Heft, Ethan King and Avery Cadwell; his siblings, Virgil (Bonnie) Hopkins of Greenville, Ervin (Julie) Hopkins of Clifford Lake, Mae Loper of Fenwick, Julia King (Phil Jeffery) of Ionia, Ruth (John) Coston of Stanton, and Dawn Jeffery of Belding.

He was proceeded in death by his twin children, Todd and Jessica Hopkins; his parents, Fern and Cleo Hopkins, Sr., formerly of Belding; and his brother, Jerry Hopkins.

Funeral services will be held at Johnson Feuerstein Funeral Home on Friday, December 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm, with one hour of visitation prior to the service. Rev. Roger May of Grace Bible Chapel will serve as officiant. Graveside services at Orleans Twp. Cemetery will immediately follow the service. Those wishing to express their sympathy are welcome to consider a contribution in Cleo’s memory to Grace Bible Chapel. Envelopes will be available at the service or you may contact Johnson Feuerstein Funeral home for additional information at 616-794-1630. Memories and messages of condolence may be shared at www.hurstfh.com.

Gary E. Shippy, age 83 of Ionia, passed away December 12, 2025 at University of Michigan Health West in Wyoming. The son of George Ross Bernard & Celestia (Den Houten) Shippy, he was born on December 21, 1941 in Grand Rapids.

On May 31, 1963 in Wyoming, he married Lorraine Anne Magnan, and together they enjoyed over sixty-two years of marriage and raised two daughters.

Gary was a graduate of Kelloggsville High School and took over Shippy’s Texaco where he perfected his ability to rig, alter, and plumb any and everything. His own MacGyver, there was absolutely nothing Gary couldn’t master or improve.

Every year to celebrate their anniversary, Gary & Lorraine would venture north to the St. Ignace Car Show. Over the years, this has become a family event and their daughters, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren look forward to the adventure.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George & Celestia Shippy; a daughter, Rebecca Ann McClellan; and his sister and brother-in-law, Georgia & Claude Carter.

Surviving are his wife, Lorraine Anne Shippy of Ionia; a daughter, Catherine & Daniel VanDyke of Sparta; five grandchildren, Bethani Campbell & Keith Vandenakker, Jessica & Trevor Petroelje, Kaitlyn Dobbrastine & Mike Rizor, Lucas VanDyke, and Sean Campbell & Taylor Scheuerman; six great-grandchildren, Kennedy, Grayson, Lena, Oakleigh, Marley, and Zelda, and several nieces and nephews.

To send a message of sympathy to the family, sign Gary’s online guest book, or to share a favorite memory or photo, please visit:

www.MichiganCremation.com

Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Christiansen's Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Greenville, (616) 754-5638.

George A. Waldron went to be with his Lord on December 18, 2025. He was born at home, in Ferris Township, on November 20, 1934, to Harvey E. and Thelma (Johnston) Waldron. He attended the Pine Grove School House till he was 16 years old, then went to work for his dad who owned a sawmill. George met his wife at the Crystal Roller Rink, and married Colleen L. Nyquist on June 13, 1951. George continued to work as a lumberjack for his dad, farmed, and also raised pigs. Eventually, their family increased by four. His brother-in-law, Lawrence Hansen, said he could get him on at General Electric (later Hitachi) in Edmore if he got his GED…so he did – achieving a 4.0. This enabled him to build a house in 1968, with the help of family and friends. When he retired, he needed something to do, so Jerry Johnston invited him to work at Lenco. Eventually, that turned into the adventure of traveling Out West, with “the wives”, to help fix/put Jerry’s potato harvesters together. An engaging storyteller, George loved to recite poems, tell jokes (it was more fun to see him laugh at them than hear the actual joke!), and relate stories about some of the more exciting occurrences in his youth (Just so you know, not all of them were about himself). One of his favorite stories was about the night he realized he needed Christ and stepped forward to be baptized. This began his life-long service to God. He was always looking for opportunities to share his faith. His story-telling talents brought the Bible to life while teaching an adult Sunday School class at the Ferris Church of Christ, where he served as an Elder in the Church for 55 years. The congregation honored him for his dedicated leadership when he “retired” from that role with a surprise celebration and plaque. George loved being with people. So, of course, it would follow that he and Colleen bought a fifth wheel and became Snowbirds during the winter, where they would “spend more time with their family and neighbors than when they were in Michigan”, and made lifelong friends with whom they kept in contact. George liked to hunt and looked forward to the deer hunting trips the men of the church took to the UP, which also gave him more stories to tell. He enjoyed woodworking; was always ready to lend a helping hand, which included assisting Colleen with her quilts, and shoveling people out when they got stuck in his driveway…continuing to be physically strong his entire life. Above all, George was a man of integrity, had a strong work ethic, and a deep faith in God. He was a man you could trust.

George is survived by his children: Darrell Jody (Karen) Waldron; Kim (David) Hannebohn; Roxann (Rick) Roslund; and Brian Waldron; grandchildren: Jill (Pat) Crandell; Amanda Waldron; Elizabeth Waldron; Ben Waldron; Larissa Hannebohn; Joshua (Kourtney) Hannebohn; George Hannebohn; Rich (Margaret) Roslund; and Victoria Roslund (James Pohl); as well as 9 great grandchildren; and 1 great-great grandchild. He is also survived by a brother - Harvey Kay (Helen) Waldron.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 73 years, Colleen; two brothers - Wendell (Iva) Waldron, Eldon/”Tex” (Maribeth) Waldron; three sisters - Marjory (Lawrence) Hansen, Lois (Steve) Johnston. His sister, Carolyn (Dick) Fitzpatrick, passed on December 19, 2025.

A special thanks to The Laurels of Fulton for their compassionate and loving care during the past months, and to AdvisaCare Hospice.

Visitation is Monday, January 5, 2026, at 10 AM, at the Ferris Church of Christ, 3443 N. Crystal Road, Vestaburg, MI 48891, with the memorial service to follow at 11 AM. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Lux and Schnepp Funeral Home, Riverdale.

Matthew Dean Wiesen, 57, of Ontonagon, Michigan, went to be with his Lord and Savior on December 18, 2025, in his home.

Matt was born in Greenville, Michigan, to David and Deborah Wiesen on November 20, 1968. He went to school and graduated from Greenville High School and Montcalm Community College. He married Margaret on October 19, 1991, with whom they had three boys. After her passing, Matt married Kandice on May 16, 2005. They moved to the U.P. that fall and built their lives together through many business ventures, including Chance’s Hardware and Lumber, Always Tan and Red River Machining.

Matt began his career at Greenville Tool and Die as an apprentice during high school, eventually earning his Journeyman Tool and Die Maker certification. He worked most of his career in manufacturing and wore many hats from sweeping the floors, engineering, management and starting his own machine shops (Wiesen Inc. and Red River Machining). He was a proud partner with two of his sons, Josh and Ryan, starting Red River Machining in Ontonagon, Michigan, in 2017. He was actively involved in the community and served as a village councilman and president/member of the local VFW Auxiliary in recent years. He was actively involved at North Iron Church.

He enjoyed many things in life, like hunting, fishing, taking the boat out on Lake Superior and 4-wheeling, but his real hobby and passion were his family. Though his life was short, his strong faith, dedication to family, and appreciation for every day made Matt an example to follow. He will always be remembered for his eagerness to be of help to others, his instinctive knowledge, and his ability to handle whatever challenging circumstances he encountered. He showed up to every occasion in his family’s lives, from baseball games to ballet recitals and from concerts to graduation ceremonies.

Matt is survived by his wife, Kandice; sons, Ryan (Justina), Josh and Matthew; parents, Dave and Karen; grandchildren, Jessa, Adam, Theo and Leah; nieces and nephews, Janelle (Charles), Jarrod, Gwenyth, Jace, Wayne, Haydrian and Alexis; brothers-in law and sisters-in law Heather Sue, Erin, Heather Ann, Sean and Keith.

Matt is preceded in death by his mother, Deborah; wife, Margaret; brother, Jeffery; and brother-in-law, Troy.

A memorial service was held at North Iron Church in Ontonagon, Michigan, on Monday, December 22, 2025 at 10 a.m. Arlen Belisle officiated the service. Arrangements were made by Cane Funeral Home.