SMEDLEY Joan Lucille of Clayton Township age 87 passed away Thursday March 10, 2011 at Brian’s House Hospice , Davison. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am Friday March 18, 2011 at St. Mary Queen of Angel Catholic Church, Swartz Creek. Fr. Steve Mattson officiating. Honoring her wishes cremation has taken place, with private inurnment at New Calvary Cemetery.

Joan was born in Flint, Michigan on November. 20, 1923 the daughter of the late; Joseph and Lucille (Green) Pruchnicki, and spent most of her life in the Flint-Swartz Creek area. She was joined in marriage to Donald F. Smedley in November 1948 and he preceded her in death September 1987. Joan was a 1945 Hurley Nursing School Graduate, member of the Hurley Nursing Alumni, and St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, Swartz Creek. She enjoyed a long career as a surgical nurse and ended her career as head of the IV team, retiring from Hurley Medical Center. Joan enjoyed needlepoint, making many beautiful things for family and friends.

She is survived by her sons, Frederick J.(Marilyn) Smedley, Donald E. Smedley; Daughters Bethany J.(Bob) Farage, Nancy M.(David) Harbin, Martha J. Preston, Lucille A. (John) Higgins; two grandsons Timothy and Tyler Higgins.

SHUMAN, Leo Albert — Age 87, of Swartz Creek, formerly of Durand for 40 years, died March 11, 2011 at Genesys Hospice Care Center, Goodrich. Funeral services will be 10 AM Tuesday, March 15 at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Rd., Swartz Creek, Rev. Dr. Matthew Webster officiating. Interment at Greenwood Cemetery, Vernon. Visitation will be 4-8 PM Sunday and Monday, and 9 AM until the time of funeral Tuesday. Those desiring may make contributions to First Congregational Church in Durand.

Leo was born June 1, 1923, the son of Charlie G. and Lillie (Nimphie) Shuman in Swartz Creek. He married Leslie Fern Rempel on September 6, 1947 in Swartz Creek; she preceded him in death March 12, 1970. He graduated from Mary Crapo High School in 1940 and then the United States Advanced Flying School at Williams Field, Arizona. He was a Class 44-B Rated Pilot and M.O.S. 1056 and 1062. He graduated from Chevrolet Apprentice School in 1948. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force in WWII. He served 18 months in Pacific theatre, flew 62 Combat Missions flying P-38 F-5’s Photo Reconnaissance Airplanes. He remained in the Air Force reserves until January 18, 1956. Leo was a member of the First Congregational Church in Durand, Farm Bureau, 5th Air Force Association and 8th Photo Reconnaissance Association. He was a full time farmer for 41 years.

Surviving are three sons, Loren (Mary) Shuman of Dorr, MI, Lloyd (Robin) Shuman of Lexington, NC, Larry Shuman of Webberville; nine grandchildren, Carrie (Miron) Varouhakis, Joel (Julie) Shuman, Laura Shuman, Leslie (Patrick) Cash, Emily (David) Lohr, David Shuman, Aaron Shuman, Keli Shuman, Keegan Shuman; three great-grandsons Laife Shuman, Corbin Shuman, Ian Cash; brother-in-law Weston Koan; sisters-in-law, Fae (Fred) Wilson, Donna Huya. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife; and sister Glennola Koan. Tributes may be shared on the obituaries page at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com.

McGRAW, Francis X., age 94, of Perry, MI, formerly of FL, passed away on Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 at the Olive Branch Assisted Care Facility in Perry.

Francis was born in Nutley, New Jersey, the son of Francis & Elena (Dominguez) McGraw on January 22, 1917. He married Katherine VanderGaag on April 20, 1940, she predeceased him on January 8, 2005. Francis was retired from General Motors where he worked as a salesman for United Delco. Francis enjoyed fishing, photography and traveling. He was on the school board of Manchester Regional High School in Haledon, NJ, an officer in the Republican Club of North Haledon, NJ, and a deacon and elder of the Second Reformed Church of Wyckoff.

Jones, Kenneth J. – longtime resident of Burton, age 73, passed away March 12, 2011 at Briarwood Manor. A Funeral Service will be held 1 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at Allen Funeral Home, 9136 Davison Rd., Davison; Rev. Harold K. Polk Jr. officiating. Burial will follow in Flint Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 pm Tuesday. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association. Kenneth was born in Cookeville, Tennesse October 19, 1937, son of the late Ernest and Margie (Judd) Jones. He was raised in the Church of Christ. Kenneth married Irene McEacheren on January 31, 1960. He retired from GM after 30 years of service. Kenneth enjoyed country music, NASCAR and spending time with his family. Kenneth is survived by his wife of 51 years, Irene; children, Linda (Tim) Gilbert, Angie (Marty) Dilleha, Debbie Jones and Kenijean Jones; grandchildren, Mitch (Lindsey) Gilbert, Jessica Vickers, Mylee (Andrew) Green, Mack Gilbert, Kenny and Michael Dilleha, Derrick and Dominique Jones; great-grandchildren, Gabriel Vickers and Joey Dilleha; aunt, Essie Davis and special friends, Louis Buford, Larry Brooks, Rosie and Charles Beckman. Kenneth’s family gives a special thank you to the nurses and aides at Briarwood. Please share your thoughts with the family at www.allenfuneralhomeinc.com.

LUNA, Alden Paul of St. Charles, our precious angel was born sleeping and went home to the Lord on Friday, March 11, 2011 in Saginaw. Surviving are his father and mother, John and Nicole Luna, brother, Trevor Luna; grandparents, Robert and Debora Luna, Randy Ramey, Michael and Kathie Woodrow; aunts and uncles, Robert (Megan) Luna, Stacie (Mike) Mundo, Ronda (Jessie) Brown, Laura (Justin) Guerra, Megan (Ron) Blunt, Brian Ramey, Kelly (Glen) Booth, Joshua Woodrow, Jacob (Hannah) Woodrow and many cousins. An angel in the book of life wrote down our baby’s birth and whispered as she closed the book “too beautiful for earth.” Funeral service will be held 3 p.m. March 13, 2011 at Kendall Funeral Home, St. Charles. The family will receive visitors from 2:00 p.m. until time of service at the funeral home. Burial will follow in Garfield Cemetery.

BUCKLES, FRANK WOODRUFF – Frank’s life spanned the awesome, horrible, fantastic, dreadful Twentieth Century. He saw and experienced much. As America’s last surviving veteran witness to the First World War, his life experiences are an artifact in our day which often lacks perspective. Frank’s story, in his own words:

The Beginning

I was born on my father’s farm north of Bethany in Harrison County, Missouri, on 1 February, 1901. My father retired in 1905 and bought property in the small town of Coffey, where I started school. In 1910, he bought a farm in Vernon County, near Walker, Missouri, where we enjoyed country living. In December 1916, we moved to Dewey County, Oklahoma, near Oakwood. I was 15 at the time, and I accompanied a boxcar load of draft horses and equipment to the farm. I knew that my father was planning to arrange for a man to take the horses to Oklahoma. He would be paid $20 and transportation back to Missouri. I asked my father if I could do the job, and he agreed. My parents came later by automobile. In the charming little frontier town of Oakwood, population 300, I worked at the bank, lived at the hotel, and went to high school. On 6 April 1917, the United States entered the Great War and patriotic posters appeared in the post offices. Enlistment When summer vacation came, I was invited to the Kansas State Fair in Wichita. While there, I went to the Marine Corps recruiting office to enlist. I said that I was 18, but the understanding sergeant said that I was too young; I had to be 21. I went to Lamed, Kansas, to visit my father’s mother who was living with my aunt and uncle who owned a bank in Larned. A week later, I returned to Wichita and went to the Marine recruiting station. This time I stated that I was 21. The same sergeant gave me a physical examination, but kindly told me that I was just not heavy enough. I tried the Navy and passed the tests, but they were perhaps suspicious of my age and told me that I was flat-footed. I decided to try elsewhere, so I went to Oklahoma City. There I had no luck with either the Marines or the Navy. I then tried the Army, but was asked for a birth certificate. I told them that the public records were not made of births in Missouri at the time I was born, and my record would be in the family Bible. They accepted this and I enlisted in the Army on 14 August 1917. Thirteen of us were accepted at the recruiting station and given rail tickets to Fort Logan, Colorado, where those who were accepted were sworn into the regular U. S. Army. My serial number was 15577. In choosing the branch of the Army in which to serve, the old sergeant advised that the Ambulance Service was the quickest way to get to France because the French were begging for ambulance services. I followed his advice and was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, for training and trench casualty retrieval and ambulance operations.

The Great War

The unit that I went overseas with was called the First Fort Riley Casual Detachment, which consisted of 102 men. The ranking officer was a sergeant. I have a photo of this unit taken at Fort Riley. We sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey, via Halifax, Nova Scotia, in December 1917, aboard the HMS Carpathia, the vessel famous for the rescue of the White Star Liner, Titanic, on 15 April 1912. Some of the officers and crew who made the rescue were aboard the Carpathia and were not averse to describing the rescue. We docked in Glasgow, Scotland, and our unit continued on to Winchester, England, to await cross-channel shipment to France. A unit of the 6th Marines was operating Camp Hospital No. 35 near Winchester. Our unit was forced to replace the Marines who were sent on to France. While in England, I drove a Ford ambulance, a motorcycle with sidecar, and a Ford car for visiting dignitaries. Others walked. After some weeks in England, I requested a meeting with the commanding officer of the area, Colonel Jones of the 6th Cavalry. I asked to be sent to France, and he explained to me that he, too, wanted to go to France but had to stay where he was ordered. I finally got an assignment to escort an officer to France who had been left behind by his original unit. In France, I had various assignments and was at several locations. After Armistice Day I was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to return prisoners back to Germany. After two years with the AEF (American Expeditionary Force), I returned home on the USS Pocahontas in January 1920. I was paid $143.90, including a $60 bonus. Returning Home I went home to visit my parents, then decided to get a quick education in shorthand and typewriting at a business school in Oklahoma City. After four months of school, I got a job at the post office, working 4:00 p.m. to midnight. I was paid 60¢ an hour. In one month, I had enough money to take the train to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where I got a job in the freightsoliciting office of the White Star Line Steamship Company. I also had a night job with the Great Northwest Telegraph Company. During the winter of 1921, I went to New York and got a job in the bond department of the prestigious Bankers Trust Company at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. I used as my reference the Oakwood, Oklahoma, bank where I had worked at age 15. The steamship business had more appeal for me, but first I had to have some experience at sea. I got my first sea job with the old Munson Line as assistant purser of the ship, Western World, bound for Buenos Aires. I spent several years with the Grace Line, in both cargo and passenger ships on the west coast of South America, where an intimate knowledge of the countries and language was required. World War II In 1940, I accepted an assignment to expedite the movement of cargoes for the American President Lines in Manila. Unfortunately for me, my stay was extended by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941. I spent three-and-a-half years in Japanese prison camps at Santo Tomas and Los Banos. We were rescued by the 11th Airborne Division on 23 February 1945. Home Again Life in San Francisco was pleasant after World War II. On 14 September 1946, I married Audrey Mayo of Pleasanton, California. She was born on a ranch, and my people were landowners and farmers for generations, so we decided it was time to give up foreign assignments and come back to the land. We came to Gap View Farm near Charles Town, West Virginia, in January 1954, to reside in the area where my forefather, Robert Buckles, his wife, and 15 other families settled in 1732.

Frank Buckles continued to work on his farm and, up until the age of 106, still drove his tractor. His wife Audrey had passed and Mr. Buckles lived with his daughter, Susannah near Charles Town, West Virginia, until his death at the age of 110.

Scheduled at this time Mr. Buckles will Lie in Repose at Joseph Gawler’s Sons Chapel 5130 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016 on Sunday, March 13 from 12:00 to 6:00 P.M. and on Monday, March 14 from 12:00 to 9:00 P.M. Interment With Full Military Honors will be on Tuesday, March 15 at 4:00 P.M. at Arlington National Cemetery.  The family asks that financial contributions be made to the WWI Legacy Project at www.frankbuckles.org and if someone would like to send flowers please send them in Franks honor to a local school or veterans home.