Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Brooks, Esther 2014
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Marilyn Ransom mransom311@gmail.com June 10, 2015, 6:54 pm

The Hastings Reminder, December 7, 2014


Esther (Stuart) Brooks went to be with her lord and Savior on November 30, 2014 
at the age of 101 years at Magnum Care in Hastings.  

Esther was born on November 23, 1913 to Endsley and May (Hunter) Stuart in 
their home on Mick Road in Clarksville.  She spent most of her life living in 
the local area, starting school at the one room Bushnell School east of town 
before attending and graduating from Clarksville School in the early 1930s.  
She had many interesting stories to tell of her early life walking to school 
during both the winter and summer months with her brothers and sisters from 
their farm on Peddler Lake Road (Now owned by the Zook family), helping her 
mother with meals when the harvesting crew came, the excitement when the 
Clarksville basketball team won the Class C state championship, going to dances 
with her sisters and friends at the local grange halls and earing 50 to 75 
cents (a nice payment during the Depression)—setting finger waves in the hair 
of local ladies on Saturday.

After graduating, she spent the summer working at the canning factory in Lake 
Odessa.  It was there she met her future husband, Cliff, from Scottville.  He 
was at the canning factory working for his uncle, installing the latest (at the 
time) canning machinery.  They were married in LaGrange, IN in October of 1934.

She had many interest including traveling, reading, and especially, oil 
painting.  Many of Esther’s paintings were exhibited at local fairs, where they 
won ribbons.  She would then give the paintings to friends and family, and also 
sold a few.  She also enjoyed making Raggedy Ann dolls and stuffed animals, 
working crossword puzzles, playing Scrabble with her sister Natalie (or anyone 
she could talk into playing!), and writing essays—some of which were publishing 
in Cappers Weekly.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband, Cliff; son-in-law, Don Stahl; 
parents, Endsley and Mary Stuart; sisters, Alice (Jack) Rudd and Margaret 
(Wayne) Rose; brother, Mike (Pauline) Stuart; as well as many friends and 
neighbors.

She is survived by daughter, Marilyn Stahl; granddaughters, Christine (Steve) 
Shellenbarger and Tracy) Roy) Herschberger; great grandson, Kyle (Kristi) 
Langmaack; great granddaughters, Ashley (Lanny) Overholt and Janelle (Ryan) 
Warnermeude; great great grandchildren, Ethan and Eli Langmaack; brother, Bruce 
(Glenna) Stuart; sister, Natalie (Harry) Seelig; and step grandchildren, Nathan 
(Amanda) Shellenbarger and family, Becky (Scott) Tauschek and family, and 
Justin Hershberger; and many nieces and nephews.

Services for Esther were held at the Gateway Community Church, a church she 
considered a home, attending the monthly missionary services and weekly 
mornings Bible study and coffee for many years.  Services were conducted by 
Pastor Mike Paschall.  Interment in Clarksville Cemetery.



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