All Obituaries

Janet Marie (Dickerson) Miller, 89, of South Bend, formerly of Mishawaka, passed away on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 in Memorial Hospital. "Jan" retired from NIPSCO and attended Hilltop Lutheran Church. Surviving are a daughter, Vickey Muia, two step children; several grandchildren and great grandchildren; and one nephew. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Miller; a son, Greg Bartlett; and brother, Herbert Dickerson, Jr. No services are planned. Private burial...

Joseph D. Zappia, 92, of Mishawaka, passed away Tuesday evening, October 6, 2020 at Holy Cross Care & Rehabilitation, South Bend. Joe was born February 24, 1928 in Mishawaka, to the late Frank and Rose (Fotia) Zappia, Sr. He was a 1945 graduate of Mishawaka High School and attended IUSB. Joe owned and operated Little Joe’s Liquor Store in Mishawaka. He also worked at Uniroyal, South Bend Bait Company and the Capri Restaurant. He had several positions with St. Joseph County...

Tentative Arrangements: Visitation will be from 4 - 7 pm on Monday, October 26, at St. Monica Catholic Church in Mishawaka. Mass of  Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am on Tuesday, October 27, at St. Monica's. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery.  A complete obituary with confirmed arrangements will appear on approximately October 21.    

Verleen T. Obren, 86, of Mishawaka, passed away Saturday, October 3, 2020, at home with her family by her side. Verleen was born July 6, 1934 in Mishawaka, to the late Isadore and Lena (Knoblock) Hedman. She was a 1952 graduate of Mishawaka High School. Verleen married Steve Obren on January 29, 1955 and the couple made Mishawaka their home. At one time Verleen was employed at the Bendix Missile Plant. She then was a homemaker for many years and later worked at Burcliff...

Elizabeth “Betty” Becker Favorite died peacefully on October 3, 2020 in Mishawaka, Indiana. She was born on August 3, 1928 to Elmer and Inez (Schad) Becker in Stevensville, Ontario, Canada. At age 9, her family moved to Huntington, Indiana. She graduated from Huntington High School in 1946, and earned her BS from Huntington College and her MS in Education from Indiana University. Betty married Roger E. Favorite (d. July 14, 2008) on August 18, 1951, in Huntington and then...

Harold V. Brown, 99, of Mishawaka, passed away Friday, September 18, 2020, at Miller’s Merry Manor in Wakarusa. Harold was born July 26, 1921 in Mishawaka, to the late Lester and Maggie (Heminger) Brown. He was a graduate of Mishawaka High School and lived in Mishawaka most of his life. On February 15, 1942, Harold married Naomi Fry. He then served his country in the US Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. He was employed for forty-one years at Uniroyal and most of those years as a...

Joan J. Christman, 88, of Mishawaka, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2020, at Memorial Hospital, South Bend. Joan was born October 19, 1931 in Bremen, to the late Herbert and Edith (Summy) Neher. She grew up in Bremen and was a graduate of Bremen High School. Joan was preceded in death by her first husband, Jim Fisher; her second husband, Max Christman; an infant daughter, Judith Fisher; a daughter, Diana Shrader; and a brother, Donald Neher. Joan’s surviving family includes...

Ferdinand “Fred” DeSmith, 87, of Mishawaka, passed away Friday, September 4, 2020, at Heritage Point in Mishawaka. Fred was born January 3, 1933 in South Bend and lived in Mishawaka his entire life. While he was growing up, he became an Eagle Scout. From 1950 – 1953 he served his country in the US Navy. He retired in 1991 after 36 years at Uniroyal. Fred was a member of American Legion #303, life-time member of BK Club and former member of Club 15 and their Euchre Club....

Irene C. Nesbit, 99, of South Bend, passed away at home on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. She was born July 20, 1921 in New Britain, Connecticut, to Paul and Casmira “Carrie” (Szembek) Nurczyk both of whom preceded her in death. On August 18, 1945, Irene married Dr. Julius S. Nesbit, D.O. in New Britain, Connecticut. They lived in New York, Iowa and Pennsylvania before settling in South Bend in 1954. Irene was a stay at home Mom and homemaker until the time of her husband’s...

Jean Bosco Kalisa, 49, of Mishawaka, passed away Wednesday, August 5, 2020, in Memorial Hospital, South Bend. Jean was born December 8, 1970, in Ngozi, Burundi. He moved to the United States in 2014. His employment included working with the German non-profit, Welthungerhilife, which provides humanitarian aid and educational resources. In recent years he worked for NISCO as a production assistant. Jean enjoyed all genres of music and was a huge soccer fan with Chelsea FC being his favorite...