Ortha Bishop

It was a long life, but a good and busy life for Ortha June Bishop, who passed away Wednesday, November 28, 2018. Ortha was born on July 19, 1926, in Maple Grove Township, Barry County, MI, the daughter of Vern and Fern (Wenger) Hawblitz.  She grew up in a farming family, was a 1943 graduate of Hastings High School and has been a Battle Creek resident since 1949. On June 9, 1946, she was united in marriage to Dale Harold Bishop, a soldier in WWII who Ortha wrote daily letters from the homefront while waiting for her soldier man to come home from war. Dale preceded her in death in 2012. Ortha worked for Trans-American Insurance as a claim’s examiner from 1955 until her retirement. Ortha was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, the women’s Group at the church and ABWA. She enjoyed traveling, bus tours, playing cards or puzzles with friends, and gardening. Surviving are her children, Douglas (Linda) Bishop of Coldwater and Nyla (Andrew) Kavalhuna of Battle Creek; grandchildren, James (Carolyn) Kavalhuna of Marshall, Daniel (Diane) Kavalhuna of Battle Creek, Christopher (Lynn) Bishop of Southborough, MA and Erin (Bryan) Regan of Coldwater; great grandchildren, Kaden Kavalhuna, Gia Kavalhuna, Ivan Kavalhuna, Brandon Bishop and Austin Bishop; a brother, Larry Hawblitz; a sister-in-law, Leila Hawblitz. She was preceded in death by a brother, Blair Hawblitz and a sister-in-law, Barbara Hawblitz. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 8, 2018, at the Richard A. Henry Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 9 to 11:00 a.m., prior to the service. Interment will be at Floral Lawn Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be made to Chapel Hill United Methodist Church or Hospice Care of Southwest MI. www.henryfuneralhome.org