Ottilie Schlender

Ottilie Schlender, 93, of Benton Harbor, passed away on Wednesday, February 7, 2007, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. A service celebrating her life will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 12, at Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, with Pastor Martin Weigand officiating. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery, St. Joseph. Friends may visit with the family on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Benton Harbor. Ottilie was born on November 11, 1913, in Wolynia, Poland, to Emil and Lydia (Hipke) Weidenthal. She came to the United States from Germany in 1956. She worked for many years at Michigan Fruit Canners. She is survived by two daughters, Elsa Scheffler of Benton Harbor, and Sophi Kopelke of Germany; three sons, Arthur (Diane) Schlender of Benton Harbor, Adolph (Erna) Schlender of St. Joseph, and Erich (Jane) Schlender of Baroda; a sister, Hulda Antipous of Australia; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Walter Schlender; one sister; and three brothers.