Person Page 4,031

Mable Mae Harper was born on 16 January 1891 in Mason, Ingham, Michigan.¹ She and Louis Paul Baird Rathbun were married on 16 August 1905 in Mason, Ingham, Michigan. She died on 24 October 1960, at age 69, in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.¹ She was buried on 27 October 1960 in Rosehill Cemetery, Eaton Rapids, Eaton, Michigan.^2,1

Theron Lee Rathbun was born on 2 June 1907 in Mason, Ingham, Michigan. He and Florence Opal Mitchell were married on 4 June 1927 in Charlotte, Eaton, Michigan.¹ He died on 14 June 1976, at age 69, in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.

Theron Lee Rathbun was a Baker.¹

Murville Kermit Rathbun was born on 13 February 1910 in Jackson County, Michigan. He and Thelma Marie Hoag were married on 23 April 1927 in Charlotte, Eaton, Michigan. He died on 27 September 1998, at age 88, in Lansing, Ingham, Michigan.

Yale Harold Rathbun was born on 9 March 1912 in Jackson County, Michigan. He died on 7 February 1966, at age 53, in Lansing, Ingham, Michigan.

Phillip Yale Rathbun was born on 19 April 1935 in Michigan.^1,2 He and Ruth Helen Rappleyea were married in 1952 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.³ He died on 27 November 2013, at age 78.² He was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Reed City, Osceola, Michigan.²

SP3 US Army- Korea.² Phillip Yale Rathbun was a Butcher A&P/ Founder Osceola Ambulance Service.³ Phillip Yale Rathbun, of Reed City, passed away Wednesday, November 27, 2013, at his residence. He was 78.

He was born April 19, 1935, in Lansing, to Yale Rathbun and Alma Stickney, was raised in Lansing and attended Lansing area schools. In 1952, he was married to Ruth Rappleyea at Fort Campbell, Ky., who passed away February 5, 2013. Phil worked as a pageboy for Michigan's Gov. Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams in his youth before joining the United States Army, where he served honorably in the 82nd Airborne Division and as a military policeman. In 1963, Phil and Ruth moved to the Reed City area, where they raised a family of five girls. He was employed as a butcher with the A&P grocery store and also founded and operated the first ambulance service in Osceola County. He served the Reed City community in a variety of positions including: chief of police, volunteer firefighter, city manager, city councilman, mayor pro tem and community corrections officer. He was a member of the Lou B. Winsor Lodge No. 363 F&AM, the former president of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police and a member of the Reed City United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his daughters: Vicki Rathbun of Florida, Karen (Daniel) Jackson of Virginia, Patricia (Mark) Huff of Paris, Linda (Brian Kohn) Rathbun of Chase, and Lori Gondek of Reed City; brother, Louis (Sandra) Rathbun of Lansing; nephew, Craig Rathbun of Lansing; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Rathbun; parents, Yale and Alma Rathbun; brother, Robert Rathbun; and nephew, Todd Rathbun.

A memorial service will be held in celebration of the lives of Phillip and Ruth Rathbun at 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 4, 2013, at the United Methodist Church in Reed City, with the Rev. Kathy Cadarette officiating.

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As many returned to Reed City for the Thanksgiving holiday and said hello to loved ones, a man with a vibrant and enthusiastic half-century of service was quietly saying goodbye.

Phil Rathbun passed away Wednesday after a long battle with congestive heart failure, surrounded by family in his Reed City home. He was 78.

Anyone who knew Rathbun, who over the years served on the city council, as a business owner, chief of police and city manager, would say he was dedicated to Reed City. And that never wavered, even near the end.

Rathbun never stopped giving back to his adopted home town, even as his health failed and hospice care began.

On Monday, Rathbun continued to honor his obligations to Reed City, attending a city council meeting where he still served as an active council member.

Fulfilling his commitment to the community was exactly the kind of person he was, said Reed City City Attorney David Porteous.

"I don't know anyone who has served this city in the multitude of roles like he has," said Porteous. "And he took each one of those jobs with the same level of commitment to the city and the community he loved dearly."

Porteous said Rathbun's dedication to the city was unmatched, unique for someone who was a transplant.

"You might expect that he was born and raised here, given how much he worked for the town," said Porteous. "But he was embraced by Reed City, and he fully embraced it back."

Earlier this year, as Rathbun's health began to decline, he lost his beloved wife, Ruth.

The couple, who founded and operated the Osceola County Ambulance Service, lived, loved and worked in Reed City over the past 50 years as they raised five daughters together.

It was during those five decades that Rathbun took on various city responsibilities that defined his life and changed the landscape of the town.

Friend and co-council member Marlene Fatum visited Rathbun often as his health waned. Fatum said Rathbun always perked up when it came to hearing news about the city.

"He was such a good man who wore so many hats over the years," Fatum said.

One of those hats led to a friendship between Rathbun, a one-time Reed City police chief, and current chief, Chuck Davis, who said one of the things he will miss is the opportunity to pick Rathbun's brain about the city's past.

"I will miss his stories about the history of the city," said Davis. "I enjoyed talking to the man."

A memorial is in the works for Rathbun, but Porteuous said the real memorial exists throughout the town.

"You can't say the words 'Reed City' without saying Phil Rathbun," said Porteous. "To me, he was Mr. Reed City."

Ruth Helen Rappleyea was born on 7 August 1935 in Lansing, Ingham, Michigan. She and Phillip Yale Rathbun were married in 1952 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.² She died on 5 February 2013, at age 77, in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.² She was buried in Woodland Cemetery (P2-G-44 1/2-Between 2 &4), Reed City, Osceola, Michigan.

Ruth Helen Rathbun, age 77 of Reed City, Michigan, passed away Tuesday February 5, 2013 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

She was born August 7, 1935 in Lansing, Michigan, to Stanley Rappleyea and Edna Bentley, was raised in Lansing and was a 1951 graduate of Lansing Eastern High School. In June of 1953 she was married at Ft. Campbell, KY to then Provost Marshall's Aide Phillip Rathbun who survives.

She was a resident of Reed City for over 50 years since moving to the area with her family in 1958. Ruth was employed with Adams Bookkeeping & Tax Services and, together with her husband Phillip, founded and operated the Osceola County Ambulance Service. Ruth and Phil enjoyed 60 years of marriage together and she always found time for him and their five daughters. She enjoyed gardening, working in her yard, and serving together with the women of the church.

She is survived by her husband Phillip Rathbun of Reed City, daughters Vicki Rathbun of Florida, Karen (Dan) Jackson of Virginia, Patty (Mark) Huff of Reed City, Linda (Brian) Rathbun of Reed City, and Lori Gondek of Reed City, sisters Shirley Trainor and Cindy Stevens both of Big Rapids, 10 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.

Funeral services for Ruth Rathbun will be private. Burial will take place at Woodland Cemetery in Reed City. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in her name to: Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. 2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 410 Washington, DC 20036.