Opal Arlene Church Adams

Opal Arlene Adams, 77, of Montgomery, Mich., died Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011, at St Joseph Hospital, Fort Wayne. She was born Feb. 2, 1934, in California Township, Branch County, Mich., to Benjamin Franklin and Eva Fern (Michael) Church. They preceded her in death. She married Edward Louis Adams on Nov. 8, 1952, in Muskegon, Mich., and he preceded her in death on Jan. 24, 1998. She was a homemaker. She graduated with the class of 1951 at Montgomery High School, Montgomery and was class valedictorian. She was a member of Stokes Chapel United Methodist Church, Montgomery, and Pythian Sisters. She was an endless volunteer, helping at many functions. Surviving are a daughter and son-in-law, Debra and David Maurer of Battle Creek, Mich.; four sons and daughters-in-law, James and Martha Adams of Pleasant Lake, Donald and Sherry Adams of Angola, Kenneth “Skip” and Linda Adams of Fort Wayne and Thomas and Jerry Adams of Fremont; a son-in-law, Rod Hantz of Fremont; 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Ruby Beckman of Kalamazoo, Mich., and Pearl and Larry Miner of Montgomery; and three brothers and a sister-in-law, Ralph Church and Glen Church, both of Coldwater, Mich., and Dean and Becky Church of Detroit, Mich. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Shirley A. Hantz, two brothers, Jacob Church and Paul Delson Church, one grandson, Dean Hantz, and one great-grandchild, Kailyn Adams. Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at Beams Funeral Home, Fremont, with Rev. Trevor McDermont officiating. Burial will be in California Cemetery, Montgomery. Calling will be Monday, September 26, 2011, from 4-8 p.m. at Beams Funeral Home Home with a Pythian Sisters evening service at 7:30 p.m. Memorials are to Stokes Chapel United Methodist Church, or to Child Evangelism Fellowship.