Donald R. Phelan

STEVENSVILLE — Donald Richard Phelan Sr., 77, of Stevensville passed away Saturday morning, Nov. 8, 2003, at Lakeland Hospital, St. Joseph. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 211 Church St. in St. Joseph, with Monsignor Eugene Sears officiating. Visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 11, from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by a liturgical prayer service at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice at Home, the American Cancer Society, St. Joseph Catholic Church, or St. John’s Catholic Church. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Mr. Phelan, the son of Inez Grant and Edward Phelan, was born Feb. 17, 1926, in Wahpeton, N.D. He previously owned an electrical contracting company. He attended St. John’s Catholic School in Benton Harbor, and played on the school’s football and basketball teams. He left high school to enlist in the Navy before the basketball team won the 1944 state championship. Mr. Phelan was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, serving on the USS Kwajalein and USS Cunningham. In 2002, he received his diploma from Lake Michigan Catholic High School, due to legislation enacted to award World War II veterans their high school diplomas. Children from his marriage to Patricia (Fagan) Phelan are Patrick (Chris) Phelan, Donald Phelan Jr., Christopher (Linda) Phelan, and Colleen (Richard) Villa. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Lynn Phelan, in 1955. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren; his brothers — Edward (Loretta) and Thomas Phelan of Benton Harbor; his sister, Ann Arntz of St. Joseph; and dear friend, Beverly Wade of Stevensville. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Bernice Phelan and Catherine Cappocia.