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Betty Jane Durkee, age 82 of Tecumseh, passed away Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at Heartland Health Care Center in Ann Arbor with her family by her side.  She was born on June 16, 1927 in Vicksburg, MI, the daughter of Wayne and Pauline (Huff) Wescott.  She married Royce Durkee sixty-four years ago on October 17, 1945.

Betty was a waitress at the Tecumseh Country Club for about six years and then at the Harvey House Hotel.  She was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and the Low Vision Group.  She enjoyed bowling, knitting, cooking and spending time in her kitchen.  Her greatest joy was her time spent  with her family and many friends.  She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her.

In addition to her husband Royce, Betty is survived by her two sons; Richard and his wife Sue and Scott and his wife Lora, all of Tecumseh, her daughter Cynthia Durkee , of Tecumseh, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by one brother and one sister.

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 12 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Tecumseh Chapel of Handler Funeral Homes.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 13 at 11:00 a.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church with Pastor Richard Webb officiating.  Cremation will follow services and burial of the cremated remains will be in Brookside Cemetery at a later date.  Visitation will also be held at the church on Saturday from 10:00 until the time of services.  Memorial contributions may be made to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church.  Condolences may be offered to the family at www.handlerfuneralhomes.com.

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

The Tecumseh Big Band played as close to 100 community members and leaders gathered to break ground on the Tecumseh Business and Technology Campus east of downtown during a ceremony held Monday.

Among those who attended were members of the Eaton family, former owners of the property that was purchased by the City of Tecumseh in 2004. Also in attendance were Seventh District U.S. Congressman Mark Schauer, 57th District State Rep. Dudley Spade, Senator Cameron Brown’s representative, Nancy Jenkins, and Lenawee County Commissioner David Stimpson as well as neighboring community leaders.

Tecumseh City Mayor Harvey Schmidt gave the address and introduced the city council and city staff. He told all present that the purchase and development of such a business park was more than 40 years in the making and started when former Mayor Harold Easton and Eaton Farm patriarch at the time Arthur Eaton came to an agreement. Schmidt said, Eaton told Easton back then that the city would have the opportunity to purchase the land when the family was ready to sell it. In recent years, Arthur’s son, Meryl, served as the family’s liaison as the family and the City of Tecumseh negotiated the sale of the property. Meryl said after the ceremony that he and the family are pleased to be involved in helping Tecumseh progress into the future.

Tecumseh’s varsity girls bowling team was overcome with emotion after winning its third-straight Division 2 State Championship in Canton on Friday, March 5. The Indians were well represented in the stands with a large following sharing the emotional experience. The very next day, Tecumseh senior Kara Richard (l) won the Division 2 Individual State Championship. See Sports for complete story.

It’s time to fight back against cancer. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Lenawee Community has set the 2010 event date for August 13-14 from 3 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Christian Family Centre Park in Adrian.

The world’s largest grassroots fundraising movement, Relay For Life mobilizes communities throughout the country to celebrate people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and provide participants with an opportunity to fight back against the disease. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups –  people from all walks of life – all aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s vision of creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

“Relay For Life provides an environment for everyone in our community to join in the fight against cancer,” said Cynthia Pepple, Community Representative. “It is truly inspiring to witness the cancer survivors in our community celebrating their victory over the disease. The Luminaria Ceremony gives us a time to remember those who have been impacted by this disease. The event also features a Fight Back ceremony where participants and community members will be able to make a personal commitment to save one life from cancer this year.”

Participants at this year’s Relay For Life will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fight back by enrolling in the American Cancer Society’s third Cancer Prevention Study. Individuals may choose to participate they are willing to make a long-term commitment to the study (which involves completing follow-up surveys periodically over the next 20-30 years), are between the ages of 30 and 65 years old and have never been diagnosed with cancer.

Donations can be made to this local Relay For Life event, and participants can start a team, by visiting www.relayforlife.org/lenaweecountymi.