By Staff
Jamy 'Jaime' D. Courtney, 71, of Dowagiac, died on Saturday June 7, 2008, at Providence Hospital in Southfield.
Her family will gather with friends on Wednesday, June 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. at McLauchlin-Clark Funeral Home in Dowagiac, where her tribute service will begin at 7 p.m. led by Pastor Stacy Wilder of Calvary Bible Church.
Jaime's life began on Sept. 18, 1936, in Stella, Ariz., the daughter of Alvin L. and Zela May (White) Haynes.
She was best known as a columnist for Leader Publications and the editor of the Cassopolis Vigilant and the Edwardsburg Argus newspapers. Jaime began her work life as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone in New Jersey then joined the United States Army where she was assigned as a public information officer.
She also served in the Michigan National Guard out of the Dowagiac Armory. She returned to Bell after her service to her country and soon moved to the Dowagiac area after the passing of her husband Frank Courtney in 1971. She and Frank were united in marriage in May of 1958.
Jaime was a frequent contributor to the Dowagiac Daily News in addition to being the editor at the Vigilant and Argus. After she retired from Leader Publications, Jaime still worked as a staff writer for the Herald Palladium and the South Bend Tribune. She was a prolific poetry writer and won many awards over time for both her poetry and her journalism.
She wrote the plays for the Dogwood Tea for the last two years as part of the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival and she was most recently working as the press liaison for the Teeter for Judge Campaign.
She was also a charter member of the Beckwith Theatre in Dowagiac.
Jaime was honored in 2006 as the winner of the Jorge and Sonya Just Award at the Cranbrook Writers Conference and has received awards for her work in the Horizon's editions of Leader Publications.
Her loving family includes her children, Donna Courtney of Dowagiac, Frank (Renee) Courtney of Dowagiac, Noel "Brian" Courtney of Weiser, Idaho; grandchildren, Shannon, Joshua, Caitlin, Samuel and Joel Courtney and great-granddaughter, Kyra Myers and her sisters, Maudie Walker of Dowagiac, J.C. Haynes of Niles and Willie (Betty) Haynes of Texas.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Frank.
Memorial contributions in her name may be directed to the "Jaime" Courtney Creative Writing Scholarship at Southwestern Michigan College.
Please sign her guestbook and leave a memory of Jaime at www.mclauchlin-clark.com
Arrangements were by McLauchlin-Clark Funeral Home, Dowagiac.