Donald James Rise

Donald Rise, 96, of Mt. Pleasant and formerly of Beaverton passed away Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, at his home. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, September 28, at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home with the Rev. Joe Atchinson officiating. A committal service will be held at Memorial Gardens Cemetery with military honors. Following the cemetery service, a luncheon will be held at the funeral home. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 5-8 p.m. and on Monday one hour prior to the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Woodland Hospice. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Don was born Feb. 27, 1919, in Beaverton, son of the late Thomas and Hazel (Smith) Rise. After graduating from Beaverton High School, Don worked for Sun Oil and Brown Machine Company in Beaverton. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II in the South Pacific. After his honorable discharge he returned to Sun Oil in Newaygo. On December 24, 1948, he married Shirley Burgess in Newaygo. In 1950 he was recalled by the U.S. Air Force to serve during the Korean Conflict until 1951. He and his wife spent the next 11 years in Beaverton where he again worked for Brown Machine Company. In 1965 they established their own business, Rise Machine Shop on North Kinney in Mt. Pleasant after purchasing it from T. E. DuCommon. They made Mt. Pleasant their permanent home in 1966. He sold the business to his son, K. C. in 2010 but continued working up until the day he died. Some of his favorite pastimes were working, riding his recumbent tricycle, doing yard work, and fishing. Don is survived by four children, Marye Beth (Steve) Ulrey of Webberville, D.J. (Abby) Rise, Jr. of Indianapolis, IN, K.C. (Kathy) Rise of Mt. Pleasant, and Ann Eileen (Rick Lewis) Rise of Rhinelander, WI; four grandchildren, Aaron Jon (Lori) Ulrey, Katy Lynn (Dan) Gasper, Alexander Thomas Rise and Josh Utterback; five great-grandchildren, Joshua, Adrian, and Aila Ulrey, Elianna and Levi Utterback; two sisters, Ilene Brown of Bowling Green, OH and Maxine Rea of Iowa; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley in 2008; infant brother, Charles; and two sisters, Ola Mae Barber and Wanda Malosh.