John was a dedicated Catholic with a strong faith and a love for charitable giving. He was a parishioner at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church for 70 years. He ran bingo games to raise money for the church and for the Catholic War Veterans where he served as National Commander twice. In May, he would volunteer to hand out poppies for the American Legion. He also served as Grand Marshall for the Eastpointe Memorial Day Parade. He was a member of Knights of Columbus for over 40 years. John loved baseball, specifically Detroit Tigers baseball. He even went to Florida for the fantasy camp where he played at 80 years old. His garden was a point of pride for him. He spent time in his childhood living on a farm and kept that part of his past alive with his own vegetable harvest, which he shared in the form of his famous pickled beets.
John is the beloved husband of 66 years to the late Virginia. Loving father of Deborah (the late Mike) Bown, Regina Smiley, Colleen (Gary) Staniec, Joan (the late Mark) Adamo, Patty (Mike) Barrett, Maureen (Bob) Carter, Laurie Ashbeck, Diane Currier, and Dennis (Jackie) Walsh. He is the cherished grandfather of 21 and great grandfather of 10. He is the dear brother of six, survived by his sister Mary and many nieces and nephews.
A visitation for John will be held Thursday, August 24, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with a rosary at 7:30pm at A.H. Peters Funeral Home, 32000 Schoenherr Rod, Warren, Michigan 48088. An instate will occur Friday, August 25, 2023 from 9:30 AM until the time of the funeral mass at 10:00 AM at St. Basil the Great Catholic Church, 22851 Lexington Avenue, Eastpointe, Michigan.
John will be laid to rest in Great Lakes National Cemetery, 4200 Belford Rd, Holly, Michigan 48442 on Monday, August 28, at 9:30am.
