Mr. John P. Moleski

Mr. John P. Moleski was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

John was born on June 22, 1934 at St. Mary's Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Peter and Elizabeth Moleski. John was raised in Detroit, Michigan. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Moleski household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, John was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. John was raised with one sibling. He had one younger brother, Joseph. John was constantly involved in activities with his brother. John and his brother may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but John was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, John was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. John developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. John took part in alley baseball and basketball. In his spare time he liked stamp collecting and small game hunting. However, what John enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of John as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from St. Thomas the Apostle High School in Detroit, Michigan in 1952. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was drafting. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Sister Mary Terentia. John was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. John always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Adult life brought with it a new set of challenges, but John handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, John was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. John was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served John well during his trade school experience. He earned his certificate in Die Design from trade school. He loved to build hot rod cars for racing on quarter mile dirt tracks.

Always considered to be a solid friend, John was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, John was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for John to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Al Urbaniak and Harry Czarnecki. Later in life, he became friends with Mike and Shirley Powers and Paulie and Walter Slabiak.

On October 25, 1958 John exchanged wedding vows with Mary Agnes Craig at the Ascension Catholic Church of Warren, Michigan. Compassionate and devoted to Mary, John held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Mary and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

John brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. John was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. John was blessed with five children, three sons, Gregory, Robert, and Edward, and two daughters, Michelle and Sharon. They were also blessed with eight grandchildren, Michael, Lauren, Tyler, Payton, Logan, Madison, Ethan, and Meaghan.

John greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. John enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, John was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer. He was employed for 46 years by General Motors Corporation. John worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

John was an Army veteran. He was in the Army Reserve stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Private. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, John seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

John liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, John always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were gardening, canning and preserving what he grew. John was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

John found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included golf and bowling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were baseball, hockey, football, and basketball.

Many organizations were grateful to have John as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, John was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, John was a member of the Our Lady's Sodality Club.

As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that John was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, John preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. John was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. John was a member of several community groups, including serving as the President of the local chapter of St. Vincent De Paul Society.

John was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Ronald Catholic Church for 25 years and St. Matthias Catholic Church for ten years. During that time, he was an usher and Eucharistic minister. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

John enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with John appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, John always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Hawaii, Rome, and Toronto.

John was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of John’s favorites was Midge, a Gordon Setter dog. They were best friends for eight years.

When John’s retirement finally arrived in 2000, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in golf and traveling. Even in retirement, John continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Mr. John P. Moleski passed away on April 20, 2010 peacefully at home in Clinton Township, Michigan. John succumbed to complications after a brave battle with a long illness. He is survived by his wife Mary, children Michelle, Gregory, Sharon, Robert, and Edward, his brother Joseph, and his grandchildren Michael, Lauren, Tyler, Payton, Logan, Madison, Ethan, and Meaghan. Services will be held at St. Matthias Catholic Church on April 24, 2010 at 10:00AM. John will be laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township, MI.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Mr. John P. Moleski. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.