John William Findley

November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2026

John W. Findley, of Bath, passed away peacefully at his home of natural causes on Saturday evening, June 6.

John was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Rhoda (Garlent) and William “Bill” Findley and spent most of his life in the Lansing and East Lansing area. He graduated from East Lansing High School in 1959 and Albion College in 1963, where he studied finance and speech. He was a member of the Albion Debate Team and pledged Sigma Chi fraternity. Upon graduation, John joined the Michigan National Guard and also began his long tenure in the banking industry at Michigan National Bank, where he met his lovely bride, Josephine Louise Pihl. They married on October 16, 1965, and welcomed daughter Melissa Anne Findley (Thompson) in 1966, with son John Garlent Findley following in 1968.

Anyone who knew John understood two things: #1 He LOVED Michigan State University athletics, especially MSU basketball; #2 He LIVED for Friday nights in the fall announcing high school football. His illustrious career as an announcer had humble beginnings – it all started at Fulton High School in Middleton, MI. His father-in-law, Waino S. Pihl, was superintendent of the Fulton-Middleton school district and offered him the job of announcing at the high school in 1968 – it was a dream come true. Especially when the ‘Dirty Dozen Plus One’ Fulton Pirates football team grabbed headlines in the Lansing State Journal for their tenacity. Later on, in the fall of 1983, another golden opportunity opened up at his alma mater, East Lansing High School, and the ‘Voice of the Trojans’ was born. That year ELHS went all the way to the state finals only to lose to Birmingham Brother Rice at the Silverdome. John called many a winning season at ELHS and celebrated his final year at the mic in 2022. 44 years!

But the man truly bled green and white. An active supporter of, and volunteer fundraiser for, MSU athletics (basketball, football, hockey, golf, soccer, etc.) John was best known for his signature catchphrase “Let’s Get the W” at Spartan basketball games during the halftime 50/50 raffle that he helped start through the MSU Rebounders Club. His dedication extended to trips to cheer on the teams at NCAA tournaments, bowl games, and joining the crowd at the Tom Izzo Show on Monday nights.

Other community minded endeavors included Haven House, Tri-County Office on Aging, Bath Township, East Lansing Rotary Club (noon), St. Luke Lutheran Church, Okemos Masons #252, Jaycees and the School City Athletic Program as a coach. In his final years, he enjoyed the retirement role of Player Assistant at Hawk Hollow and Eagle Eye golf courses, where he and Louise built their dream home just off the 25th green in 2000.

John is survived by his wife of 60 years, Louise; his children, Melissa and John; his granddaughter, Allison Findley, sister, Catherine Findley Glennon (Tom); and multiple nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Rhoda, his aunt Catherine (Garlent) Johnson and cousin David Johnson.

A celebration of life service and luncheon will be held at the University Club of Michigan State University (93435 Forest Rd., Lansing, MI 48910) on Friday, June 12, beginning with visitation at 11 a.m., service at noon with lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Haven House online at https://havenhouseel.org/ways-to-give/ or by mailing a donation to PO Box 961, East Lansing, MI 48826-0961, or to a charitable organization of your choice in memory of John W. Findley.