Condolences to the Revitte family on this sad anniversary.

Justin Banks
Lansing, MI

So sorry to hear of John Revitte's unexpected passing.  I knew of him through the oral history project he was working on with my father, Dr. Bob Banks.  I understand John was affected very deeply by my dad's untimely passing last summer.  My mom and family greatly appreciated his support.  I also remember John sitting behind my dad's seats for MSU basketball games before meeting him formally.  On behalf of my family, sincere condolences to Diane and the Revitte family. 

Justin Banks, Lansing, MI 

I am extremely sorry that John has passed.  He was a progressive force at Michigan State Univerity and in Michian in worker education .We met in the early 1970's through Worker's Education Local 189, then with the AFT.....and have communicated regularly since then, even a few weeks ago as he prepared plans for the anniversary of worker education efforts in the United States.  He was witty, funny, and inspiring......and is not replacable.  From myself and the staff at the Southern Appalachian Labor School in West Virginia, our sincere condolences to Diane and his entire family.
John David, Director
Southern Appalachian Labor School
Emeritus/Labor Studies/West Virginia University Institute of Technology

     I am so sorry to hear of John's passing. I went to elementary,  junior high and high school with 
him. Condolences to his family. Anne Stephens Spennachio

As a labor educator I am very thankful that John spent his last few years in touch with so many of us, making us tell our stories, and leaving a legacy of interviews of colleagues' experiences in labor ed. John pursued an interview with me and wouldn't relent until I scheduled one and then did a second session.  John's defense of our craft in research and writing was so important, and I sincerely hope that someone(s) will take up the planning for the 189 centennial. John was very respectful of all of us and of the tradition we are part of. He reminded me that someone has to be the archivist and honor the collective memories. What a loss!


Rachel, 
I am truly sorry to hear about the loss of your father.  My heartfelt condolences to you and your family. 
Thinking of you, if you need anything, please reach out. 
Sincerely,
Lisa Smith

I was so saddened to hear of John’s passing. When I first met John, I was a Ph.D. student sitting at the big screen computer in the cafeteria area of MSU's main library for a routine study session. Like me, John was a big fan of the big screen computers there and often sat next to me in the morning to work. Knowing that I would be alone myself during the Christmas season, he graciously invited me to his family's Christmas party. He introduced me to his family and they welcomed me like family.
 
Later, I was fortunate enough to be asked to assist him with a project he was working on with Dr. Banks. I had many opportunities to visit him and talk to him in his home. He always showed genuine concern for me and gave me valuable advice on my academic career. I have also learned so much from him, about his work, about the labor movement, and about caring for family and community. He was a dear friend and a mentor to me. Rest in peace, John. I will miss you and our conversations. 

John was a frequent and valued collaborator and dear friend of the Vincent Voice Library at MSU. His many wide-ranging projects always included oral histories, and provided invaluable insights into the labor movement, Michigan politics, MSU’s history, and the East Lansing community. We are deeply saddened by John’s passing but are honored to preserve his voice and part of his legacy in our collections.  Through his contributions, he will live on and provide a wealth of resources for students, educators, and labor leaders for years to come.  With sincerest condolences from all the staff at the MSU Vincent Voice Library. 

We are saddened to learn of John's passing. We have many fond memories of our times with John & Diane (whom we met when Rachel was in preschool with our daughter). We shared John's passionate support for the City of East Lansing and MSU sports. Since our move to Florida, we loved John's telephone calls to discuss MSU basketball. 
Our deepest condolences to Diane, Rachel, Kathryn and their families.

John was a devoted volunteer at the Great Lakes Folk Festival for three decades. Plus strong supporter of the MSU Museum.  He was a tireless advocates for the City of EL. He was also an active force on the Michigan Humanities Council.  He made many lasting positive contributions at MSU in the realm of arts, culture, labor,  history, and effective governance.  He will be deeply missed! 
Our sincere sympathies go to the family on this sudden loss. 
 Kurt Dewhurst and Marsha MacDowell

I'm so sorry to hear of the passing of a great friend to the Labor movement.  Mr. Revitte was a guest lecturer for our UAW Regional PEL Program many years ago.  Over 200 employees went through the program when it was offered. It was so beneficial to our members to hear the history, contributions and strides of our national union and the labor movement as a whole.  You were appreciated and will be sorely missed.  Condolences to your family.

So sorry to read of John's passing.  He was one of our regular volunteers at the Great Lakes Folk Festival.  I  always enjoyed working with John - and he had a very impish smile!

Here's a photo from about 40 years ago of John with Steve Babson, Ron Alpern, and Dave Elsila at an event for Detroit Labor History Tours  in front of the Diego Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts.  John was a devoted researcher and writer who dedicated much of his time in advancing worker education and telling labor's history.

I've had the pleasure of meeting with John bi-monthly for the past few years to help process his wealth of interviews. Every one of those times he had an array of snacks, ginger ale, and sparkling water prepared to share with me.  His passions for oral histories and labor education were very evident, but after a few minutes of talking our conversations always steered back to gardening, fishing, hockey, his beautiful Lantern Hill home, and of course his family. I will miss our meetings John, it is an honor to help steward your collection so that people may continue to hear your voice for generations to come. 

I always looked forward to working with John, knowing as I did (in his role of Faculty Grievance Officer), that every case would be challenging. Never easy but always illuminating, we learned important lessons about human behavior, organizational culture, and (let's just say) the proclivities of academe.  John and I stayed connected after we retired, and it was fun and enriching to get insights into John's window on the world -- about labor, politics. MSU, and sports, primarily. We co-authored several college football prediction articles because John so loved to predict the outcome of MSU, UM, and Big Ten football games. I was interviewed by John, and Bob Banks for a study on the grievance/conflict resolution approaches at Big Ten schools, and my last contact with John (late last month) was about a conference paper he was writing. He sent me a draft to review. John was in good spirits then, so you can imagine my shock when I learned that he had passed away. .As Facebook friends, I saw that he had posted several articles on April 17, only three days before he passed. Rest in peace, dear John. I will miss you and our lively conversations. What you stood for and how you carried yourself ...  I'll miss the most. 

John was a very good friend and colleague to me in our years together at MSU- LPS labor education days [81-83]. John helped show me the ropes when I came to MSU to work in health and safety. It was a great community of labor educators and a world I was grateful to be a part of. John introduced me to his whole network of labor history legends and was always one step ahead on any progressive labor scene or worker safety resource. He and Diane welcomed me into the circle of supportive colleagues to be part of the labor scene of Michigan - both past & present. It was an incredible time to be fighting with workers for health and safety rights [which I am still part of more than 40 year later] and John was very helpful to get myself situated in the labor scene as well as the natural beauty of the State. We will miss his relentless passion for worker issues and I hope to share more stories of those days with friends and family. With loving thoughts to you all - Peter

I am heartbroken by the passing of my dear friend, John. I cannot imagine the grief that Diane, his daughters and their families are experiencing. John and I grew up on the same street in Birmingham and shared wonderful memories together. We celebrated birthdays, shared holidays, went to catechism together, and played together. John loved the outdoors.  He and his mom went camping and fishing in the UP. He loved sports. We played ice hockey  at the neighborhood park. John always liked to talk. One of my favorite memories was at our Confirmation.  I was afraid that the Bishop would call on me to answer a question. When the first question was asked, John  could barely stay in his seat raising his hand to answer and he answered all the questions the Bishop had! In high school, John was already interested in history, politics, and having fun. He actively participated in the high school United Nations and foreign exchange student club. He was president of the pep club and voted student with most school spirit. After college my husband, Bill, and I reconnected with John and Diane when they were living in Northampton. When they moved back to Michigan we visited them on our trips to visit family and spent many summers visiting E Lansing and Pentwater. We traveled to Canada and Florida with them. John called me regularly to talk about MSU sports, religion, politics, all of his research projects, and  whatever I was involved in but especially to reminisce about family and growing up together. John was so knowledgeable about  a multitude of subjects. If I had a question about gardening, history, religion, or politics, John often directed me to articles, videos or books to research topics and we would talk about them. He was kind, understanding, and could always put a smile on my face and make me laugh. Diane, Rachel and Kathryn, I hope that your wonderful memories of John will help you through this sad time. Know that we will be here for you. 



When my family moved to Birmingham it was our great good fortune to become friends with John, and his mom June, who lived up the street.  In addition to attending Seaholm together, he and I both also went to weekly Holy Name catechism classes during high school, which was taught our Junior and Senior years by Elmore Leonard.  By chance when John and Diane were living in Massachusetts for John's grad school, my future (and now) wife Deb was working in Northampton, and we all got to catch up when I visited.  Through the years even though living in the DC area I was blessed to keep in touch with John, enjoying many long calls with him right through this very month about our childhood memories, the church, Michigan labor history, and our respective families.  We also visited together at our 50th Seaholm reunion.  How he loved his daughters, their families, and Diane!  I sorely miss him, and can only imagine how much they are missing him now.  May the memories of this tremendous guy comfort them and everyone who knew him.

I met John when he was looking for help with a research survey for the last research program he was working on with Bob Banks. He was such a joyful and kind person. He always had a story to tell, was always solicitous of how things were going with me and my family. Honestly, just a kind and gentle individual. Before Covid, we'd randomly see each other at the noon Mass at St. John, which was delightful. I am so sorry for this world's loss of someone who lived out an enlightened and demonstrated faith. My deepest condolences to his family.

I’m so sorry to hear of John’s passing. It’s a hard loss for our community, especially for his family and all those who cared about the many labor education projects he worked so long for. I remember his enthusiasm and energy as we developed Detroit Labor History Tours in the early 1980s, his passion for collecting oral histories and telling the stories of Michigan’s labor pioneers. I know he brought that same energy to his project commemorating Workers Education Local 189, an organization he played such a pivotal role in. I hope his plans for a celebration of 100 years of labor education can proceed as a fitting tribute to his life’s work.

I sadly never got to meet John Revitte, but I know his daughter Kate and she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met.  Hearing what I've heard about John though, I feel like, in some ways maybe I did meet him by meeting Kate.  My thoughts are with all of you mourning this tragic passing.   

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of my friend John Revitte. He was a knowledgeable and passionate supporter of the labor movement and working families. He was an invaluable resource for labor educational, political and legislative efforts.  And he was a genuinely nice guy. I looked forward to his regular e-mails about new or obscure information about collective bargaining or union organizing. He was one of a kind and will be missed tremendously. 

What a tremendous loss!  John was such a knowledgeable person and always allowed himself to be available for any of us that asked him for help. 
He will be remembered for the many many times he helped us all!

Solidarity for ever!!

Willie Paulsen

John was a good friend and comrade.  In the 1970s and 1980s we worked together on labor history projects in Detroit.  I remember one event when we went searching for the burial sites of the 1932 Ford Hunger Marchers in Woodmere Cemetery.  There were no headstones – only small round brass markers barely visible in the long grass.  But John dug around on his hands and knees until he found them; it was indicative of his perseverance. (Subsequently, UAW Local 600 retirees raised funds to place headstones at the gravesites.) John wrote for labor history publications, guided tours, and, at the time of his death, was coordinating plans for a program commemorating the 100th anniversary of worker and labor education in the U.S.    He is also fondly remembered by our now-grown children as the “cookie monster” who always brought treats for them when he visited our home.  We will miss his commitment, dedication, energy, and good humor.  

John was a tireless advocate and educator for fairness and justice for the workers of Michigan.  He was dedicated to our community and worked to make it a better place. He and Diane were great spartan fans and I will miss his annual season predictions and seeing him in the stands. 
Good bye dear friend, 
Rex 

I am heartbroken to learn of John's sudden passing.   I have fond memories of my times with John and Diane dating back to 1975 - first in Amherst-Leeds (while earning our Master's degrees), then in Lansing.  Beyond friendship, John was a valued colleague at MSU's Labor Studies Program.   We collaborated on multiple projects, among them - our video on Michigan labor history, the Winter Schools for Women Workers, an MEA faculty organizing effort, and countless courses and conferences.   John was passionate about his work, fun to be with, and kind-hearted.  Above all, he was a devoted husband and father.   Diane, Rachel, and Kathryn, I hope you feel the caring of those of us who are far away.   

My heart aches at learning about the loss of your beloved husband, John.  Please know that you have the unwavering support of caring and devoted friendships.  May you and your family be blessed with peace, comfort, courage, and lots of love.   Sincerely in Friendship, Pat Buggia

John and I became close acquaintances, beginning in the late 1990s when he helped guide me through a serious grievance procedure I  initiated at MSU.   His support and objectivity were unmatched and appreciated throughout the process and contributed to our getting to know each other better in succeeding years.  John's integrity and conscientious preparation were among the many qualities he displayed in whatever he was engaged in.   

I also fondly recall the many Labor Day celebrations to which my wife and I were invited, and which always included a lot of laughter, some serious discussion, delicious food and drink.  John and his wife Dianne were perfect hosts.  John was good man, a competent advisor, and a committed scholar who, unfortunately, did not get a chance (to my knowledge) to finish his book about the university grievance procedure that he worked on with his close friend and former dean, Bob Banks (may he rest in peace too).   Our condolences and prayers go to John, Dianne and their family.  John will be missed by many, including me.  

Sam and Paula Thomas

OBITUARY

John Lawrence Revitte

October 8, 1950 – April 20, 2022

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services