John Althen Schrouder

John Althen Schrouder, age 96 of Ada, left his earthly home and entered his eternal home on August 6, 2021. He was greeted by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and many loved ones who have gone before him. John was born on May 26, 1925 in Grand Rapids the son of Claude & Gladys (Fleming) Schrouder.

After proudly serving his country in the US Navy, he would later share his WWII stories with family and friends.

John supported his family working for Hekman Biscuit Company as a Class 1 maintenance mechanic, then he was the building superintendent for the Helmer Building in Grand Rapids, before moving on the maintenance engineer at Grandville Public Schools and finished his working career as the chief engineer for the Marriott Inn in Grand Rapids. In his retirement, John spent many years driving school bus for several local school districts before permanently hanging up the keys from Forest Hills Public Schools.

After the war, John obtained his pilot’s license through the GI Bill. He loved the sky and owned his own plane for several years. During his youth, he developed his skills at roller-skating and was able to “dance on wheels” the Two-Step, several waltzes and the Jitterbug. Later he enjoyed woodworking and selling his woodcrafts at festivals and craft shows. He also loved spending time with family camping, hunting and fishing.

John was a man of great faith and was a member of Evergreen Missionary Church. He loved sharing his faith in God with others as often as he could to all who would listen.

John is survived by his wife of 70 years, Beatrice (Evans) Schrouder. He is also survived by his children: Suzanne Arias of Hastings, Philip (Julie) Schrouder of Martin, Mary (Don) Shattuck of Ionia, Jill Bregg of Ada, Steven Schrouder of Lowell and Benjamin Schrouder of Ada; 15 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Mella Haggai and his brother Lawrence Schrouder.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday August 21, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Evergreen Missionary Church in Lowell where the family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service.