72, of Indianapolis, passed away July 7, 2019 at St. Francis Hospital after a 5 year battle with PSP. He was born in Salem, New Jersey to the late John M. Archer, Sr. and Leona M. (Cianteo) Archer. John graduated from Thomas Carr Howe High School in 1965. He served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. He retired from Ford Motor Company in 2004 after 39 years.
As a young man, John enjoyed playing basketball and baseball. He later enjoyed playing golf. He was a sports fanatic and was a die hard fan of the New England Patriots in the Belichick/ Brady era. He enjoyed traveling to NASCAR races and attending the Indy 500. He did some basketball coaching at St. Bernadette Catholic school. Later in life, what he loved most was to attend any sporting event his grandsons participated in.
John had many interests throughout his life. He loved learning and trying new things. He was an excellent artist and photographer. He was a car enthusiast and avid history buff. He loved to read, vacation at the beach, cook, do puzzles, work on cars, build computers, play chess and the violin, and go line dancing. He loved music, going to concerts, and was a huge Elvis fan. One of his favorite vacations was to Memphis to see Graceland. He was known for his generosity, his ability to give the best gifts, and his sense of fashion. He was a lifelong Democrat and feminist and it was his goal to raise independent, self sufficient daughters. He proudly got the opportunity to see them both graduate from college. Toward the end of his life, his greatest joy was helping raise his grandsons: spending lots of time with them and spoiling them any chance he got.
John is survived by and dearly missed by his two daughters, Cher Klase and Melissa Archer; his grandsons, Tyler (Shelby) Klase, Austin Klase, and Owen Hodges; and his great-grandsons, Jack and Waylon Klase. He is also survived by his siblings, Rebecca (Jay) Burkhart, Sandra Archer, Michael P. Archer, and Daniel R. (Susan) Archer, and many nieces and nephews. He was especially close to his nephew Mike Archer and niece Shelly Archer. He was also fond of his step-granddaughter Jenna Hodges and his step-great granddaughter Brooklyn Brown.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to CurePSP. A celebration of life will be announced in the near future.
A Celebration of Life Event will be held at a later date.
www.littleandsonsindianapolis.com
