Richard "Dick" Carl French

Richard Carl French “Dick”, passed peacefully on Friday at 6:20AM on August 12, 2016 at Heather Hills in Grand Rapids, MI.  Dick was born on November 17, 1931  and grew up in Lansing, MI where he graduated from Eastern High School in 1950. He also graduated from Michigan State College in 1954 in the last graduating class before it became MSU.  Dick served as a lieutenant in the Air Force at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado. Later he was honorably discharged as a Captain in the Air Force Reserve.  In 1955, Dick married the love of his life, Suzanne Tooker.  He was employed by DeCamp’s Shoe Store, Federal Mogul, Coldwater Brass Company, Stuckey’s Hotel, Lake Odessa Machine Products and the Sparton Corporation.  Dick lived in Lake Odessa, MI in five different houses over a period of 50 years.  He was a city councilman in Coldwater, and later a village councilman in Lake Odessa.  Dick was proceeded in death by his son Stephen in 1991, his wife Suzanne in 2007 and sister Joyce Berube in 2015. He is survived by his sons, John French and Peter (Lori) French; grandchildren Paul (Christina) Handley, Krystal (Dustin) Roos and Amanda (Ben) Abbate; three great-grandchildren; sister Janet Berend and many nieces, nephews and friends.  Dick loved crossword puzzles, gourmet cooking, gardening, remodeling projects, MSU football and basketball.  His ashes have been placed with his beloved Suzanne and youngest son Stephen in a private family ceremony at Lakeside Cemetery.  In honor of Dick and in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Lake Odessa Community Library.  The family welcomes memories and messages in their guest book online at www.koopsfc.com