John Stanley Baetens of St. Clair Shores was a devoted husband, proud and loving dad, and supportive brother and friend. He died peacefully in his home of natural causes on May 3, just days shy of his 75th birthday.
Born on the same day as Motown superstar Stevie Wonder, John grew up in Metro Detroit as part of a large family. He was the sixth of Neil and Margaret Baetens’ 10 children.
Music was an early passion, starting with clarinet in the Lakeview High School band. As the 1970s rolled in, John played bass guitar in rock bands with his brother Mike and often played songs by James Taylor and Cat Stevens on the acoustic guitar. He loved attending concerts in Detroit with his future wife Andrea, including shows by Queen, Aerosmith, Chuck Mangione and Joe Cocker. John’s appreciation for stage musicals flourished in the 1990s — not only was he a huge fan, but he even starred as Fagin in a community production of “Oliver!”.
A resident of St. Clair Shores for nearly all his life, John — or “Stanley,” as his friends called him — never lived more than a few miles from Lake St. Clair. Along with boating and ice skating, he enjoyed many things about the natural world, including camping, stargazing, gardening, grilling and reading his vast collection of National Geographic magazines. He was also a dedicated bicyclist and motorcycle enthusiast. John and Andrea spent much of their marriage camping in tents and their motorhome and recently enjoyed campfires in the backyard.
John attended Michigan State University after high school and later studied computer science at Lawrence Technological University in the 1980s. A systems analyst for much of his professional career, John embraced new technologies as they became available: CD players in the 1980s, home computers in the 1990s, even scrolling TikTok in the 2020s.
John is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Andrea, and their daughters Melody (Dave) and Margo, as well as his siblings Margaret (Leonard), Patricia (Dave), Judi, Tom (Joan), Molly (Joe, Bob) and Darlene (Ron), as well as dozens of nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and family friends. John is preceded in death by his brothers Charlie and Michael (Maureen) and sister Donna.
A memorial gathering for John will be held Friday, May 16, from 1:00 pm until 7:00pm at Kaul Funeral Home, 28433 Jefferson Ave, St. Clair Shores, MI 48081.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross, the Special Olympics or the PBS Foundation.
