John A. Lauck

John A. Lauck, 77, of Hartford, formerly of Stevensville, passed away, Thursday, May 30, 2013 at his home. A Celebration of Life Eternal will be held 2:00 P.M. Monday at Hartford United Methodist Church, 425 E. Main St., Hartford, MI. Friends may visit beginning at 1:00 P.M. Monday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hartford United Methodist Church, Grace Hospice of Portage, or Alzheimer’s Association-Michigan Great Lakes Chapter in Kalamazoo. Those wishing to sign John’s Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. John was born November 12, 1935 in Lakewood, Ohio to John & Emily (Ridzon) Lauck. He graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1953, Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s degree, and from Michigan State University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration. On May 16, 1959, John married the former Florence Crawford in Columbus, Ohio. He served his country in the US Army and the Army Reserves until 1963. John gained employment with Whirlpool Corporation, retiring in 1997 from the Product Safety Department after thirty-seven years of employment. He taught part-time at Lake Michigan College for several years, and after retirement from Whirlpool, opened Sunset Engineering Consulting in Hartford, which he operated for 3 ½ years. John was a member of the Hartford United Methodist Church, a former member of the Lakeshore Lions Club, and was active with the Lakeshore Jaycees. He served as chairman for the Lake Michigan Water & Sewer Authority, and was a member of the Van Buren Planning Commission. In his free time, John enjoyed radio controlled airplanes and was a member of the Whirlwinds RC Airplane Club. He will be remembered for his keen sense of humor. John is survived by his wife Florence; three daughters-Pamela (Bob) Rutherford of St. Joseph, Vikki (Jeff) Guthrie of Charles Town, WV, Laura (Butch) Olmstead of Baroda; six grandchildren-Rob (Jennifer) Rutherford, Drew (Carrie) Rutherford, Cary Worley, William Guthrie, John (Elizabeth) Denton & Racheal (Tim) Floyd; seven great-grandchildren; two brothers-Robert (Heli) Lauck of Temecila, CA, James (Ken Reed) Lauck of Otsego, MI; two brothers-in-law-James Crawford of Auburndale, FL, Roger Ludwig of Reynoldsburg, OH; sister-in-law Janice Doddridge of Franklin, GA; and several nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and by a sister Diane Kraisner in 2001.