John Socha

John Socha, 79, of St. Joseph, passed away, Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at Woodland Terrace in Bridgman. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 1:00 P.M. Monday at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with Fr. James Morris officiating. Cremation will follow the service with burial at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Watervliet. Friends may call from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 Monday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan. Those wishing to sign John’s Memory Book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. John was born May 20, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois to John & Anna (Chislow) Socha. He served his country in the US Army during the Korean War. John was employed as a computer operator for GATX-General American Transportation in Chicago and for Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor. In his early years he enjoyed bowling and watching sports. His favorite pastime was watching television, his favorite shows being Westerns, especially those with Randolph Scott. His favorite sports teams were Notre Dame, Chicago the White Sox and the Chicago Bears. John loved animals, and will be missed by his feline companion “Sassy”. John is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Lee & Steven Stults of St. Joseph; his sister Mary Lou (Matt) Swiderski of Orland Park, IL; his nephew and nieces, and many other family members and friends who loved him. He was preceded by two wives-Renee Hustedt Socha & Allison Hessler Socha, his son David John Socha, and his brother Ronald Socha.