John Ames

John (Jack) Ames of Dowagiac, Michigan, died Thursday, December 22, 2011. He was born in Detroit, MI on June 16, 1917, to Oliver Ames and Bessie (Small) Ames. John graduated from East Detroit High School in 1935. He attended Ferris State College at Central Michigan University where he met, and later married Dorothy Fletcher in South Bend, Indiana on July 27, 1941. His wife preceded him in death in March of 2009. John served in World War II in the army. He was in the combat engineers from 1943-1945, earning a Purple Heart, a Good Conduct Medal, and an ETO with five gold stars. He also received an Expert in Rifle and a Presidential Citation. John worked at Round Oak and then at Heddons in Dowagiac where he was encouraged to further his college education. He went to County Normal to get a teaching certificate. His first teaching job was at the Jefferson Brick School teaching grades 2-8. He also started a 6-man football team there and at Justus Gage and McKinley Schools in Dowagiac. He went on to teach at Bertrand in Niles township, and later in Brandywine. He was a teaching principal, and later served as Superintendent of the Lewis -Cass Intermediate School District. While teaching, he earned both a BS and BA in 1953 , and a Master’s degree in 1955, at Western Michigan University. While there, we wrote a thesis on football injuries which contributed toward players wearing face masks and mouth pieces. He is survived by his children, Bonnie (Brian) Cooper of Bolivar, New York, Mark (Carol) Ames of Grand Haven, Michigan, Patricia (Gerald) Hoffman of Spring Hill, Florida, and Jody Ames of Lansing, Michigan. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Cass County Council on Aging or the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness in Dowagiac, Michigan. Jack’s family will gather with friends on Tuesday from 10 -11 a.m. at Yazel & Clark Chapel where Elder Bobby Hackett will lead a memorial service at 11 a.m. Jack will be laid to rest with military honors at Riverside Cemetery. Please sign his guestbook and leave a memory of Jack at www.yazel-clark.com.