John William Lesich

LESICH, John William. June 18, 1939 - June 29, 2022. Age 83 of Shelby Township, MI. John is survived by his dear and loving wife, Patricia (nee Montgomery). Children: Michael (Laura), Kathleen (Tom) and Diane (Robert) Carroll. Grandchildren: David (Angela) Kolp, Kristen (Ryan) Kolp-Cueny, Tracy Schmitz, Ashley (Andrew) Waterhouse, Michelle (Brett) Tilotti, Matthew Carroll, Jonathon Harrington, Andrea Schmitz, Juliana Carroll, Sara Lesich and Michael Carroll. Great grandchildren: Amelia, Angelina, Thomas, Ruby, Adrianna, Callie, and Tessa. Siblings: Rose (Tom) Skundrich, Sandy (Gary) Prater and Patricia Williams. Many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mike and Rose Marie, as well as his brother, Michael J. Lesich and sister, Mary Ann Carr. John was born and raised in Staunton, Illinois. He attended St. Michael’s Catholic School and Staunton High School, where he served as class president and graduated with highest honors. His parents taught him the value of a hard day’s work, the honor of your word and the importance of family. He worked a variety of jobs during his teenage years including as a pinsetter at a bowling alley and a gandy dancer at the local railroad. While hanging out around the rail yard John met Ray Hutchins, a man that greatly influenced his future with support to dream big. John applied to General Motors Institute to study engineering. He was accepted into GMI, now Kettering University, and moved to Flint, Michigan in 1957. While ordering hamburgers at a local lunch counter, he met the woman that would become his bride of 61 years. Patricia and John were married on November 26, 1960 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Flint. In 1961, John graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. His career spanned 39 years of dedicated service to the automotive industry at General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. His notable achievements included his involvement in the Rotary Engine Project and his technical support of a program that exposed fraudulent transmission repair shops. He retired in 1996 as Manager of Corporate Field Tests, a role that blessed him with colleagues and friends across the United States. After retirement John, and his beloved wife and best friend Pat, enjoyed many years of domestic and international travel, including cruising the high seas, and spending winters in Florida and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was active in several civic organizations including the Long Lake Property Owners Association, Hale Area Eagles and his personal favorite, the Toolie Bushers. John enjoyed an active lifetime of adventure which included motorcycling, boating, skiing, snowmobiling, sailing, golfing, and every home improvement project imaginable. John lived up to his self-proclaimed moniker Mr. Wonderful by giving his time, love and knowledge freely to family and his dear friends. A man of many talents and skills, none were quite as impressive as John’s ability to solve crossword puzzles. For years, every week he would complete the NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle in ink. Of all the places he loved to visit, going home to southern Illinois was high on the list, but Long Lake was his favorite. His home up north, aka TFA, provided the opportunity to spend time with his family and many friends. The beautiful sunsets on the lake will forever serve his family as a reminder of an accomplished man loved by those fortunate enough to know him. Visitation: Friday, July 8th, 4-8pm and Saturday, July 9th, 10am. Funeral Service Saturday 11am at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons. 54880 Van Dyke Ave, Shelby Township at 25 Mile. Please share memories with the family at their "On-Line Guestbook" @ WujekCalcaterra.com Memorial contributions to Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan or the charity of your choice.