John Ruzinsky

John Ruzinsky, 66 of Wolverine, passed away without warning Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord.

Born March 7, 1951 in Petoskey, he was the son of John and Norma (Thompson) Ruzinsky.

John was a very determined, talented and intelligent individual with many personal achievements to his credit.  There was nothing he put his mind to that he couldn’t do well.

His determination started to show at age 5.  His aunt’s 8th birthday party was to be at his grandparent’s house.  He was so excited to go that rather than riding the bus home and later going to the party, he walked the 4 miles from school on the snow banks directly to grandma’s house by himself.  When his mom found out, she was not happy and wouldn’t let him stay for the party.

As a young boy he was convinced he was superman and could fly.  He was determined to prove this to the same aunt by jumping off a ladder on to the couch at grandmas.  Continuing to test the theory, they moved the ladder further and further from the couch until he missed and broke his arm.

At an early age, he learned to play the accordion and even made an appearance on Bozo’s Big Top TV show which they recorded his performance of Camp Town Race Track on vinyl disk.

Though he declined, he was invited upon graduation from high school to attend GM’s School of Auto Design because of his abilities.

As a young adult, his career in the hospitality industry started at Boyne Mountain.  While still in northern Michigan he became a certified scuba diver which led to his decision to go back to school and pursue a degree in marine biology in the Florida Keys.  He was always interested in the latest electronic gadgetry so his major changed to electronics engineering.  While enrolled at Florida Keys Community College he made the dean’s list a number of times and wound up in the Who’s Who book.

Upon completion, he went back into the hospitality industry and worked for a number of years at what was the Holiday Inn Beachside as the maintenance director.  Here, he met Sandy, the love of his life.

His self-taught computer and software skills lead to him developing software to score a number of I.L.T.T. fishing tournaments that were hosted at the Holiday Inn.

With his knowledge of CAD software, he provided a number of developers with 3-D CAD renderings of their projects.

Along with his brother, they became members of the Ecurie Vitesse Sports Car Club and propelled his 1972 Triumph GT-6 to a number of first place finishes and respectable showings.

One of John’s bucket list items was to make a trip to London, a trip he and Sandy were able to make together.

After making the decision to leave the Florida Keys, he bought a wooded piece of property back in northern Michigan to create his forever home with Sandy and their two four legged kids, Wiggles and Molly.

Another goal he achieved was to go back to Boyne Mountain and finish his working days there.

While living in northern Michigan and after retiring, he spent his time going to concerts, riding motorcycles with Sandy, spontaneous road trip adventures without predetermined destinations, and becoming a high end video drone pilot.  John also became an Oculus Virtual Reality Race simulation driver and a flight simulator pilot.

He had every kind of car and airplane imaginable and never had to get dirty working on one of them.  He became an expert at sound and video renderings, and could make mud sound and look good.

On Saturdays he and Sandy could always be found at the Northern Michigan Speedway with his great group of friends in the “Sea of Green” #57 John Stark Bucket List Racing Team.  He provided on board video expertise for the team and most recently drone video for the track.

John was also a talented guitar and keyboard player.  Most importantly, John’s life had an impact on all those who knew him and he was the best big brother a guy could have.

John is survived by his wife, Sandy Brook of Wolverine; step daughter, Chrystle (Marcos) Cifuentes; granddaughters, Michelle, Vanessa, Tammy Lynn and grandson, Javier all of Atlanta, GA; his brother, Martin (Cheryl Walter) of Wolverine; nephew, Marty Ruzinsky of Wolverine; his aunt, Loretta Gerbracht, cousins, Rick, Darcy and Dennis Gerbracht and Shannon Roger all Grand Rapids and a number of other extended family members.

He is also survived by his many friends at Northern Michigan Speedway.  John was preceded in death by parents, John and Norma.

John’s family and friends remembered him at a gathering at the family home in Wolverine on Sunday, August 20, 2017.

Arrangements are by Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service.  Please share your memories and personal messages with the family at www.gaylordfuneralhome.com