John C. Staskievitz

John C. Staskievitz, 83 of Vanderbilt, passed away Monday, January 7, 2019 at Aspen Ridge in Gaylord.

Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan on March 14, 1935, John was the son of Clement and Elizabeth “Betty” (Wusthoff) Staskievitz.  John grew up in Ypsilanti where he attended school.

Ann L. White also grew up in Ypsilanti.  This is where she and John met and later married on September 29, 1962.  While Ann was a day care center operator, John worked at Ford Motor Company for 33 years.  After retiring in 1995, John and Ann moved to Vanderbilt.

In his spare time, John enjoyed fishing and working in his garage and around the house.  He could do just about anything which he did for himself and his family through the years until he was no longer able.  He took pride in his 1958 Ford Edsel which he had pulled from a field and painstakingly restored.  Now in the care of his granddaughter, Melissa, John’s car remains in the family.  John loved his family and they loved him.  He was especially close to Melissa who led the effort to help he and Ann in their last few years.  Since moving to Vanderbilt, John and Ann had been members of St. Andrew Episcopal Church in Gaylord.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Ann, on February 24, 2015; his daughters, Kathleen E. Callihan in 2001 and Patricia A. Fetters in 2016; a great grandson, Hudson; and sisters, Patricia Woodside and Margaret Vercruysse.  John had a close relationship with his Uncle Joe, who also preceded him in death.

Surviving are his sons, Jack E. Staskievitz of Vanderbilt and Rod (Tammy) Staskievitz of Carrollton, OH; sons-in-law, David Scott Callihan of Grosse Ile and Randy Fetters of Vanderbilt; grandchildren, Andrea Hall, Alicia (Mike) DeCroix, Melissa (Josh) Powell, Jonathan (Lauren) Fugate, Jennifer Staskievitz, Elizabeth Callihan, Megan Staskievitz and Rodney Staskievitz; and great grandchildren, Joshua, Matthew, Jay, Sapphire, Jazmyn, Celia, Xavier, Zach, Emerson, Kash, Nora, Bennett and Milaya; and sisters, Marianne Trombly of Plymouth, MI and Kathryn Arbogast of Cape Coral, FL.

John’s family will visit with friends from 2:00-8:00 PM Friday, January 11, 2019 at Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service where funeral services will be held at 3:30 PM Saturday, January 12, 2019.  Visitation on Saturday will begin at 2:30 PM.  Burial at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Vanderbilt will take place in the spring.

Those who wish are asked to consider memorial contributions in John’s memory to Hospice of Michigan.  Please share your memories and personal messages with the family at www.gaylordfuneralhome.com