John David Reitenour
Age 75 - Augusta, MI
John passed peacefully on Tuesday, October 10th, 2017 at his home in Augusta, Michigan surrounded by family. John was born May 6th, 1942 in Indianapolis, IN.
John is preceded in death by his father, James Reitenour; his mother Dorothy (Thornton) Reitenour; his brother Jeff Reitenour and his sister Janice (Weaver) Reitenour. John is survived by his wife Peggy and their children Larry & Valerie (Reitenour) Gilbert; Don & Michelle (Reitenour) Phelps and Scot & Mary Reitenour. John is the oldest of eight siblings Mid & Jane Gaylor; Marvin & Judy Bell; Jerry & Judy Reitenour; Jean Glascock; Patrick & Julie Callender and the spouses of Jeff (Eda) and Janice (Don). John cherished his time with his grandchildren Adam, Samantha, Andrew, Daniel, Jon and Alayna and great-grandchildren Cory and Colin.
John graduated from Schoolcraft High School in 1960 and attended Michigan State University where he received his Agricultural Science Degree. He was an avid fan of MSU and continued to support the University. His love for MSU spread to his children and grandchildren.
At a young age, John was involved in 4-H, and later became a 4-H Leader. He helped to organize and teach many activities and encouraged his children to participate. John also enjoyed coaching and umpiring different sport activities.
John retired from General Motors in Kalamazoo, MI after 32 years where he was a tool and die maker. No matter where John went, he always ran into someone he knew from work and made sure to go up and reconnect with them.
John and Peggy spent their earlier years of retirement traveling around the United States and taking a memorable trip to Alaska. Ultimately, John and Peggy loved their cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they spent their time exploring with their Jeep, kayaking, sailing, fishing with the grandchildren and creating other memories for their children and grandchildren.
He enjoyed woodworking and home improvement projects. When the task looked to be impossible, John always found a way to solve it (usually without any prints or plans).
John never missed an opportunity to watch his children and grandchildren in their activities. You would always find him in the stands, bleachers or sitting in his MSU folding chair along the sidelines cheering them on.
A celebration of John's life will be held at the United Methodist Church in Augusta, MI on Saturday, October 21st at 11 am. Please join the family after the service to share your memories of John.
In leu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to:
Michigan State Cancer Research Center
https://www.givingto.msu.edu/gift/
Under Areas to Support, type: Cancer Research
And then select "In Memory of"
Send acknowledgment to: scot.reitenour@yahoo.com