Lesich

John William Lesich, June 18, 1939 - June 29, 2022. Age 83 of Shelby Township, Mich.

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 of Wood River, Sandy (Gary) Prater of East Alton, and Patricia Williams of Staunton. 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, Ill. 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, Mich., 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 Nov. 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, Mich. 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. John lived up to his self-proclaimed moniker, Mr. Wonderful, by giving his time, love and knowledge freely to family and his dear friends.

Funeral services were held Saturday, July 9, at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons in Shelby Township. Please share memories with the family at their on-line guestbook at WujekCalcaterra.com. Memorial contributions to Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan or the charity of your choice.