John Patrick

All who knew John Patrick would agree that life was certainly more interesting when he was around. He was vivacious, vibrant, and an enthusiastic goofball who never let life get the best of him. John was a devoted husband and loving father to be sure, but he loved nothing more than spoiling his grandchildren later in life. Generous to both people and animals, he had a tender heart and did what he could to help those in need. As someone who never wanted to be still, John always seemed to have something going and remained active for as long as he was able. A dear man too many, he will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

The dark days of the 1930s were some of the most trying days we have faced as a nation as the entire decade was cloaked in the hardship of the Great Depression. Jobs were hard to come by, and by the middle part of the decade the unemployment rate soared to over 25 percent. There were milestones to prove that the American spirit remained, however, as New York City was transformed by the completion of both the Empire State Building as well as the Chrysler Building while the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took to the streets. Amidst this eventful time was the year 1934 that brought great joy into the hearts of Michael and Anna (Anson) Patrick as they were blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy on February 23rd in Cleveland, Ohio. John Joseph was one of five children in his family, and he was raised in the family home alongside his brothers, Edward and Michael, and his sisters, Maryann and Dorothy. He developed a love for music while growing up and played the sax in his band, Johnny Patrick's Dance Band. John was also a student at local schools.

After graduating from high school, John was eager for all that life had in store. He went on to attend Ohio State University for two years. It was also as a young man that John enlisted in the United States Air Force. He spent six months in active duty and was inactive for the remainder of his five year term. John was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant on March 17, 1965.

With his military duties fulfilled, John built a house in Cleveland while working at General Motors. With a feeling that the Cleveland plant was going to close, he transferred to the Kalamazoo location where he worked in tool and die. After moving to the area, John built the same house in Kalamazoo that he had built in Cleveland. Always willing to work hard, he was very skilled at his job throughout his 42 year career and willing to pick up overtime when he could, which meant that at times he was working seven days a week. Throughout his life John was also loyal to the GM brand.

Not to be forgotten during John’s years as a young man was his introduction to the woman of his dreams. Her name was Joan Burke, and they met at a dance one fateful evening. Although John was smitten right from the start, it took him eight years to convince the young Joan to go out with him! The rest is history as they say since soon after they were married on January 23, 1960, in Cleveland, deeply in love. Nothing was sweeter than when John and his sweetheart welcomed their daughter, Mary, into their hearts and home in 1968.

Over the years John was a man of many interests. One of his greatest passions was horses from 1974 through 1986. He has been called a horse whisperer as he was simply a natural. John took his horses to local fairs as well as to the tracks in Jackson, Toledo, and Northville a few times. He had four race horses over the years, but his favorite horse was his first foal from his first horse Kaola named Kandy. His horses were all standardbred horses who are known for their ability to harness race, and although John was legal to race his horses he only did it on one occasion. In addition to his horses, he had a special place in his heart for rescue dogs, too, and he had four over the years. Interestingly, they were all named, Lucky. John also didn’t hesitate to spoil his daughter’s German shepherds as they were all a bit overweight after he fed them all good food. He loved gambling on horses and playing all the lotto scratch off games, and on one occasion he even won $12,500! It was a fairly common sight to see John scratching off his tickets with his jackknife. He liked passing the time reading Louis L’Amour books and doing crossword puzzles.

Everyone would agree that he was truly extraordinary. He was rarely one to be serious and loved playing slapstick type tricks on his coworkers. John was equally known for being generous as he loved showering his loved ones with tokens of his affection. One year he surprised his wife with a new Chevette in hopes of getting her excited about driving again, however, she was not a fan so he ended up selling the car to the neighbors. Christmas was John’s favorite time of year since it was all about buying presents, and he went over and above every year as it took two hours just to get through them all. His grandsons were especially fortunate when it came to anything and everything where John was concerned as he spoiled them with every chance he got. He was there for all of their sports and activities, especially their t-ball games. Not only was John there, but he also videotaped them all in action. He was also known to be a kid just like them when they were together. It was quite a sight to see John drive, and he was also known to do burn outs - even if the tires were old and rotten!

Although John was in good health for much of his life, for the last ten years of his life he suffered with dementia. During the past five years it was particularly evident, and since he deeply missed his beloved Joan after her death in June of this year his health declined significantly more recently.

Described as a Jim Beam and prime rib kind of guy, John Patrick was easygoing, fun-loving, and content in everything life brought his way. He was hardworking and loyal to the people and things he believed in throughout his entire life’s journey. Never one to worry about building wealth, John focused his attention on living fully in each and every moment he was given. He will be forever cherished by all who were blessed to know and love him.

John Joseph Patrick, of Kalamazoo, died on November 15, 2014. John’s family includes his daughter, Mary Katherine Bongers; grandsons: Joseph Paul and John Martin Bongers; siblings: Michael Patrick of Cleveland, OH and Dorothy Gerenday of Bristol, TN and many nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his wife, Joan Patrick, on June 2, 2014, his parents, Michael and Anna Patrick, a sister, Maryann and a brother, Edward. Services will be held Wednesday 11 a.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo 375-2900 with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Burial will take place at Mt. EverRest Cemetery. Please visit John’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign his guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kalamazoo Humane Society.