John Wattles

Wattles , John C. Fort Myers John Charles Wattles, age 91, died May 7th, 2022 in Ft Myers, Florida. Jack was born in South Bend, Indiana, January 6, 1931, the younger son of Charles P. and Carmen Irvin Wattles. He graduated from Howe Military School and Western Michigan University. He married Helen Statler Fischer on February 26, 1955 at Stetson Chapel on the campus of Kalamazoo College. After honoring his commitment as a 1st Lieutenant in the U. S. Army, they settled in Kalamazoo, where he lived for the remainder of his life, and raised their three children. Jack worked at the First National Bank and Trust, the office of William John Upjohn, the Industrial State Bank, and later founded Arcadia Investment Management, where he was the Chairman. In 2009 Helen died after a brief illness; they were married for 54 years. On July 4th, 2011, Jack and Marian Klein exchanged vows on the shore of Lake Michigan. He was a long-standing non-profit board member of the Howe Military School, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Lakeside Children's Home, the Monroe-Brown Foundation, the YMCA of Kalamazoo and the Sherman Lake YMCA. Jack had a deep affection for Kalamazoo, and took immense pride in his community. The family historian, Jack was known for his capacity to recount stories of the area's history to his children and grandchildren alike. He lived with a clear moral compass, resolute sense of obligation to others, and generous spirit. Jack is predeceased by his brother, Thomas I. Wattles, his sister-in-law, Martha Frey Wattles Collins, his daughter Sara Wattles Perry, his son-in-law Peter J. Barnes III and his parents. He is survived by his wife, Marian, his daughter, Catherine W. Barnes, of Edison, NJ, his son Charles D. Wattles and daughter-in-law Rosemary Willey, of Kalamazoo, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, F. Conrad and Sonja H. Fischer of Chicago, IL, his 8 grandchildren, Margaret F. Barnes (Adam Taylor) of Washington, D.C., Peter "Jack" Barnes, of New Brunswick, NJ, Kenneth R. Barnes of Edison, NJ, Robert S. Perry (Catherine) of Denver, CO, Catherine W. Perry of Portage, MI, Elizabeth W. Perry of Atlanta, GA, Madeline R. Wattles (Luca Labanca) of New York, NY, and Foster J. Wattles of St Paul, MN. He is also survived by many Wattles, Fischer, Klein, Statler, Curtenius and Irvin family members whom he loved as his own. Following a private family committal, friends will be received at the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 South 9th Street, on June 4th beginning at 3:00 PM, followed by a Memorial Service at 4:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Kalamazoo YMCA, the Sherman Lake YMCA, the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, or a non-profit of your choice. To view John's personalized guest book, please visit https://www.langelands.com