John Michael Wallace

John Wallace died, surrounded by his family on April 7, 2024, while under McLaren Hospice care at Durand Senior Care & Rehab.  He fought hard for nearly 2 years, but lost his battle with cancer.

John was a very talented auto body repairman all his life.  His skills and work earned him a highly regarded reputation in his field.  

John married his High School sweetheart, Janet. Together they bought a small lake house in Linden, MI, where they raised their family. During that time, John needed to repair a leak in the roof.  This is when his true reputation and highest accomplishment came. John began to repair the roof on the Lake House as Janet left for work. She came back 6 hours later and found, to her astonishment, the house was gone and everything they owned was in the yard!  Janet has yet to figure out how they accomplished it in such a short time but was thrilled with the beautiful 2- Story home he and his friend, Ron, built for their family.

They spent decades enjoying life on the lake and hosting many gatherings of family and friends.  John enjoyed fishing and boating and taught his daughters, grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews how to fish.  One winter John organized a neighborhood Christmas tree burning party on the lake. He and the neighbors also cleared the ice and made a huge ice skating rink that everyone could enjoy all winter long. This became an annual neighborhood tradition that everyone looked forward to.

John loved to hunt and bought land up north for a deer camp, which he and his friends called Camp Bad to the Bone.  They all have many memories and stories to tell from years spent at the camp. The girls still laugh about Camp Bad to the Bone, named after a favorite song by George Thorogood.

Even more than the love of outdoor sports, was his love for God.  Being a Christian, loving God and sharing the gospel was a huge part of John’s life. He never met a stranger that he didn’t share the gospel story with.  His strong faith continued to be witnessed by his family, even as he lost his last battle.

Surviving are his children Jamie Wallace and Janelle Wallace; grandchildren, Tayler, Logan, Kaden, Kendall, and Haley; siblings, Rick (Kim) Wallace, Karen (Mike) McDonald, Jeanne (Mike) Mikula, Larry Busha (Ruth) and many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Denny Wallace.  

Visitation will be Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 11am until the time of service at 1pm, at the Temrowski Family Funeral Home, 500 Main Street in Fenton.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the family for medical and funeral expenses and are greatly appreciated.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.