In Loving Memory of John James Emmert, Jr.
November 21, 1943 – December 3, 2022
John Emmert most recently of Novi, Michigan, a devoted husband and father,
died peacefully on Saturday morning December 3, 2022, with his wife and
children by his side, ending a tremendously full life and a brave and spirited battle
with type-1 diabetes. John was born in Pontiac, Michigan on November 21, 1943,
to Irene Emmert and John J. Emmert, Sr.
Gregarious and energetic, John had a deep love of life, a goofy sense-of-humor,
and loved to make people laugh. Somewhat of a class clown, one might find him
making duck (or other bird) noises in some of the most unlikely and inappropriate
settings drawing laughter and smiles from those around him and embarrassing his
children, which is something he seemed to love to do!
As a gadget freak, he lived on the lunatic fringe of early adoption ensuring he was
always two steps ahead of his peers and colleagues with the latest tech. In the
early 1980s, he once brought a "portable" computer to a meeting for notetaking
raising eyebrows among many of his colleagues, most of whom were still using
typewriters.
John had deep love of music. He grew up playing piano, a hobby he continued
into adulthood. Blessed with a beautiful tenor, he sang for many years in his
church choir and was known to spontaneously break into song to brighten the
mood and make people smile. An accomplished whistler, John could often
express complex scores across many genres just by whistling it.
He was very handy and a tinkerer. He would often take things apart -- like a clock
or small appliance -- just to see how it worked. He amazed his family and friends
with the number of things he seemed to "just know" how to do; like, build a color
TV from scratch, construct a deck on the back of house, or make his own
plumbing and electrical modifications in just about every home he ever owned.
He was an avid sailor and loved the water. Over the years, he had many sailboats
of all shapes and sizes, spending many summer evenings sailing his boat on Lake
St. Clair with his family just to relax and even sometimes competing in regattas.
His last great sail came just after retirement in 2001, when he and Nancy spent a
year at sea sailing the great circle tour, which took them through the Gulf of
Mexico, to the Bahamas, and up the Eastern Seaboard.
He was a man of deep faith seeking connection to God and Christ throughout his
life. His spiritual journey ended as a devoted member of the Northville
Presbyterian church, where he regularly attended bible study, sang in the choir,
and served as Treasurer.
Professionally, John spent most of his career at Ford Motor Company as a Public
Relations executive where he was loved by his colleagues for being completely
unconventional and the consummate people person. John graduated from the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and continued his graduate studies at
Pepperdine University in Southern California. John served in the Army during the
Vietnam war achieving the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
John is survived and his memory cherished by his wife of 57 years, Nancy Emmert.
He is also survived by his daughter Susan Ferris (Bill), his son John J. Emmert, III
(Amy), as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A public memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church,
Birmingham, MI from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.
1589 Maple Road, Birmingham, MI.
A reception/luncheon will be announced at the conclusion of services, where all
are welcome to come and remember and reflect on John. The Kingsley hotel
39475 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield Hills, MI.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to JDRF to fight the
scourge of type-1 Diabetes. https://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/DIY/JDRFNationalDIY?pg=entry&fr_id=8505