John Luce

John William Luce was a kind and generous man, willing to drop everything to help a friend. Although he sometimes chose a nap over a project for his own home, when it came to others he could always be counted on to lend a hand! From his work in the National Guard to his 28 years in the fire department, John dedicated his life to helping others – to making the world a better, safer place.

John William was born on August 2, 1929, to proud parents John Augustus and Esther (Pierce) Luce. John was their first-born, and soon to be followed by five younger siblings. The Luce family lived in Lansing, Michigan, where John Augustus supported his family by working at Fisher Body. Later, John Augustus would go on to become a minister for the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints. Esther was a homemaker, staying at home to raise the kids.

As a teenager, John loved being outdoors, and enjoyed hunting. He also had an excellent singing voice, and belonged to a local taxidermy club. After graduating from J.W. Sexton High School in 1947, John enlisted in the Michigan National Guard in 1948. This was a natural choice for John, since he enjoyed helping others. He served with the 119th Field Artillery Battalion for 20 years retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1968.

In Lansing, John found a job at Fisher Body Plant. It was here that John met the woman who would be the love of his life, Bonnie Mead. Bonnie worked at the plant as well, and they first met at a work outing on New Year’s Eve of 1950. John and Bonnie hit it off right away, and started dating. Six months later, on July 14, 1951, the young couple was delighted to invite family and friends to a wedding ceremony held at Bonnie’s childhood home in Nashville, Michigan.

After a honeymoon weekend in Holland, Michigan, John and Bonnie settled into married life in Lansing. As the years went by, John and Bonnie were blessed with three children: David, Roger, and Steven John (sadly, Steven died soon after birth). In 1957, John hired on with a Finance company that relocated the family to Kalamazoo, Michigan. That job subsequently fell through and John then got accepted for a position with the Kalamazoo Fire Department. As a firefighter, John worked one third of his days, leaving two thirds off for working other part time jobs. On his off days, John worked as a TV cable installer for several years and then at Wolverine Rentals where he was able to utilize his talents as a true a “jack of all trades.” Meticulous and thorough, when John took on a job, you could be sure he would do it right.

After becoming the last Assistant Fire Chief to come up through the ranks in the Kalamazoo Fire Department in 1979, he started working what most people consider normal business hours. In 1982 the Kalamazoo Police, Fire and EMS Departments were combined into a unified Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS). For this new combined department all Police Officers had to pass the Fire Fighter Academy and all Fire Fighters had to complete the Police Academy, which John did at age 53.

John retired from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety in 1985, after 28 years of dedicated and courageous service. John took advantage of his new-found free time to do some hunting, and especially enjoyed going bird-hunting with his son, David. Though he retired from KDPS, he never really did stop working. He drove flats of flowers from Kalamazoo to Chicago (and elsewhere), maintained carwashes for a friend and finally ended up driving for Senior Services from 1999 until May 2012, until he discovered he had brain/lung cancer.

He also was a bit of a car fanatic, subscribing to multiple car magazines, going to the Detroit Auto show every year and finally approached automotive satisfaction when he bought his 2009 Lincoln AWD MKZ. Invariably, his Sirius radio would be tuned to the PBS station or possibly the 1940s station. He also liked to stay abreast of any new technologies/products and fed this need via yet more subscriptions such as Discovery, Popular Science (and Mechanic), Consumers Reports, This Old house, Woodworking and Cooking magazines.

Intelligent, kind-hearted, and generous, John was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a courageous fireman. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his many friends and family members.

John W. Luce died on September 13, 2012, at the age of 83. He was preceded in death by his wife, Bonnie Luce, in 2006; his infant son, Steven Luce, in 1963; his son, David Luce, in 2000; his infant sister, Carol Luce, in 1932; and his sister, Barbara (Bob) Bloom, in 1975. John’s family includes his son, Roger (Robin) Luce; his daughter-in-law, Monica Luce; his grandchildren, Nicole (Paul) Moersch, and Kimberly, Cynthia and Jeffrey Luce; his siblings, Phil (Gloria) Luce, Irma (Harold) Hough, and Ron Luce; his brother-in-law, Bob Bloom; and many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, September 17, at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler; 6080 Stadium Dr. 375-2900, where a luncheon will follow in the Life Story Center. Burial will be at Mt. Ever-Rest Cemetery. Memorial donations may be directed to Senior Services. Please visit John’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can learn more about his life, share a favorite memory or photo, and sign the online guestbook.