Jack Howard Sturgis was born June 24, 1921 in Lansing, Mi., the son of Howard Shafley Sturgis and Hazel Viges. Jack graduated from Rodney B. Wilson High School in St. Johns. He also had one year of junior college in Grand Rapids. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on Nov. 7, 1939, at the age of eighteen. He served in the Marines six years with four years in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was discharged in Chicago in January of 1946, with the rank of Warrant Officer and spent some time with the National Guard at Grayling, Mi. Jack made the decision to return to St. Johns and take employment with the Federal-Mogul Corp., where he worked for 36 years. He started out in inspection at the St. Johns plant and became Quality Control Manager. In 1961 was promoted to the corporate offices in Southfield, Mi., (living in Bloomfield Hills, Mi.) with the Quality Control division. He also worked as Plant Superintendent in Greenville, Mi., and as a Sales/Quality Control representative to John Deere in Cedar Falls, IA. He retired in 1984 and moved to Lakeland, Fl. He stood about 5’11” and had black curly hair. He developed the habit in the Marine Corps of shining his shoes every day . . . some people even called him, “Shiny-shoes Jack.” During his final illness he was cared for at home in Lakeland, Fl., by his wife, mother, and daughter, Barbara, until his death on June 7, 1989. He was buried with a military ceremony at Bushnell National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fl. His grandsons, Sgt. Charles V. Ernst, and Sgt. Bryan S. Ernst (both Army) performed the folding of the flag and presentation to their grandmother. This information came from Jack’s family. Jack is posing with his Hiawatha outboard motor. Because of his winter clothing I’m assuming he’s not going to take this right out and put it in the water. It’s my guess it was a Christmas gift.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 08:00:56 +0000
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