Obituary of John Arthur Closson

John A. Closson Sr., 68, of Edwardsburg, passed away on Wednesday, August 1, 2018, after a brief but courageous battle with brain cancer.

John was born on August 29, 1949, in South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from Niles High School in 1967.  On June 29, 1968, he married the former Mary E. Gitchell, they celebrated fifty wonderful years of marriage this year.   John retired from Bendix/Honeywell in August of 2002. After retirement, John and Mary have been true snowbirds, wintering in Punta Gorda, Florida and enjoying summers on Juno Lake in Edwardsburg.  

In the words of his son, “He loved his wife and kids, he loved camping, giving you his opinion on everything even when he did not know what he was talking about, loved the Apple Festival and was very proud of being a part of it for so many years. He loved coaching his boys in baseball, loved his grandkids and bragged about them all the time. He loved fishing and living on the lake, he loved to party and have fun, he was funny and he was caring.”

He was preceded in death by his parents; Arthur and Marjorie (Duis) Closson; along with several aunts and uncles.

John is survived by his wife, Mary; sons, John (Tracie) Closson, Craig (Jenny) Closson and Tony (Krissy) Closson; six grandchildren, Kayley, Cody, Isabelle, Zach, Hannah and Olivia; three sisters with whom he just became acquainted; uncle, Don Duis; along with numerous cousins.

The family will gather with friends for a time of visitation from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. on Monday, August 6, 2018, at Brown Funeral Home, 521 E. Main Street, Niles. A Celebration of Life will begin at 1:00 P.M., with Reverend Brad Payne officiating.   A private burial will be held at Silverbrook Cemetery at a later date.

Those wishing to make memorial donations in John’s name may do so to the Cancer Research Institute, 29 Broadway, 4^th Floor, New York, NY 10006-3111 for research on Glioblastoma Multiforma Brain Cancer. www.cancerresearch.org.