John Cantu's Obituary
On August 23, 2022, John Cantu, age 87, left this earth to be reunited with his soulmate and wife, Joyce “Moes”, who was waiting for him with open arms and a huge smile. John was born in Muskegon, Michigan on January 3, 1935 to Guadalupe and Elizabeth (Shagonaby) Cantu, and they preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his only sister, Marie Cantu, and two brothers, Ted Cantu and Emil Cantu. On January 27, 1962, John married the love of his life and soulmate, Joyce (Peterson) and they shared 58 years of beautiful marriage. Together they laughed, loved, cherished and raised a beautiful family, and made enough memories to last a lifetime. John is survived by his children, John Cantu Jr., Joseph Cantu, James Cantu, Janice Cantu, Jennifer (Ken) Schultz; brothers, Ray (Chris) Cantu, Bob Cantu, Don (Deb Brigendahl) Cantu; grandchildren, Hunter, Joey, Lauren, Alex, Alina, and Anah; great-grandchildren, Nate and Layla; many nieces, nephews, friends, and loyal fur companion foster and therapy dog, Missy. John worked and retired from GTE as a lineman after nearly 35 years. He was a very proud Navy veteran, having served his country on the USS Leyte. We loved hearing all of his Navy stories and about all of the beautiful places he had seen around the world. While serving his country, John received a few awards including the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. John was a native warrior who was extremely proud of his heritage. He was a former chairman of the Northern Michigan Ottawa Association and a proud member of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians where he was a tribal elder. Dad loved to go to the casino and also play “bar” Keno. He was a die-hard Lions fan and enjoyed watching the Tigers and Red Wings too. Dad loved to watch movies with mom (with some of them being repeated on a regular basis) and loved music he played on his “Alexa”. John was welcoming to everyone and was the best storyteller. He will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to know him and be a part of his life. Dad will always be with us in spirit and forever in our hearts. Anchors away dad, anchors away. SERVICES for John will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, September 24, 2022 at The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 6291 Harvey St., Norton Shores, MI 49444. VISITATION will be 2 hours prior to his service. MEMORIALS in memory of John may be directed to the Muskegon Disabled American Veterans. You may sign his online guestbook at www.sytsemafh.com
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