Obituary of John Bellair

John Cornelius Bellair April 25, 1922 - August 4, 2015 John Cornelius Bellair was born in Toledo, Ohio on April 25, 1922. He was the only child of the late George and the late Agnes (Bomia) Bellair. He attended the old one-room school house in LaSalle named Wood Road School House through the eighth grade. As a young man, he was involved in construction of the Air Force B 24 bomber planes at Willow Run during WWII. From his employment he met the love of his life, Emilie B Yape, as they would carpool together. The couple exchanged vows on October 2, 1943 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio. From this union, John became a proud and loving father of two daughters. For thirty-nine years John supported his family working as a Supervisor for Jones Transfer Trucking Company. John was a church elder at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Southgate, Michigan where he was a member for 56 years. He dearly loved his family and cherished their get-togethers. John was an animal lover, and had a special canine companion, "Baby", his shih tzu. He was interested in cars of all kinds and loved to eat. He enjoyed woodworking, making improvements to his home, photography, and traveling in his motor home. John Cornelius Bellair, age 93, passed away on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 3:40pm at Wellspring Lutheran Home. His passing was preceded by his parents: George and Agnes (Bomia) Bellair. To cherish his memory, John leaves his loving wife of seventy-one years, Emilie Bellair of Monroe; two daughters: Jane (Robert) Rogers of Muskegon and Jill (Frederick) Calkins of Newport; seven grandchildren: Kimberly (Brad) LaBreyere, Robert (Sadie) Rogers, Rick (Monique) Rogers, Jennifer (Dave) Ritchey, Cara Calkins, Rachel (Andrew) Cook and Andrea Calkins; twelve great-grandchildren: Emilie, Robby, Ethan, Jonathon, Ryan, Christian, Austin, Christine, Nicole, Olivia, Angyl and Brantley; and his beloved shih tzu companion, "Baby". Friends may gather on Friday, August 7, 2015 from 2:00pm until 8:00pm at Merkle Funeral Service, South Monroe, 14567 South Dixie Highway, Monroe (734)241-7070. He will lie in state at 10:00am on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at Wellspring Lutheran Service Chapel 1236 South Monroe Street, Monroe, Michigan. A Celebration of his life will follow at 11:00am with Pastor John Schinkel officiating. Procession will follow to Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle for burial. Memorial donations are suggested to Christ the King Lutheran Church building fund. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort or share a photo by visiting www.merklefs.com and then selecting the Online Tributes page.