John Franklin Whitmarsh

John Franklin Whitmarsh, age 82, of Chatham, died peacefully Friday morning, October 3, 2025 at his home that he built in 1968, under the loving care of his family and North Woods Hospice. He was born on May 26, 1943 in L’Anse, Michigan to Harry and Esther (Eklund) Whitmarsh, the fourth of six children at the family homestead. The family relocated to Traunik and John grew up there but spent his summers on the family farm in Alston. John attended Traunik, Trenary, and Eben schools, graduating from Eben High School (Superior Central) in 1961. John married Mary Jane Hallstrom on August 3, 1963 and together raised their five children. John’s strong work ethic started at a young age. He started working in the woods at the age of ten, cutting trees with a buck saw and borrowing his neighbor’s horse to pull the logs from the woods. At the age of twelve, he had saved enough money and bought his own chainsaw to make his operations more efficient. He was a “jack of all trades” and worked throughout the Upper Peninsula. John spent five years working at Kimberly Clark as a laborer and in 1970, joined the Michigan Carpenters Union, Local #1510 and began his twenty-seven year career as a union carpenter working on industrial and commercial construction. He worked on projects that included the Empire and Tilden mines, Quinnesec Paper Mill, Mead Paper in Escanaba, and the Superior Dome in Marquette. During his career, he progressed to foreman and general foreman and retired in May of 1997. In October of 1997, John began teaching at the Michigan Carpenter’s Apprenticeship School and retired in 2004. A day after his second retirement, John disappeared and arrived home later that day with his new Iron Mule logging skidder and plans to return to working in the woods that he loved so much. John was a skilled carpenter and some of his woodworking jobs included making the tables and benches throughout the Alger County Court House, the church alter railings at Sion Lutheran Church in Chatham, as well as many kitchens throughout the county. When he wasn’t logging, he worked alongside his sons (Whitmarsh Builders) and in 2014 they established Maple Ridge Sugar Bush, making and selling maple syrup from their property. Their operation started with 550 milk jugs and by the second year was upgraded to 2000 taps and their vacuum system. John was a volunteer fire fighter with the Rock River Township Fire Department and served as Chief in the early 1980’s. He was also elected as a school board member for Eben High School in the 1970’s. John attended the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church in Chatham.

John is survived by his wife of over sixty-two years – Mary Jane (Hallstrom) Whitmarsh of Chatham; children – Brenda (Michael) James, Sr. of Chatham, Dawn (Billy) Blake of Dayton, OH, Paul (Connie) Whitmarsh of Chatham, Amy Whitmarsh of Chatham, and David Whitmarsh of Chatham; fifteen grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; brothers – Roger (Janet) Whitmarsh and Mark (Jackie) Whitmarsh; in-laws – Robert Bartlett, Violet (Allen) Maki-Makinen, Helen Uskoski, Kenneth Hallstrom, Tina Hallstrom, and Ron (Hester) Wiitanen; and numerous nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents Harry and Esther Whitmarsh, parents-in-law George and Annie Hallstrom, siblings – Bruce (Ruth) Whitmarsh, Joan (Carl “Buck”) Nystrom, and Harriett Bartlett; and in-laws – Wilbert “Wieb” Maki, John Uskoski, Richard (Alice) Hallstrom, Willard “Bill” Hallstrom, Jeanne Wiitanen, and Elizabeth “Liz” Hallstrom.

Services will be at the Bowerman Funeral Home in Munising on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. John’s funeral service will be officiated by Ron Jouppe in the funeral home’s chapel at 1:00 p.m. Interment will be at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Chatham.