John Abendroth

John F. Abendroth, Jr., 73, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away peacefully Saturday, April 16, 2016, at home with his wife and family members present. Cremation has taken place and a service to remember his life will be celebrated at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., Mt. Pleasant. Visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to the service. A luncheon will immediately follow at the funeral home. Those planning to make an expression of sympathy may wish to consider the National Brain Tumor Society in Johns name or the John F. Abendroth, Jr. Scholarship Fund (established for the U of W School of Engineering), which will exist in perpetuity. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. John was born Jan. 13, 1943, in Milwaukee, WI, son of the late John and Flora (Kunze) Abendroth. He attended Grandville High School in Milwaukee where he was a four year member of the varsity golf, cross country, and basketball teams, as well as the lettermans club. He worked as a caddy at the local golf course and excelled in his studies. As a result, he received an Evans Scholarship to the University of Wisconsin where he majored in Chemical Engineering. He stayed with his fraternity brothers for one year, but decided to move on to independent living so he could devote more time to his studies. This showed his strength of character as he then had to work to pay his way through the remaining three years. After graduation he moved to Michigan where he worked with Dow Corning until his retirement. John was an avid sportsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He loved nature and the outdoors. After retirement he enjoyed gardening and feeding the birds and animals in the winter. He was also devoted to golfing both in Michigan and during his travels. He proudly displayed a plaque for a hole-in-one! John was a long-time member of the National Ski Patrol. He provided service at Crystal Mountain where he had a trail named in honor of his service. During this time he provided guidance and first aid to the skiers. He also went to several countries where he taught these skills to others. Traveling gave him a great deal of enjoyment. The high point was a trip he made to China in 2013. Survivors include his wife, Judith Friday; brother, David Abendroth of Milwaukee, WI; step-children, Pamela (John) Sitler, James Friday, Shawn (Darcy) Friday, Armen (Christie) Weinrick, Platt (Andrea) Weinrick, and Aaron Weinrick; and nine step-grandchildren. John was a strong, but quiet man who always showed consideration for others. In his quiet demeanor there was great intelligence and wisdom which made his life so special. He led a simple life, was kind, patient, and always willing to help others. He will be missed by many whose lives he touched during his years on this earth.