John Joseph Pilchowski

The Pilchowski family regrets to share the untimely passing of John Joseph Edward Pilchowski. John was the outstanding and usually sensible husband of Nicole (Mattingly), the fantastic father to three most excellent sons, Patrick, James, and Joseph, the kick-ass brother to Kathleen and Joseph (Alexandria), the frequently respectful son to Edward and Patricia, the cherished Uncle to Claire, Luke, Alaina, Trevor, Haley, Colton, Millie, and Milo, the welcoming and supportive brother-in-law to Angie (Bryan-Alex) Bridges and Kyle (Kelly) Mattingly, the affable and helpful son-in-law to Jeff and Lynn (Cunningham) Mattingly, and the proud collector, parent/guardian, and mechanic of far too many used cars. And one boat.

John was born in Highland, Michigan where he lived his entire life. Growing up in the 80s, he was the kid who loved to build, take things apart, rebuild them broken, and eventually hold onto these things for decades. He loved his bike, he loved to boat, he loved his toys, and he loved being a little brother and big brother. He went to Spring Mills where he met his best friend for life. At Highland Middle School he joined the band and mastered the baritone horn and joined the Boy Scouts. He begged to attend Brother Rice High School where he was a great student, received a varsity letter in band, and had the distinct honour of earning that one detention he got. All that and he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout too.

John attended GMI (not Kettering) in Flint where he was a proud member of Lambda Chi Alpha, a fraternity shrouded in mystery, generous charitable events, some genuinely cool feats of engineering, and road-rallies with cars that have no business being in road-rallies. He met the love of his life at GMI, his 2001 Chrysler Sebring, the only new car he ever bought. He also met the woman who would later be his wife and mother to his children here. John loved every minute he was at school with his closest friends, and he loved all of these friends to his last days. He was beyond thrilled when you all took the time to visit him.

John was born to be an engineer, and was a mechanical engineer by trade. Early on he tinkered with his toys, built RC cars, and later maintained his own fleet of aging vehicles. From his time spent at Motorama during his co-op at GMI, to his last job at AutoLiv, he thrived in solving problems, building things, fixing more things, and working his brain in symphony with his hands. He was talented with a keyboard, creative in his solutions, and thrifty with what he had. He would often regale his family with stories littered with acronyms, automotive jargon, and technical terminology just so he could share a very human story about the co-workers he respected and loved working with. He was blown away with the kindness and generosity you all showed him.

As an adult John worked hard to support his family and his extended family. It wasn’t rare for him to help out a relative one day, just to turn around and help out another the next day. He thrived in acts of service, and it was never an inconvenience for him to be there to lend a hand. He would drive cross-country to buy a new (used) car, he would drive cross-state to buy half a truck, turn around and sell part of it a year later in another state, and he would spend countless hours finding the exact right part that met his quality and manufacturers purity standards for his vehicles. John was never too far away from a book, a playlist, or a comic, loving the time he could relax and stretch his mind, or sit and just talk about nothing for hours on end. He was always down to watch a movie, quote a movie, or make a reference to a movie that only a handful of people would appreciate, a skill he passed to all of his kids.

John’s greatest adventure was the one he shared with his wife and sons. His marriage lasted. His children were happy. They lived a fulfilling life together, enjoying their annual road trips, the family trips to Disney complete with matching shirts, the lazy mornings on their boat, and the even lazier evenings also on a boat. He was proud of his sons and what they’ve accomplished, Patrick at Kettering (not GMI) exuding maturity and kindness, James with his overwhelming intelligence and passion, and Joseph with his creativity and joyful disposition; three boys with each of John’s character and characteristics and so much more. From a young age John’s goal in life was to be a Daddy, just like his Daddy. He did it and he was so proud of each of you.

Finally, John was grateful. He was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the people he connected with over 46 years. From his family, to his childhood friends, to baseball families, to coworkers, to college friends, to his son’s friends, he was constantly sharing how blessed he was to be born to this group of people.

Those who knew John would summarize him as many things. Outstanding father, a dutiful son, a loving brother, a caring husband, a solid friend, and a good man. We’re all better for the gift of knowing him and loving him while we had him. We can’t wait to see you again.

The Pilchowski family invites you to remember John and visit with his family and friends at the Elton Black & Sons Funeral Home at 3295 E Highland Rd, Highland Michigan, 48356 on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm. There will also be a scripture reading that night from 6-6:30 pm. The family also welcomes friends and family to join us at 10:00 am on Thursday, September 7, 2023, with a farewell service at 11:00 am. Please bring your memories, your stories, and your love while we celebrate John Pilchowski and the joy we all had in knowing such an amazing man.