John Bernard Birch

John Bernard Birch, 89 of Grosse Pointe Farms Michigan and Lauderdale by the Sea Florida, passed away peacefully in the night of January 25, 2019. Born in Detroit Michigan in 1929 he was a young boy during the great depression years and attended several schools as a child including Pine Crest in Ft. Lauderdale as his father was serving in the Army as a Military Surgeon. He frequently talked of his Howe Military School years which started at the young age of 9. He was an outstanding athlete in many sports and enjoyed playing on all his school’s basketball teams. He attended Michigan State University which at the time was Michigan State Agricultural college. He was a lifelong fan of all Michigan State sports teams as well as all the Detroit professional Teams. Very proud of his Tiger’s baseball collection from their successful years he enjoyed as a youth.

John was drafted into the Army as a young man and served as a corporal during the Korean War. After the war years he enjoyed his sales career which progressed to stock brokerage and investment consultation for numerous clients in the Detroit area. He was known to have great integrity and provided reliable and consistent advice to not only his clients but to everyone he came in contact with. He was President of the Detroit Exchange Club and reached lifetime membership status of Essex Golf and Country Club. He was a dedicated golfer who played golf as often as he could and was proud of his hole in one! While he could have often played with other men, he most enjoyed golf with his wife and son where he would coach us around the course each week. He also made time to coach Basketball at St. Paul’s Church and Little League baseball.

He married his wife Patricia in August of 1954, and this happy marriage of 64 years was truly special as they experienced a fulfilling life of travel and love as was easily witnessed as they were still holding hands on his last day of his life. As a father he was excellent role model who strived to make careful and well thought out choices as his way of showing great concern and love to his family.

John was happy and proud to become a Catholic very recently. He and our family are forever grateful to the people of Assumption Church who helped in the process. John lived a long healthy and happy life and will always be remembered by his family and friends.

A memorial mass was held on January 31, 2019 at Assumption Church in Lauderdale by the Sea, FL A second memorial and inurnment will occur on September 21, 2019 at St. Paul on the Lake in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. John is survived by his loving wife Patricia, son John, daughter in law Tanya, two grandchildren Jack and Jacob and many nieces and nephews.