John P. Drouse Jr. Obituary
John P. Drouse Jr. John P. Drouse Jr., age 91, passed away on August 2, 2026, at MyMichigan Medical Center in Midland, Michigan. He was born on April 22, 1935, in Pinconning, Michigan, to the late John and Catherine (Frankiewicz) Drouse.
John proudly served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956. On August 9, 1958, he married the love of his life, Gloria Weiss, at St. James Church in Bay City, Michigan. They shared 46 wonderful years of marriage before Gloria's passing on January 21, 2005.
As a young boy, John lost his father in a tragic accident. His mother later remarried, and Frank Rokosz became his beloved "Pa.". From him, John learned the farming skills that he would later apply with success on his own farm.
In addition to farming, John worked in the tool crib at Prestolite in Bay City. After retiring from Prestolite, he continued working at Adair Printing in Standish for a few years.
Known affectionately as "Junior" or "Uncle Junior" by close friends and family, John appreciated simple pleasures. He enjoyed his vegetable garden—especially tomatoes. He also enjoyed listening to polka music, taking drives to check on area farm crops, keeping an eye on the rain gauge, attending car shows, watching western movies, and tinkering with just about anything. His philosophy was simple: "Why buy new if you can fix it?". You could often find John sitting in his garage, listening to the radio while watching the traffic along I-75 or watching the deer eat his crops. John was always happy to go along with family and friends on "adventures".
In his younger years, he played the clarinet and saxophone and occasionally filled in with a local band. He gained his appreciation of music when very little as his dad played in a band as did his brothers Rich and Ed.
John was the kind of person who could start a conversation with anyone. He always had time to visit no matter where he was, enjoyed making people laugh with a well-timed joke, and was quick to help whenever someone needed a hand. Time with his family, friends, and neighbors was important to John as well. He looked forward to every visit, every get-together, often the first to arrive and the last to leave. Everyone was welcome at his table to share his meals and have conversations about anything and everything.
John and his fiancée, LaVon Schmoll, enjoyed spending time in Wisconsin with LaVon's family. Her family welcomed him as one of their own, and they were family to him as well. He always looked forward to their time there. Ken, Bob, Linda, Dale, Kathy, Darrell and their families were very special to him. The Gripentrog families in Michigan were important to him too. No matter where he was, John's friendly personality and kindness made people feel comfortable.
John is survived by his fiancée, LaVon (Gripentrog) Schmoll; his children, Machele (Dave) Faith, Wayne (Melissa) Drouse, Linda (Leonard Briston) Drouse, and daughter-in-law Penny (Julian) Zielinski; grandchildren Matt, Nicole, and Lindsey; step-grandchildren David (Amber), Logan (Ashlynn), Josh (Janine), and Adam; great-grandchildren Lauryn and Danielle; step-great-grandchildren Elijah, Adrianna, Charlotte, Caroline, Vivian, and Hayden; sisters Evelyn Dolney and Margaret Zettle White; sister-in-law Alvira Goslin; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria; his son, Michael "Mike" Drouse; siblings Richard Drouse, Edward Drouse, Alice Lorence, and Robert Drouse; brothers-in-law Frank Lorence, Jack Zettle, Tom White, and Earl Weiss; and sisters-in-law Ida Drouse, Virginia Weiss, and Cora Weiss.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Pinconning, with Fr. Homic presiding. Burial will follow at St. Agnes Cemetery. Family and friends may visit Lee-Ramsay Funeral Home, Pinconning Chapel, on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. A prayer vigil will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday. On Friday, John will lie in state at the Church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the Mass.
The family would like to thank the care given at the MyMichigan Health Park Bay as well as the fifth-floor staff at MyMichigan Medical Center Midland for the care they gave John, especially Nurse Bryanna, whose kindness and compassion meant so much to all of us.
We will truly miss the greatest man we have ever known.
Memorial contributions may be made in John's memory to Toni & Trish House in Auburn, Michigan.
