John F. Pickar

John Pickar, 79, of Benton Harbor, passed away Saturday, May 28, 2011 at Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. A Memorial Service will be held 5:00 P.M. Saturday, June 4, 2011 at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Burial will be held at a later date a Millburg Cemetery. Friends may visit from 3:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Those wishing to share a memory online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. John was born August 28, 1931 in Lansing, Michigan to Leo & Naomi (Flaymen) Pickar. John was the eldest of eleven children Ruth Farnsworth, Laura Harden, Naberta Edwards, Leo H. Pickar, Yavone Schaub, Donna Bayer, Leona Hatjes, Naomi France, Dave Pickar, and Martha Knight. John worked in a foundry after the service. He also worked as a foreman at Glenlord Lumber, selling building supplies. John retired from Vail Rubber. In his spare time he enjoyed farming and gardening. John is survived by his former wife Donna (Puhr) Pickar; sons John (Sue) Pickar of Dowagiac, MI, and Leo (Sue) Pickar of Naperville, IL; daughters Mary (Richard) Law of Nashville, TN and Cathy Pickar of Chicago, IL; five grandchildren Maureen, Joanna, Spencer, Megan and Quinn. John was preceded in death by his parents, brother Leo, sisters Yavone, Leona, son James Pickar and grandson Michael.