John Corlin

John David Corlin was born August 19, 1956 and passed away at his home over the weekend of natural causes. It was sudden and unexpected, probably exactly the way he would have wanted to go. He was preceded in death by his parents Miriam and Arvid Corlin, and his grandmother, Ella Beckwith. He is survived by his sister Mary Corlin (Manon Bourgeois), many cousins, notably Marsha (Harkes) Haring, and their children. He will be missed terribly by his family, and his many dedicated baseball, trivia, and numerous friends.

John was a collector of music in many forms: vinyl, cassette tapes, CD’s and accumulated stories to accompany his collection. His knowledge of writers and artists, and the influences upon them and by them, was incredible. His tastes were eclectic with emphasis on blues and folk.

His knowledge of music, movies, sports, and a wide array of general information made him an MVP at local and state trivia competitions. He will be sadly missed by his teams the Reptiles and the Rat Pack.

Each summer John would get season tickets for his beloved Whitecaps. It was rare for him to ever miss a game. Not only did he enjoy the game, he knew its nuances, had a vast knowledge of the game and its players, locally and throughout the league. He was also a fan simultaneously of the Tigers and the Cubs. Each winter he spent a week in Florida with his sister where he would attend spring training games in Jupiter and Port St Lucie.

He was a dedicated employee, recently retired from Embroidery House in Jenison where he was a long-time screen printer. If you are wearing a T-shirt with a local promotional screened design you may be wearing his work.

Most importantly, agreed upon by all who knew him, he was the kindest and gentlest soul you could ever hope to meet. Never an unkind word for or about anyone.

His mother passed away when he had just graduated from high school. He stayed with his father and became his care giver over the years. The two shared their love of baseball and cribbage, and were known to speak often in Swedish. Jag alskar dig, min lillebror. Du var alltid sa snall.

A celebration of John’s life will be held on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 from 3-5 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – Van Strien Creston Chapel, 1833 Plainfield Ave NE where a public time of sharing will begin at 4 PM. To share a memory or photo, or to sign his guestbook, visit www.heritagelifestory.com