Joseph Host

Joseph Paul Host, 91, went to be with his Lord and his beloved wife Marcia on November 23, 2024. Born on August 9, 1933, Joe was the middle child of Ray and Clara Host. He grew up on the West Side of Grand Rapids with his sister, Mariann Sielawa (Ronald) and brother Jerry (Doris Bonk). He attended grade school at St. Mary’s, and graduated from Catholic Central with the Class of 1951. A Track and Field scholarship sent him to Notre Dame University, and he graduated with the Class of 1955. He married his High School Sweetheart, Marcia Karasiewicz, and they settled in Alpine Township to raise their four children: Mari Claire Stone (Jim), Fredrick Joseph Host (Mary Pollock-Host), Jeanne Marie Wiest (Dennis) and JoAnn Marie VanSlooten (Mark).

Joe grew up in the city, but spent time in the summers working on farms in Alpine Township. He also worked as a teen for a neighboring handyman who taught him many building and carpentry skills. When they decided to move to Alpine Township, he put all those skills to effect and built their home himself. Their 60’s style tri-level became the center of family life, and the large organic garden he tended in the back yard provided decades of Sunday dinners with extended family. He was an active member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, serving as an Usher and Lector, and spent much valued time with friends there, many of whom were fellow longtime season ticket holders at Grand Rapids Civic Theater. After retiring from Steelcase Inc. where he worked for more than 30 years, he continued his love of construction by moving a 150-year-old barn to his property in the Lowell area, creating a housing development centered on open spaces and hiking trails, and building a family cottage on Lake Michigan.

His grandchildren fondly remember spooky fall hayrides, sledding parties, picking daffodils he planted that covered a hillside, swimming at the beach, and cutting an 18-foot Christmas tree that was lashed to the catwalk of their open two-story home in Lowell. These lucky people include Jessica Stone Hessler (Michael), Matthew Stone (Angela), Jacquelyn Wiest Brown (Austin), Luke Wiest (Olivia), Sarah VanSlooten, Ashley VanSlooten Pantoja (Jeovani), Emily VanSlooten, and TJ VanSlooten. Also blessed to have known him as a loving presence in their lives are Great-grandchildren Chloe Stone Andoni Vasquez (Francisco), Lena Stone Chase, Eden Claire Stone, Demarie Stone, Logan Brown, Lila Brown, Luis Mateo Pantoja, Amaya Marie Pantoja, Beni Antonio Pantoja, as well as great-great-grandsons Ayden Vasquez and Cameron Vasquez.

Joe loved to be busy, and considered it his job to work on projects for his kids and grandkids. But the most important job he ever held was being an example of a loving father for his family, and for that they will always love him.

A celebration of Joe’s life will be held at Heritage Shawmut Hills Funeral Home on Sunday, December 1st at 4:30 PM, followed by a Rosary at 6:00. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Belmont, on Monday, December 2nd, with visitation at 10:00 AM and Mass at 11:00 AM, luncheon to follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the Pregnancy Resource Center of Grand Rapids, and the Grand Rapids Chapter of the Notre Dame Alumni Club.