John Halmond
June 6, 1916 - January 7, 2007

John George Halmond was an extraordinary public servant who served the people of Muskegon County for more than sixty years. He was leader, a gentleman, a teacher, a peace maker, a loving husband, father and friend. He indelibly touched the hearts and minds of thousands of people. His success came from his kind heart and the ability to respect everyone and what they had to offer.

John was born in Bangor, Michigan on June 18, 1916. His father, John H. Halmond was a Great Lakes Shipping Captain until his ship was destroyed in a storm. He then owned a cab company in Bangor, Michigan until fire brought the company to an end. John's teenager years were spent going to school and being a caddy, which he loved. He also lettered in football, basketball and golf, had a lead in the senior play, and was President of the senior class. During his junior year he met Pearl Edwards. Pearl was a year older than him and she lived five miles out in the country, but that didn't stop John. He would take that five mile walk on numerous occasions and eventually escorted Pearl to the prom. John was amazingly successful in school considering that another fire, when he was only sixteen, took the life of his father. His mother, Amy Rouse (Halmond) provided for the family after her husband's death by working as a cook, but she died just two years after John's father passed away.

He lived with his grandmother for awhile and then after graduating from Bangor High School he went to North Dakota for a year to help his ailing uncle. John then returned to Michigan where he earned his teaching degree at Western Michigan University. He continued dating Pearl and worked various jobs like packing apples, weeding mint and doing manual labor for the WPA to pay his way through school.

On October 11, 1940, John and Pearl were joined in holy matrimony in Kalamazoo, Michigan and settled in Haslett, MI where John was hired to teach history and government. They welcomed their first born son, Robert into their hearts in January of 1943, which turned out to be a very busy year. In February they moved to North Muskegon where John took a position at North Muskegon Schools and in August, John was drafted into the US Army to help with administrative duties during World War II. The war ended and John returned to his teaching in 1946. He was born to teach and he did so, successfully until his retirement in 1973. John was always a well-liked and respected teacher. It was said that you didn't graduate from North Muskegon High School without having at least one class with "Mr. Halmond".

Pearl gave birth to their daughter, Amy in 1949. John was a good father and made sure they had a "normal" childhood. He taught them to be independent and to make good choices. There were many wonderful family vacations and trips. Over the years each child, and eventually grandchild, came to have special activities that John did with them. In 1956, the family moved to a home on Ruddiman Drive right on Muskegon Lake. The home held a beautiful view of the channel to Lake Michigan and Pearl and John spent the rest of their lives together in that home.

For John, his summers were spent working as a real estate Agent and Broker for Porter Mulder Land Company where he sold land mainly in the Traverse City Area. Pearl got her license as well and she handled all the phone calls to keep the business going. John was a meticulous record keeper, with everything labeled and filed. He even saved all of his golf scores. But daughter Amy saw Pearl as the mortar that held all the bricks of John's life together. John started a golf team at North Muskegon High School and coached it for many years. He also taught his granddaughter to play. He and Pearl spent many afternoon golfing, as well as many winter days out snowmobiling together on the 160 acres they owned near Bitely, Michigan.

In 1980, John, Pearl and Amy suffered a tragic loss when Bob was killed in an automobile accident. John was always so proud of his son for working hard and becoming a successful teacher at the Spring Lakes Schools. It was a deeply dark time when he had to let him go. John's relied on his faith in God and he found support in his family and at the Community United Methodist Church where he had been a member since the 1940's.

Service to the public and his community is what John loved the most. It started in 1948, when he became an alderman for the city of North Muskegon and he went on to serve two terms as mayor. In 1968 he became the Muskegon County Commissioner and served on the board from 1968 to 1985. He was the chairman from 1979 to 1983. Known as "Mr. Cooperation", John had the ability to bring people together toward a common goal. "If you have a good idea, I want to hear it" John was known to say. He served on the Muskegon County Community Mental Health Board from 1970 to 2003 where he was chairman from 1989 to 2003. They honored him by naming a new building after him. John served on a total of 28 different boards and committees including Goodwill Industries and the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.

John was a healthy and happy man who exercised daily and kept up on current events. He loved his family, his friends and his community and it was a shock to everyone when he fell ill and died as quickly as he did. His legacy will live on in all of the students he taught, the projects he championed, the community he cared about and in the hearts of the family and friends that loved him so dearly.

Mr. John G. Halmond, age 90, died Sunday, January 7, 2007. His family includes his wife of 65 years, Pearl; daughter, Amy (Greg) Brown of Whitehall; daughter-in-law, Pamela Halmond of Grand Haven; 3 grandchildren, Matthew (Jennie) Halmond of Las Vegas, Jessica (Doug) Sharp of Spring Lake & Nick Halmond of Spring Lake; 5 great-grandchildren, Lauren, Paige & Robert Sharp, Brennon & Cameron Halmond. He was preceded in death by his son Robert J. Halmond in November of 1980. Service will be on Thursday, October 11, 2007, 11:00 AM at Community United Methodist Church with Rev. Bob Lynch officiating. Interment at Laketon Township Cemetery. Visitation will be on Tuesday, 6-8 PM and Wednesday, 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorial donations may be made to the Community United Methodist Church or Goodwill Industries. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book. Clock Life Story- Muskegon

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