"I just learned of Mr. Blondin?s death today. In 1958 Mr. Blondin was the first lay male teacher at St. James grade school in Grand Rapids, Michigan teaching the all boys eighth grade class. After seven years of being taught by nuns, this was a significant change and one we all loved. It was probably a good thing we were in an all boys class; some of the things we learned were not in the cathecism. Mr. Blondin was also our basketball coach and we had an undefeated season. I was 13 then and am 75 now and I have not forgotten this remarkable man. Thank you Mr. Blondin and Rest In Peace. "
In loving memory of
John Francis Blondin
August 24, 1936 - August 17, 2020
John Francis Blondin, age 83, was born in Saginaw, Michigan on Aug. 24, 1936 and joined the ranks of heaven on Aug. 17, 2020. A man of deep faith, John began each morning praying. If you knew John, and if you ever faced a struggle, most assuredly you made his list of people he prayed for each day.
John grew up in Saginaw and was the first-born child to Nita (Shaffer) and Francis "Frank" Blondin. He was the eldest brother to Delbert and James, and sisters Pamela and Kathleen. The family lost baby sister Nita Katherine, affectionately called "Tootsie," as an infant.
After graduating St. Mary's high school, John attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids where he played basketball and earned his history degree. Here he met the love of his life, Mary Ellen Sloan. John nearly thwarted their first date when he sent his buddy to pick her up instead of him, because he wanted to arrive earlier to watch the J.V. game. But thanks to John scoring a game-high 22 points later that night, Mary Ellen forgave him. Thus, their love story began.
They married on Aug. 16, 1958. Daughter Maureen arrived the following year, while he earned a Master's Degree in Education from Michigan State University. After the arrival of second daughter Michele, the family moved to Detroit where John taught at Austin Catholic Preparatory. In 1963 his mentor and friend, Chuck Hollosy, became the athletic director at Grosse Pointe South, and offered John the opportunity to teach U.S. History and coach basketball there. John established a remarkable career at South and retired in 1994.
During his first decade at South, daughters Brigid, Katy and Meg arrived. The original "girl dad" balanced his five daughters' countless dance recitals, school plays and sporting events with the demands of his teaching and coaching positions.
He estimated he taught more than 5,000 kids by the time he retired. He loved teaching, and developed an army of students who loved him in return. He formed an unbreakable bond with his fellow teachers and coaches, many of whom became lifelong friends.
He shared his love of history with his students, tossed tape balls at those caught napping, played video highlights of the NHL's best fights after tests and created a rock 'n roll Hall of Fame wall, where students hung their favorite band's posters. Never shy to engage in a debate, John had a keen eye for the overlooked and a low tolerance for "sandbags" "toads" or "fades," his monikers for students skipping class or showing little effort.
John and Mary Ellen regularly gathered with their beloved "Pot Luck" friends to celebrate life's moments. He also volunteered as a church usher, most likely for the opportunity to chat with fellow attendees. A gifted story and joke teller, John would lighten every heart in the room irrespective of the occasion.
His biggest source of consistent heartbreak in his lifetime remained the Detroit Lions. His loyalty to them knew no limits, despite his angry mid-game phone calls to family and friends. He enjoyed John Wayne and war movies, the History Channel, boxing matches and Hockey Night in Canada. He remained a thoroughly devoted Detroit and University of Michigan sports fan.
John found his happy place at the family cottage in St. Ignace. You could always find him on the porch after 4 p.m. Mass overlooking the Straights of Mackinac, likely sipping a single malt in the late afternoon sun, while listening to The Platters or Elvis Presley. Here he would rhetorically note his bliss, saying, "I wonder what the poor people are doing today?" Though he joked his teaching career made him a "thousand-aire," he knew his true wealth came from his strong faith and the blessings of his family and friends.
John will be dearly missed by so many, but especially by his wife of 62 years, Mary Ellen; his daughters, Michele Blondin (Ali), Brigid Gentile (Tim), Katy Walsh (Chris) and Meg Leonard (Billy); his sisters, Pamela Blondin (Dr. Harry Lenhart) and Kathleen Blondin-Stone (Bill); his brother-in-laws, Dan Sloan (Lana) and Leo Romo. He leaves behind his pride and joy, his 15 grandchildren: Tory, Chasen (Katherine) and Tevyn Gentile (Megan); Jesse
(Lindsay), Abbey, Benjamin, Matthew and Emilie Haji-Sheikh; Molly and Annie Walsh; Kathryn, William, Elisabeth and his namesake, John (Jack) Leonard; many nieces and nephews; and dear friends from near and far, especially his "family" in St. Ignace. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Nita Blondin, his brothers, Delbert (Bette) and James Blondin (Sue), his sister, Nita Katherine, his daughter, Maureen Brady (Kevin), and his cherished granddaughter, Clare Walsh.
A Funeral Mass will take place at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22nd at St. Clare of Montefalco Church, 16231 Charleviox in Grosse Pointe Park, MI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, 4390 Conner Street, Detroit, MI 48215.
Tributes
"I was in Mr. Blondin?s history class in 1963, his first year at GPHS. Once, after receiving our graded tests, I made a smart-ass remark and was promptly thrown out of class. I am sometimes surprised at the historical factoids he planted in my brain that pop-up. Thank you and farewell Mr. Blondin."
"So sorry to hear of the passing of my all-time favorite teacher, Mr. Blondin. A great teacher and an even nicer man. A teacher who you looked forward to attending his class. By mixing in humor and personal anecdotes he made his classes so interesting. I remember him talking about his daughters, his cottage in St. Ignace and Aquinas College. I don't think he ever hurled the dreaded tape ball at me, and I don't think I was a "sandbag", "toad" or "fade" lol! Rest in peace Mr. Blondin. Chris Wenz"
"Having taught with John in the Social Studies Department at South for many years, I learned to appreciate what a terrific guy he was and I valued his friendship dearly. His sense of humor and his joke telling were legendary throughout the staff and the students as well. One of my favorite accomplishments was to tell him a joke he hadn?t heard. That was quite rare. Many times over the years while I was in the middle of teaching a class, John would come to the door, call me out into the hall and tell me his latest joke. When I reentered the room laughing, the kids would insist that I tell it and I always did unless it was a dirty one. I will cherish all of those memories. For years I?d been informed about John through a mutual friend, Tom Teetaert, who owns a condo near mine in Florida. He would pass along the latest every time he returned from up north. I shall miss those shared stories from Tom. Without a doubt the mood in heaven will be a lot more jovial as John does his thing up there. God has so many of our problems to deal with, He will treasure John?s way of lightening His load a bit. During my tenure as a teacher, I enjoyed knowing many terrific people, but John holds a very unique and special place in my heart. Thoughts of him always bring a smile to my face. May you be comforted in the knowledge that he impacted the lives of so many people during his lifetime in a very positive way. He will be missed. God bless you, Jack Coury "
"Gentleman and Scholar. Not many like him that is for sure. Suzanne Stronski Hyde"
"I never liked history until I had Mr Blondin. Made class fun and always looked forward to class....even the tests. So few teachers you remember from 50 years ago but will always remember Mr B. Thank you for your talent and teaching abilities. "
"One of the best teachers in the GP school system. John knew how to keep people engaged and make learning interesting. Great sense of humor. God speed big John."
"Such a great teacher and a great sense of humor. He really brought history alive. He was also very approachable and understood students in a way other teacher didn't. I remember in the winter time him driving down Fisher Rd., and we all had snowballs, and pretended we would throw them at his car. He flipped us the bird and smiled, and we opened up a barrage. We all had a great laugh. Best teacher ever! -Dan Jarvis '78"
"John Blondin was my JV basketball coach at GPHS in the mid 60s. My fondest memory is learning from coach Blondin the value of hard work. Thank you coach Blondin for all your life lessons and warm memories. Rest in peace. Dean Jacobs"
"Condolences and deepest sympathies from Austin Catholic High School. Rest in Peace Mr. Blondin."
"I first met coach Blondin at GPHS in 1965. He was a great guy and teacher as well as a coach. Both my brother and I had him as a coach, my brother in football and I for a time in basketball. He always had a sense of humor and was a good role model as many of us teenagers need one. He was very helpful and knowledgable teacher that was strict when he needed to be. He will be greatly missed. Rest in Peace Coach. Bob and Ed Sautter"
"Outstanding, spectacular, stellar would be just three of the many words that could be used to refer to Mr. Blondin! He woke up my stagnant mind with humor and clever quips in a remarkable manner. You will always be my favorite educator! "
"Mr./Coach Blondin?s huge personality will be sorely missed. "
"My most favorite teacher ever! He motivated and inspired me both in academics and sports! His sense of humor was amazing! I will miss his Facebook posts and messages to me! He was a legend! Hugs and kisses to him and his family! God Bless! Liz Pappas"
"Our deepest condolences to the Blondin family. It is with our sincere prayers that each one of you find comfort in the days ahead and cherish the memories of the times you shared. We have been blessed to share many days with Michele and Ali?s family and we know how deeply John will be missed. "
"Wonderful teacher and man. "
"On behalf of the Capuchin brothers, I offer my deepest sympathies on the passing of John. It is truly humbling to receive memorial donations in honor of John's life. Please be assured of the brother's prayers for the entire Blondin family during this great time of grief. May perpetual light shine upon John."
"Myself, siblings and cousins were part of his 5000 students and we often spoke about him when we were together. I was happy to have reconnected with via Facebook over the past few years. He has been a positive influence in my life and I will always be grateful to him for being the kind and compassionate teacher that he was. Our family grieves the loss in yours. "
"The chance reconnection of our parents in St. Ignace many moons ago, via a drive-by recognition of their old college pal Joe McCarthy, began a lifelong ?family? bond which is hard to categorize. The Blondins and the McCarthys grew to be closer than many blood relatives ever do. As couples, they traveled the world together, shared their faith, their talents, their friendship and love. When my dad died, Uncle John was crushed. But that loss bonded us even closer, because he stepped in to be the surrogate, the helper, the protector, the friend. I will miss the weekly phone calls, just checking in to see how Mom was doing, how I was doing, and to update me on all things Blondin. I?ll miss the jokes, the stories, the Jeopardy watching, him looking at his watch as we took our regular seats at mass, right in front of them, indicating that we were late (which we were not...) I?ll miss his appreciation of my art, of my life. He always made me feel loved. "
"I've never forgotten John. I was born 2 years after him and lived around the corner on Park street. John was always the nicest kid in the neighborhood. I recall neighborhood pick-up football games. John was way better than the rest of us but he was always patient and took time to show the rest of us how the action should be correctly done. His faith manifested early and he frequently rode to Mass on Sunday with my family. "Well done, good and faithful servant"!"
"That smile in the photo of Mr. Blondin is the way I will always remember him. From the moment he greeted me at the front door of the Blondin home until walked out again, I will remember that smile. In the St. Ignace woods, smiling at his bullseye hit on a fallen Woodcock, couch-coaching the Lions, or looking on with pride at any one of his 5 beautiful daughters or wife, I will forever be gifted with the memory of that smile of Mr. Blondin. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and extended family, especially to Mrs. Blondin. "
"I met Mr.Blondin in 9th grade at Grosse Pointe South. A fantastic teacher, and Friend. After graduation he attended many of my art fairs I participated in and commissioned me me to several paintings of the old Straits of Mackinac ferries. He was always interested in my artwork and my family. He was a great friend and I will miss him always."
"I just finished reading all about John's legacy with his family and students and can't begin to tell you how beautifully it was written....it perfectly reflects his marvelous sense of humor and his devotion to God, his family, his friends, and all 5000 of his students. He loved his family, he loved his vocation, he loved his friends, he LOVED the cottage, and HE LOVED HIS GOD. Weather reports from the Straits as the chilly air sets in this fall will be missed by me more than you can imagine, his letting me know when the first fire of the season had been always made me want to head north and hang out....."
"Who we are is shaped by many people. They influence our character, work ethic, moral compass, etc. I have been blessed that my life was shaped by a great man and a great family. I owe Mr. Blondin and the Blondin family immensely for playing such an important part in defining who I am today. Thank you. I love you. I will miss you Mr. Blondin. Your influence on my life is priceless and beyond description."
"Love you Daddy:Poppi with all our hearts"