John Ferris Fleming 

John “Jack” Ferris Fleming, age 90, of Gaylord, Michigan, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, was called home to be with the Lord in Springfield, Missouri, on May 30, 2023.

He was born on July 3, 1932, in Gaylord, Michigan, a son of Darrell and Ethel (Shaff) Fleming.  

A 1951 graduate of Gaylord High School, Jack was senior class president, and very athletic, playing football, baseball, and basketball. He was a State Golden Glove Champion in the Middleweight Division in 1953. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany.  

He married Ruth Cooley on June 9, 1956, and she was the center of his life for 67 years. 

Following the conclusion of his military service, Jack worked full-time for the Otsego County Road Commission while also working part-time for Gaylord Producers Dairy, delivering milk. He also worked for Au Sable Ranch doing grounds maintenance in summer and ski patrol in winter. Jack also worked as a floor supervisor for Standard Products, in Gaylord, until he joined his family in operating Fleming Shaff Acres, the family dairy farm, in 1972. He retired from the farm in 1991 and became a gas well lease operator for Eastport Group until his second retirement in 2005. 

Jack enjoyed hunting, fishing, and bowling. He coached Little League for several years. Jack was active in the Gaylord Assembly of God Church, (now Mount Hope), as a board member and secretary/treasurer for many years.  

Jack and Ruth purchased a second home in Springfield, Missouri, where they wintered each year. They made many close friends in their neighborhood, with their bowling leagues, and at the North Side Assembly of God.    

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Ruth; their son, Raymond (Mary Anne) Fleming of North Bloomfield, Ohio; and grandchildren, Michael (Reegan) Woodworth of Gaylord, Kattie (Keayr) Griffin of Gaylord, Anna (Michael) Michaud of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and J. Drew Fleming of North Bloomfield, Ohio. He was blessed with 11 great-grandchildren, Austin, Landon, Brynlee, Jackson, Marley, Allison, Dylan, Tyler, Carter, Brooke, and Jace; and two great-great-grandchildren, Bo and Mason. He is also survived by his siblings, Sharon (Galen) Brekkestran, Carol Moyer, and Butch Fleming; sisters-in-law, Barbara Fleming and Mary Len Cooley; and many nieces and nephews, and longtime friends.  

He dearly missed his daughter Marjorie, who preceded him in death in 2021; as well as his siblings, Marjorie (Vaughn) Stepanski, Eva Fleming, Ida (Bill) Utter, and Gene Fleming; sister-in-law, Jody Fleming; and brother-in-law, Jimmy Cooley.  

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 23, 2023, at the Nelson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 135 N. Center, Gaylord, Michigan, where Pastor Jerald Poehl will officiate. Friends may call from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 22, and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to the service time at the funeral home. Interment will be at Hallock Cemetery in Elmira. 

Donations may be made to Seasons Hospice, 1831 West Melville Road, Springfield, MO 65803; www.springfieldhospice.com.    

Arrangements were entrusted to the Nelson Funeral Home and Cremation Service, PO Box 1548, Gaylord, MI 49734.