John Francis Grutter

John Grutter passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness on January 29th, 2025. The shock of his absence has been felt far and wide by all those who were blessed to know him. He is deeply loved and missed as a son, brother, uncle, and friend. John was a man of great intention and commitment, known for his integrity, earnestness for truth, and quick, dry wit that was careful not to offend. He wrestled with the highest questions about God and faith. He lived genuinely, not swept along by what everyone else was doing but conforming his life to his beliefs — and with true care he called others to do the same. People instinctively knew they were safe with John, and he had an ability to make friends wherever he went. These were relationships he cared deeply about, and he quietly maintained countless meaningful friendships over the years and varied experiences of his life. So many people cared for him. John was a musician, craftsman, artist, and philosopher, who sought beauty, truth, and goodness in everything he did. This spilled over into his pursuits and relentless creativity — reading books on existentialism and poetry, writing, drawing and calligraphy, whittling, learning how to brew an authentic cup of chai tea, and playing the tin whistle, tongue drum, overtone flute and other obscure instruments. He would tune any guitar or ukulele in reach and was just starting to re-teach himself how to play the violin and piano. John lived a dedication to excellence. If he was going to do something, he was going to do it well. His gifts were the combination of innate talent with many hours of practice, and he enjoyed the reward of that hard work. He never looked for praise from others, but was always willing to share his gifts, and encouraged others in tangible ways to pursue their own. One of John’s biggest achievements to date was to be celebrating the completion of his Associate’s Degree in electrical engineering from Grand Rapids Community College in May 2025. As he worked through his college program, John maintained a full-time job at GE Aerospace as a Precision ACR specialist. The enormous loss of John is mourned by his family, including his mother, Mary Grutter, his siblings Angie Grutter, Dan (Anne) Grutter, Ryan (Sydney) Grutter, Laura (Grant) Schertzing, Matt Grutter, and Elena (Sam) Regnerus, his nieces, nephews, and cousins, and his many friends. We pray that Uncle “Boots” will reunite in heaven with his niece, Evangeline, and be joyfully embraced by his many other nieces and nephews who have been lost before birth and wait for us there. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday February 6 at 11:00 AM at the Basilica of St. Adalbert where he will repose one hour prior to Mass. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive visitors Wednesday February 5 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Arsulowicz Brothers Remembrance Mortuary, 3525 Remembrance Rd. NW, where the Rosary will be prayed Wednesday at 7:30 PM. In memory of John - just do the thing. Pick up the instrument, travel to the place, connect with the person you’ve been meaning to.

Tributes

John Francis Grutter

October 13, 1996 - January 29, 2025