John Hiatt, Jr. age 95 of Mendon, MI passed away peacefully with his family by his side on October 23, 2026 at Three Rivers Hospital. He was born in Kalamazoo, MI on May 28, 1931 the son of John Sr. and Genevieve (Smith) Hiatt. John attended Kalamazoo Central High School and was part of the 1949 graduating class. For decades, John held the shot put record at Kalamazoo Central. Following school, he would begin his working career in agribusiness at Little Brothers. In 1951 John was drafted into the United States Marine Corps and proudly served his country. Upon his return, he would marry the love of his life, Dorothy Carpenter in Kalamazoo, MI on September 9, 1954. In the spring of 1956 John and Dorothy would move into their forever home in Mendon, a place of solitude for John that he called, “his slice of heaven”. They spent 47 wonderful years together before her passing in 2001. John attended Michigan State University to further his career in agribusiness and later became one of the first in the state of Michigan to become a certified crop advisor. John was proud to be a part of the first team at Prairie Crop Service in Mendon MI when it opened its doors for business. He helped maintain its success and growth for nearly 50 years. After working many roles and managing Prairie Crop till his “retirement” in 1996, he stayed on in a part time role for an additional 17 years.

John was a fisherman, fishing local lakes as a kid and later taking many trips to Canada with his father and numerous family and friends. His love of the Canadian fishing tradition has continued for decades as he shared this experience with his children, grandchildren, extended family, and friends. He loved tending to his 1-acre garden, which was planted with almost every fruit and vegetable imaginable. He also maintained his own orchard. John enjoyed the whole gardening experience from seed planting in his basement, to transplanting to his garden, tending the plants, then sharing the harvest with friends and family. John was an avid bird watcher. His favorite pastime was simply watching the birds at the feeder from his living room window. In the 1980’s, John and Dorothy purchased a small cottage on Portage lake, where countless memories of tubing, fishing, and family gatherings were held. As John grew older, his hobbies had to change a little bit, which often involved trips to his woods on his Kubota and tending to his many adopted cats. Above all else, John loved his family. Whether it was watching his son follow in his footsteps managing Prairie Crop Service, spending time with his daughter watching their weekly tv shows and going out to breakfast, mentoring his youngest son in the garden and orchard, or simply casting a line in the water, he was at peace.

John is survived by his three children; Dale (Sandy) Hiatt, Tom (Sandy) Hiatt, and Sheri (Jim) Munn; his grandchildren, Jessica (Travis) Balk, Gary (Samantha) Hiatt, Cory Munn, Travis (Cassidy) Munn, and Kandi (Troy) Torres; his great-grandchildren, Baylee Balk, Easton Balk, Zoey Hiatt, Ila Munn, Makayla Munn, Courtney Munn, Aiden Crooks, and Nathan Torres; and many extended family and friends. He was preceded in passing by his parents, John and Genevieve Hiatt; his siblings, Barbara Nicholas and Roger Hiatt; his son, Steve Hiatt; his granddaughter, Misty Hiatt; and his loving wife, Dorothy Hiatt.

Visitation for John will be held on Friday, October 30, 2026 at Eickhoff Funeral Home (311 W Main St., Mendon, MI 49072) from 10am until 1pm, with funeral services beginning at 1pm, where John will be honored by the United States Marine Corp. Following the service, cremation will be conducted with a private family burial at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting our mom’s nursing scholarship with a donation to the Sturgis Area Community Foundation in memory of John Hiatt or to the Mendon Athletic Boosters. Condolences and memories may be expressed to his family at eickhofffuneralhome.com