John William Zinsmaster, age 88 of Mendon, died Sunday, June 17, 2018 at the Skaggs Adult Foster Care Home near Burr Oak where he had resided the past several years. He was born in Kalamazoo on Christmas day of 1929 and was a lifetime resident of the Mendon area. He was married to Alice Marie Jeffers on Jan. 1, 1948. Early on, John was a farmer and worked for Kline Brothers Construction and Kline Trucking Company. He was also employed at Little Brothers Grain Elevator which was later owned by Farm Bureau. John worked for the Mendon Department of Public Works for 10 years and later retired from Simpson Paper Company after working there for 22 years. John was a member of both the Mendon Volunteer Fire Department, and the Mendon Ambulance Service for over 22 years.

John is survived by a son, John J. (Peggy) Zinsmaster of Athens; 13 grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; brother, Joseph (Marie) Zinsmaster of Centreville; sisters, Marlene Young of Constantine and Delores (Ron) Hamilton of Centreville; half-sister, Karen (Dennis) Hempel of Mendon.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Arlene (Millard) Zinsmaster; his wife, Alice in 2015; son, Kenneth; daughter, Kathlene Bickel; grandsons, Jamie Zinsmaster and Jeremy Walter; and brother, Phillip Zinsmaster.

In keeping with his wishes, cremation has taken place. A private graveside service will be held later. It is suggested that memorials be directed to either the Mendon Fire Department, or to the American Heart Association. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.eickhofffuneralhome.com