John Ferrell

FERRELL, JOHN- Of Grand Blanc, age 92, passed away Thursday, January 15, 2026. 

Funeral services will be held at 11am Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road, Flint, Pastor Dan Bowman officiating.

Visitation will be held from 2-5pm on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the funeral home. 

Burial will be private at Maple Cemetery.

John was born in Pontiac, Michigan on November 18, 1933, the son of late Millard and Ethel Ferrell. 

Although a graduate of Flint Technical HS and GMI, his fondest memories were of days spent with neighbors and friends at Cody Elementary and McKinley Junior High.

John served in the U.S. Army in the 41st Infantry Division, stationed in Germany.

He spent his entire career with General Motors at the Fisher Body I plant working as a Labor Relations Specialist for skilled trades. He made many friends among both salaried and hourly personnel over the years. 

For years, he enjoyed the mantel clock that sat on his fireplace mantel for 49 years, which he had put together from scattered parts in a box. He had to make the parts that were missing. He repaired clocks for many years for friends and acquaintances and was a member of Chapter 67 of NAWCC. He also liked computers and belonged to HUG. He loved to read and especially enjoyed the works of author Anne Perry and her Victorian mystery series.

He was very handy and enjoyed working with his hands and sharing his talents. He especially enjoyed his vegetable gardens, and shared or sold his extra produce.

In his retirement, he took up the hobby of flying radio-controlled model airplanes. He enjoyed the building process as much as the actual flying.

John is survived by his wife, Joan, and his sister, Sandra Raffelli. Also, his nieces Wendy Freeman (Jeff), Amy Kelley (Blaine) and great niece Lauren Buchowski and her fiancé Kyle Sasutona. 

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Millard Ferrell.

A special thanks goes to the Care Team Hospice Group who took care of him in his final days. We'd like to thank particularly Jessica and Tiffany. A thanks also goes to the staff at Springvale Assisted Living.

He loved classical music and was a huge fan of Masterpiece Theatre. So, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to WKAR radio at Michigan State University or Delta College Public Media.