Thomas Joseph Jewett

Thomas Joseph Jewett of Lansing, Michigan, age 78, died on December 26th, 2022. Tom was born on August 23rd, 1944, in Grand Blanc, Michigan, to Joseph and Helen Jewett. He is survived by his siblings, James (Nancy) Jewett of DeWitt and Sue Jewett of Grand Blanc, and by his children: Jim Jewett of Mason, Jennifer (Jeremy) VanAntwerp of Grand Rapids, and Jeff Jewett (Shannon Savage) of Denver, Colorado. He dearly loved his grandchildren: Brittany, Katie, Joe, John (children of Jim); James, Margaret, John, Helen, and Betsy (children of Jennifer and Jeremy); and Socha (child of Jeff and Shannon).

Tom valued family first. He married Jean Haughey in 1967, and they had three children. Tom was a devoted father and grandfather. Tom got down on the carpet to play with the little ones, and he showed up at every school play, concert, and cross-country meet. He was always looking for an interesting new educational or cultural experience to share. He took his kids to school by cross-country skiing, attended Broadway musicals and Kodo drumming at the Wharton Center, walked across the Mackinac Bridge (complete with lakeside-sleeping in the car by the side of the road), visited museums near and far, and cheered on his MSU Spartans at every opportunity. Tom had an excellent sense of humor; he loved practical jokes and teasing his siblings. The family remembers with joy the paper towel pancakes he served on April Fool’s Day and his headstands-in-a-tux at weddings. We could pick out his boisterous and joyful laugh in any room. Tom was intensely curious about all the people and places he encountered around the world. Whether traveling the small towns of the Midwest or the coast of Turkey, he wanted to know about the history and culture of that place. He read every roadside historical marker and struck up a conversation with anyone – no one was a stranger to Tom Jewett. He also cared deeply for the people he met and went out of his way to both learn their story and help them when he could. If you knew one of his kids in 1990, he was still asking about you in 2020. He always welcomed and accepted people as they were.

After studying Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, Tom then continued for a master’s degree at the University of Michigan. For ten years, he worked for the 4-H Extension Service, where he enjoyed mentoring students in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and traveling extensively with them in a yellow school bus. Later, Tom moved to Lansing, earned his J.D. from Cooley Law School, and ran his own general law practice for nearly 40 years. He was known for taking on clients who he knew couldn’t pay, and he not infrequently accepted concert tickets, meals, or simply gratitude for services rendered.

Visitation with family and friends will be held from 4 - 7 pm on Thursday, December 29th and 10 - 11 am on Friday, December 30th, 2022. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Friday, December 30th, 2022. All services will be held at Palmer, Bush & Jensen Family Funeral Home, Holt-Delhi Chapel, 5035 Holt Road in Holt, Michigan.