John Mike Danich Jr.

John Mike Danich, Jr., 91 of The Villages, Florida passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages on March 3, 2026.

John was born on January 21, 1935, in Detroit, Michigan to the late John Danich, Sr. and Nellie Bardelli Danich. He is survived by his devoted wife, Ellen Hazlett Danich, his beloved daughters and son-in-laws, Sharon Prince (Robert), Sandra Epperly (David) and Jennifer O’Flynn (Brian) and son and daughter-in-law John Mark Danich (Monica). In addition, he is survived by 8 grandchildren Chelsea (Adam), William (Hannah), Jackson, Spencer, Jenna, Kiera, Lana and Aidan. John is also survived by 6 great-grandchildren Hazlett, Weston, Logan, Landon, Henry, and Philippa and is preceded in death by his twin sisters, Doris Owsiak and DeeDee Hood.

He grew up in Dearborn and Brighton Michigan where his parents owned a family-operated auto repair shop, gas and grocery store along with cabins on Island Lake – where his Italian and Croatian family spent time during the summer. He learned to overhaul engines at age 12 and rebuilt his first car that his uncle gave him, a 1949 Ford Model T.

After serving as a Radar Specialist in the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he used his GI Bill to earn an electrical engineering degree at the University of Michigan where he met ‘my beautiful wife’, Ellen. They were married in 1960 and celebrated 65 magical years of marriage together. They built a life centered on family, faith and love.

John and Ellen lived an adventurous life and loved the outdoors, taking their 4 children camping and hiking across the country. They lived in 12 states together while John advanced in electrical engineering from testing missiles with General Dynamics in the early 60’s to working on T-30 second equipment for Apollo at NASA in Florida. After a career in sales and marketing for GE, AVX and others, he became the Dean of Business and Industry at Rowan-Cabarrus Technical College, retiring in 1999.

He was a faith-filled man and co-authored the book, “The Brain, The Soul, God” that led many to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. John and Ellen attended North Lake Presbyterian Church.

In 2005, John and Ellen retired to The Villages, Florida after living in Statesville, North Carolina for 25 years. They loved hosting many neighborhood parties, especially when the University of Michigan was playing, along with golfing, yearly cruises with neighbors, walks on the boardwalk, playing cards, solving puzzles and spending time with family and friends.

During his life, he was generous with his time and skills and was always willing to help others – especially fixing cars and renovating homes. His strong work ethic, faith and unconditional love impacted so many.

Rest in peace beloved John until we all meet again.

A Celebration of Life will be held for John at 2:00pm on Thursday, March 5th at North Lake Presbyterian Church, Lady Lake, FL. A reception will follow the service at Nancy Lopez Country Club in The Villages.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages or International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.