John E. Held

John Ernest Held, age 88, of Rochester Hills, Michigan passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 4, 2026. John was born on October 23, 1937, in Detroit, Michigan, to Ernest Peter and Clara Louise (Phillipp) Held.
John attended Ferndale High School, class of 1955. He went on to General Motors Institute, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. John's career at General Motors began at the Fort Street Plant in Detroit. In 1971 John transferred to the Tech Center in Warren and the Held family made their home in Troy and became members of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church. In 1980, John was transferred to the GM Plant in Trenton, New Jersey and set up residence in Washington's Crossing, Pennsylvania. 1983 took the Helds overseas to Belfast, Northern Ireland, which became of the family's favorite places to live. John was transferred back to the US in 1986, where they settled in West Bloomfield. John's career at GM spanned from 1955 to 1995. John was Director of Engineering for GM Seating upon retirement.
John married Beverly Ann Krogman on June 8, 1963. They were married 57 years (until Bev's eternal victory in April 2020). Together, John and Bev enjoyed traveling, entertaining, and loved spending time with their family and friends, especially the "gourmet group/potluckers". John also was active at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church. He served as Head of Elders for a number of years, he was Congregational Chairman for two terms, John also served on the Board of Directors for the LCMS Michigan District for a number of years.
John is survived by his sister Eileen Charlotte (Gene) Stine; his children, Erick Held, Katie (David) Priskorn, and Paul (Kris Ostrander) Held, his cherished grandchildren, Jordan and Shane, and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home in Clawson (1368 N. Crooks) Friday, January 9, 2026 from 4:00-7:00pm. John's victory service is on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church (2225 East 14 Mile Road, Birmingham) at 11:00am. Friends may visit beginning at 10:00am in the church narthex. A funeral luncheon will follow at the Dakota Inn Rathskeller (17324 John R St, Detroit). John's final resting place is at Glen Eden Cemetery.
Memorials are appreciated to Our Shepherd Lutheran Church to benefit the school scholarship fund (ASSIST).