John A. Scheetz

JOHN A. SCHEETZ
A man of integrity, wisdom, and generosity, John Aloysius Scheetz passed away peacefully on February 25, 2024 at his home on Atwood Lake.
First and foremost, John was a family man. Born on October 20, 1941 in Canton, Ohio, he grew up with his parents, ten siblings, and beloved Gramp at the family homestead at 13th and Spring. Other children were often welcomed into the home, too, such as his first cousin Dave Shaw. One of John's favorite childhood memories was sitting at the big dinner table with the adults, as they played cards and told stories.
John attended St. Peter's Catholic Grade School, then Central Catholic High School, where he was clarinet first chair and played basketball and baseball. Throughout grade school and high school, he worked at Laubacher's Furniture after school and on weekends; he was even younger when he had his first job, setting pins at Maloney Lanes Bowling Alley. As an Honor Carrier for the Canton Repository, John was able to keep himself in chocolate shakes at the drugstore at 12th and Walnut.
At 17-years-old, John graduated from high school. At 18, he began working for the Timken Company as an apprentice machinist, earning his journeyman's card. A year later, John became a full-time student at Walsh College, while continuing to work full time at Timken. At Walsh, he majored in accounting, minored in philosophy and religion, and played intramural softball, basketball, and football. John was a proud 1964 Walsh graduate, the college's inaugural class.
He joined the accounting firm Hall, Kistler & Co., earned his CPA license, and became the firm's youngest partner. John served as treasurer and/or controller at numerous Canton companies, including Merit Plastics, Union Metal, Todd Medical (later Medtronic), and Wadsworth Alert Laboratories (later Corning). At age 59, he retired as CFO from Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co.
During college, John met Nancy O'Hara at a Commodore Barry Club event for Catholic singles (interestingly, both sets of their parents also met at a Barry Club social). They were married during John's senior year at Walsh. A year later, the couple bought a house and began having their children, Melanie "Mel" (1965), Theresemarie "Therese" (1967), Daniel "Danno" (1970), and Katie "Sweet Pea" (1975). Their kids loved being raised at The House on Logan, where there were a flurry of parties and celebrations with family and friends.
In 1976, John and Nancy purchased a cottage on Atwood Lake. On weekends, the family made the 40-minute drive to enjoy swimming and boating. Frequently, they were joined by John's brothers, sisters, their children, and the Shaws.
John's kids share special childhood memories, such as joining him for social events at the Knights of Columbus, where he was a lifelong member of Council 341, participating in golf, bowling, softball, and fumbleball leagues. They also have fond memories of him carving buckeye rings for them from the massive back yard buckeye tree.
Each of the children have their favorite remembrances of their dad, too. Melanie's is spending time with him as he renovated The House on Logan, especially stripping wall paper and putting in new electric. Therese's is that, despite John's pride in his yard, he allowed the kids to keep the "pitcher's mound" in the front yard: a worn spot in the grass from endless kickball games. Danny's favorite childhood memory is his dad attending hundreds of soccer games, travelling together to San Antonio and Los Angeles for the World Games for the Deaf, and how John surprised Danny at the airport upon arriving back from the New Zealand games. Katie's is John teaching her how to use power tools. She even started using a band saw at age eight (we assume that he was not as concerned about safety by the time the fourth child came along).
Although John and Nancy divorced, they insisted on a joint custody arrangement, which was unheard of at the time. He purchased a house on Vassar Ave, only four blocks away from The House on Logan, and the children spent two weeks out of every month with him.
John's children remember him as providing unconditional love, acceptance, and support. He was generous, doing anything he could for family, friends, and even an occasional stranger. He taught his children to work hard, take care of each other, and share with others whenever possible.
After retirement, John tore down the old cottage, built a home on the same site, and moved to Atwood permanently. Even retired, he continued working, building docks for the Atwood Marina, accepting contracts for financial work, and helping online users with Excel, such as PhD candidates around the world in need of help organizing data.
Over the years, John made many wonderful friends at Atwood, especially Bob and Betty Broad, Ken and Michele Engstrom, Sean O'Brien, and the Gaetanos. John served as President of the Atwood Glens and the Anchor Lane Beach Association. For many years, he was a member of the Atwood Yacht Club.
John's children loved to visit him at Atwood. They had beautiful Holiday traditions together, including Christmas Eve eggnog, Christmas morning gifts, and New Year's Eve pork roast and sauerkraut. Fourth of July traditions included the annual golf cart parade, rides on the pontoon boat, and cookouts.
Regardless of the season, John insisted on nourishing the family, making everyone's favorite meals, complete with adjustments for whichever special diet his kids were on at the time. His specialties were macaroni and cheese, pasta and meatballs, and ribs. The family enjoyed dinner together each night at a big table for twelve. After, they often played cards and told stories.
Over the years, John's children met significant others, whom he readily accepted as his own. He was delighted when five grandchildren, Jonay (1996), Joseph "Joe" (1998), Lazarus "Laz" (2004), Xavier "Xav" (2005), and Zealand "Z" (2008), came along. For several years running, John was always seen carrying one of his grandbabies around.
Ten years after John moved to Atwood Lake, his daughter, Therese, moved to Atwood, too. He couldn't have been happier! John became very involved in helping raise Laz, babysitting, driving to and from school, and helping with homework. When Laz turned 10, John began teaching his grandson the special recipes, starting with pork roast.
When his grandchildren came to Atwood, John made sure that the boat, beach, and basketball hoop were ready to go. They loved Grandpa's waffles, the never-ending jar of M & M's, and having the run of the basement to play soccer, Nerf guns, or ball tag. Most importantly, John taught all of his grandchildren the importance of family and being true to yourself.
John will be missed incredibly. He was a good man and leaves a huge void in the lives of his children and their significant others, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, siblings, friends, and those at Atwood Lake.
John is survived by Nancy O'Hara; children Melanie Therese Scheetz (Bruce Reed), Theresemarie Scheetz, Daniel John Scheetz, and Katie Elizabeth Scheetz; grandchildren Jonay Elizabeth Scheetz Reed, Joseph Alan Scheetz Reed, Lazarus Atwood Scheetz Smith, Xavier Jorddon Scheetz, and Zealand Ollie Scheetz; greatgrandchildren Temperance Renee Salmond and Blair Katherine Reed; siblings Edward Joseph (Sandy) Scheetz, Joseph Francis (Constance) Scheetz, Thomas Ignatius (Patricia) Scheetz, Frances Rita (Joanne) Scheetz, Jean Marie Lung, and Michael Gregory Scheetz; special cousins: Elizabeth "Betsy" (née Kintz) Collins, John Kintz, and the entire Shaw Family; and many godchildren, nieces, and nephews. As he learned from his mother, Dorothy, once you are family, you are always considered family. John always held a special place in his heart for Matthew Smith, Jenna Goans, and Sidi Samba Elabd.
John is preceded in death by his father, Joseph Aloysius Scheetz, mother, Dorothy Frances (née Kintz) Scheetz, sisters Mary Ann Scheetz and Catherine "Aunt Cath" Elizabeth Scheetz, and brothers William "Bill" Patrick Scheetz (survived by Teresa) and James "Jim" William Scheetz (survived by Sophie), and nephew Thomas "Ti" Ignatius Scheetz.
Visitation will be at Lamiell Funeral Home, 1353 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44703, on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from noon to 2:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Walsh University Social Justice Initiative, Department of Philanthropy, 2020 E Maple St, North Canton, Ohio 44720.