John Clair Tonissen

John was born September 18, 1929 in Banks, OR, and passed away on August 17, 2022 in Rochester Hills, MI.
John, along with six siblings, grew up on a dairy farm near Portland, OR. He served in the Marine Corps between 1948 and 1952.
John married Bettylou Swafford April 19, 1949 at Calvary Church in Santa Ana, CA. Bettylou passed away November 15, 2015 in Bend, OR. John and Bettylou were married for over 66 years.
In 1952, they moved to Detroit, MI and then to Warren, MI where John went to work for Chevrolet in Hamtramck, MI. He worked for Chevrolet, eventually as a production supervisor, until he retired in 1986. John and Bettylou were long-time members at Calvary Baptist Church in Hazel Park, MI where John served and led in many committee and board capacities.
After John s retirement they moved to Bend, OR where they were both active in various ministries at Eastmont Church. Together, they enjoyed almost 30 years together in active retirement. Though John and Bettylou were geographically separated from their immediate family, they loved and encouraged them, visited as often as they were able and prayed for them consistently.
Of many meaningful Scripture passages, one that stood out to him was 1Samuel 12:24, "..fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you."
John is survived by son William J. (Teresa) of Troy, MI; and daughter Nona Rumley (Jonathan) of Lafayette, IN; four grandchildren: William Jr, Andrew, Heather and Jedediah, and four great grandchildren: William G., Amelia, Ellie and Eva. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and two sisters.
A memorial will be held Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at Woodside Bible Church, 6600 Rochester Road, Troy, MI, with a gathering at 10:00 AM followed by a celebration of life at 11:00 AM.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Bethesda Outreach, bethesdaoutreach.org.