Jack Gerald Carney

Jack Gerald Carney, beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle, husband, and friend, aged 81, of Alto, passed away on Saturday, September 24, 2022, from a prolonged illness. Jack was born in Traverse City, Michigan on November 19, 1940, to Joseph and Lurah (Zeigler) Carney. He grew up in Traverse City and served in the Army (1959-1962) serving in France as a mechanic.

Jack is survived by his wife of thirty-five years, Jo Ann (Weller) Carney; daughter, Venus (Mark Westmoreland) Carney of Tallahassee, Florida; son, Jack Jr. of Belding, MI; and, sister, Bernice. Jack also has three stepdaughters; Penny (Dan) Curry, Samzetta (Gale) Baartman, and Tina Lovett and Jim Anderson, all of Alto; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Preceding Jack in death includes his parents, 4 sisters (Polly, Josie, Diana, Elnora), and 1 brother (Joseph). Jack married Jo Ann on Valentine’s Day 1986 and ‘Could I have this dance for the rest of my life’ was their special song. Every night or whenever they were apart, Jo Ann always said, ‘no wild women’.

Jack will always be remembered as a hard worker and an individual to count on. He was known as someone who would give you the shirt off his back. He had a lengthy career at Kelvinator and several other factories. He worked at the beach and also spent almost every weekend throughout the summers helping at Captain Nichols fishing on Lake Michigan. While this volunteer job caused him to leave home each morning at 5 a.m., he loved it. He helped others and the captain and sometimes even had the chance to fish himself (something he truly loved). He always gave his catches away!

The family thanks all who have helped during this time of sorrow. Those who would like may make donations to the Paula Weller Memorial Scholarship, Caledonia Education Fund at https://www.caledoniacef.org/home.html or P.O. Box 353, Caledonia, MI 49316. To learn more about the scholarship visit http://www.caledoniacef.org/paula-weller-scholarship.html

Visitation will be Wednesday, September 28th 2-4 and 6-8 pm, and Thursday 10-11 a.m. at the Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf Funeral Home (Caledonia), 616 E. Main Street. Funeral services will be held Thursday, September 29th at 11 a.m. at the funeral home, Pastor Robert Holmes officiating. The interment will be in Alaska Cemetery with military honors. Family members will meet with guests afterward at Christian Life Center, 3050 Alden Nash Ave SE, Lowell, MI 49331.