John Edward Dunbar
John Edward Dunbar, 67, of Onaway, died at home Thursday, May 5, 2022. The son of John Edward and Margaret “Maggie” (Dennis) Dunbar, John was born July 19, 1954, in Paris, France where his father was stationed with the military.
A longtime resident of Onaway, John worked at the United Auto Workers Education Center at Black Lake. During his 38 years of employment at the center, John was active with the union, serving as union steward, bargaining chairperson, and financial secretary. He worked in nearly every department from maintenance to bartending and was very well-liked by his co-workers. Following retirement, John took on a hobby job when he bought the Onaway Subway store. His favorite part of running Subway was visiting with his customers. With a big heart for helping others in the community, John was an EMT (emergency medical technician) with the Onaway Ambulance for many years as well as a volunteer firefighter with the Onaway Fire Department.
John’s greatest passion was the outdoors. He loved the woods and waters of northern Michigan where he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He loved fishing trips to Canada with the guys, the camaraderie shared with his hunting and fishing buddies and playing cards at deer and fish camp. There was not a season of the year when John couldn’t find a reason to head for the woods. He enjoyed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months, roaming the hardwoods each spring in search of morel mushrooms, sometimes hitting the jackpot by finding an elk shed along the way, and picking blackberries during summertime. John loved going to his hunting property where he was often found on his tractor making improvements to the land or cutting firewood.
With marriages to two special ladies, John married Paula Minier July 11, 1980. They were blessed with 27 loving years before Paula’s untimely passing in 2007. He later married Ellen Holda-Ross January 11, 2011 and they enjoyed 11 happy years together. The other special lady in his life was his mother, Maggie. He adored her and did his best to take special care of her. John was a devoted son, a loving husband, and a wonderful stepfather, who treated his stepchildren as they were his own. He was proud of his grandchildren and loved watching them as they grew from children into adults. He enjoyed watching them play their sports and loved talking hunting and fishing with them. John was a planner; he was efficient, extremely organized, thorough, and prepared in everything he did. He would do anything he could to help hi
John will be missed by his wife, Ellen, of Onaway; mother, Maggie of Gaylord; brothers, Rick (Angela) of Cheboygan and Anthony “Tony” (Sandra) of South Carolina; stepchildren, Mark (Carol) Walker, Shawn (Lisa) Walker, Vivien Ross (Dave Mulet), Spencer Ross, and Mitchell Ross; as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his wife, Paula; a stepson, Steve Walker; and his father, John Dunbar.
John’s family will receive friends at Chagnon Funeral Home Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. until the time of the memorial service beginning at 11 a.m. followed by a luncheon at St. Paul Hall. The Rev. Michael Sullivan will officiate. John’s final resting place will be at Riverside Cemetery in Millersburg. Those planning an expression of sympathy please consider a donation in memory of John to the Onaway Ambulance Equipment Fund.