Born: May 19, 1957

Died: Dec. 5, 2012

John Grissom, 55, of Keeler, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, at his home.

John was born May 19, 1957, in Benton Harbor, son of John and Hannah (Baldwin) Grissom. John was preceded in passing by his father on June 24, 2010, and by his grandparents.

John served his country proudly in the U.S. Army during Vietnam. He was formerly employed as a mechanic at the Flying J, which is now Petro in Benton Harbor.

John loved riding horses, going to flee markets and garage sales and got hooked going to the Four Winds Casino in Hartford.

John is survived by: his loving family, which consists of his children, Hope Grissom and Derek Grissom, both of Hartford, Eric (Carrie) Grissom of Dowagiac, Cody Grissom of Reno, Nevada, Shelby Grissom of Benton Harbor and Dusty Alsup of Covert.

He is also survived by: eight grandchildren; his mother, Hannah Grissom of Hartford; two sisters, Esther Sotelo of Knoxville, Tenn., and Hope (Kirk) Davis of Canal Winchester, Ohio, and numerous nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.

The family welcomed friends from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at Calvin Funeral Home, Hartford, where at 3:30 military rites were conducted by the North Berrien Military Rites Team.

The Rev. Heather McDougall of Keeler United Methodist Church will then have John’s celebration of life service. Cremation is to follow those services. Those wishing to leave condolences may do so by visiting the web site at http://www.calvin-leonardfh.com.