E. John Chernoby Obituary (1946 - 2024)

Ernest John Chernoby 11-10-1946 to 1-15-2024 John was born on November 10th, 1946 to William (Bill) Sr. & Rose L. Chernoby in Grand Rapids Michigan. He was also welcomed by his big sis Patty & big bro Billy. Growing up John was surrounded by his big wonderful family. He had a brother who was also his lifelong best friend too. I don’t even have the words to express all the Love & Joy that John had for his big bro. They shared good times and helped each other through the bad. And although sometimes distance or circumstances had them apart, Billy was always first in Johnny’s heart. When one calls the other was there in a heartbeat. They are like two peas! John also had special bonds with his “double cousins”. (Mom & Auntie Hooten are sisters, Dad & Uncle Chernoby are brothers!) John often talked of the fun they would have at Grandpa & Grandma Chernoby’s farm. All the boys learning to fish, shoot, hunt together. All the hours spent in the hay barn pretending it was a jungle swing from ropes and jumping in the piles of hay. At other times it was cowboys & outlaws until sunset. Maybe building camps all over the place using up all of Grandpa’s nails and boards they could get away with. As the years went on the cousins2 brought in a friend or two. And this young rowdy crowd became “The School House Boys”. Cousins & Brothers for life! Like most young people at that time, John married a few years after getting out of high school. Ernest John Chernoby married Cheryl Lynn Rice after she graduated. With ten dollars, a Justice of the Peace and a couple of “I dos!” they’re married. Do you? Yes! Do you? Yes! Good! You’re married! Kiss Her! October 29th 1966. They were married for 50 years at the time the Cheryl passed away in 2016. She had suffered a stroke in 2012 and it left her paralyzed on her left side. After four years of fighting to get better, praying for a miracle Cheryl decided it was time to leave her earthly home. She spent her last two weeks with daughter and son, Denise and Jeff and passed at their home. She was at peace there. A couple of years after being married on 11-25-1969 they welcomed daughter Denise Michelle Chernoby!John always like to tell me “at 9:42 we got you!” And I was the cutest baby ever! Just ask John he’ll tell you it’s true. After trying many different jobs John choose to go into printing. So in his early twenties he started to learn how to print on large presses. It was there he earned his “journeymens card”. It was something you needed to earn and it then shows you have knowledge and satus on press. John was proud of having it because it took years to earn it. John went on moving up and then was a Head Pressmen at all of his jobs. As the lead is was responsible for teaching new people how it is done. John worked at several print shops and trained a lot of young men that became “his boys”. John loved teaching them all his little tricks he learned. John printed on many types of presses small to large ones with multiple units. He also printed on a variety of substrates. Even on silk!John printed several of the Ducks Unlimited paintings that were chosen each year by the duck members. He printed some cool Marvel Trading cards. He also some printed many books for a schools at a book company while working in Chelsea Michigan. John had been to the Heidelberg print/training facility in Detroit. During a later visit, Heidelberg had a print framed and on display. It was the best print ever run on one of Heidelberg’s presses. It was printed by John. Yes, he did love to tell everyone about it! I was so fortunate to have John as my Dad, and as a Opa to my kids Kody & Teagan. Dad always had a way about him. When you are litte all you want to do hang out with him, he had a way of making everything seem so fun. It didn’t even matter to me if was actually work, just so I could spend time with him. I always knew without a doubt that he loved me. Kody & Teagan were his shadows once they came along. His two new baby ducks. I could not imagine having anyone else for my Dad. John was so kind with such a huge heart. He would do anything for those he loved. A fierce love, the love of a father & grandfather. But he was also a sensitive man who could easily be hurt when betrayed by those he loved. He would do his best to try to understand what they might be going through. He would tell you it was ok for a man to cry. “God made our tears for many reasons, so it’s ok to use them.” He taught these lessons to me and my kids. John also forgave a lot of people in his life. And not just at the end of his life, but his whole life. A few he forgave over and over. Some he forgave even those who didn’t deserve it. John just really wanted to spread love and compassion and a few dirty jokes. He loved being the center of attention. Always telling a story or what he learned on history or science. Or just being the class clown...even when class was dismissed. Even though John wasn’t the type you’d find in the pew every Sunday, He had as good relationship with our Savior Jesus. John committed his heart to Jesus many years ago as a young boy. John tried his best to act as Jesus would want and wasn’t afraid to ask Jesus for forgiveness. Or to thank Him and praise His name. John would readily share his beliefs with anyone who wanted to talk religion. But he never tried to force his beliefs upon anyone. As an outdoorsman he always said the woods, countryside fields and mountains were the real cathedrals that God made. With the morning sunrise or evening sunset shining on them, bursting through the wild with all the glory that God gave them when He made them. To commune with nature is to commune with God. For everything John could see was like looking at the Lord Himself. “Nature is the living, visible garment of God.”-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe John wanted to live until like 105 years old. He wanted to outlive another old Irishman in the family tree who holds the record. At 77 years old he still wasn’t ready to leave our earth. He was still very, very very was much full of energy, life and things he still wanted to do. His brain and mortal husk was still in good order. John just didn’t have the oxygen to do them and go go go. If anyone could wish themselves well through sheer will and mind power it would have been Dad. A few times I thought he might pull it off. John was still talking about ordering an electric trike until the time he passed. Over the past four years John has been frustrated, tired and at times depressed. But never a quitter. It was never an option to him. He researched COPD and stem cell therapy the entire time he was fighting his COPD. He always knew the newest research that was happening. He just couldn’t find any help from the medical community with this. John didn’t go down without a fight. He did all that he could to help himself. John fought until the end he was not afraid of dying. Having committed his soul to Jesus so many years ago he knew that he was going to heaven. He often spoke of being excited to meet Jesus and other loved ones he missed very much, like his Mom and Dad. John is now at peace without physical limitations. He is walking through the happy hunting ground that all School House Boys dream about. Death leaves a heartache that no one can heal; Love leaves a memory no one can steal. -Irish poem A celebration of life will take place on Sunday, March 17, 2024, from 1:00 pm - 4:00 (or more!) at West Walker Sportsmen’s Club, 599 Leonard Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534. Feel free to call Denise 616.558.6506 or Jeff 616.558.5020 with any questions. John did not want a traditional funeral, more of an informal wake. So please come when you can, as you are! Share some food, fellowship, memories, laughter & likely some tears. Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006.