Jack Carlston

Jack Edward Carlston was hardworking, inventive, and a genuine entrepreneur. He was well known in Muskegon, the community he called home for his entire life, as a Jack of all trades. A devoted family man, Jack loved being a husband and father, and when grandchildren came along he couldnt have been happier. With a keen sense of humor, he was someone who faced whatever came his way with a positive outlook and a courageous spirit. Jack will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. The 1930s were a time of great trial and tribulation as the decade was cloaked in the hardship of the Great Depression. Jobs were hard to come by and the unemployment rate soared. Despite the hardship around them, Elwood and Lena (Schillaci) Carlston shifted their focus to welcome the birth of their firstborn son, Jack Edward, on December 13, 1933, in Muskegon, Michigan. The oldest of six children, Jack was raised in the family home in downtown Muskegon across from St. Marys Catholic Church which his family attended. Jacks father ran a grocery and liquor store while his mother stayed home with the children. Jack was a student at St. Marys Catholic School during his elementary and high school years. Rumor has it that the mischievous Jack gave the nuns a run for their money! It was shortly after graduating from high school that Jack met Suzanne Bont. They began dating, but it was a long distance relationship while she lived in Chicago for a year and Jack served in the United States Army. With his military duties fulfilled, Jack returned to Muskegon and the two were married in 1955. The newlyweds began married life in a WWII Quonset hut that served as housing for married couples attending Michigan State University. While in East Lansing, their daughters Laurie and Julie were born. Jack worked several part-time jobs as a painter while pursuing his studies in Business. Amazingly, he still managed to graduate in three years. With their schooling complete, the Carlstons moved back to Muskegon and settled in the Glenside area. It was there that the family grew to include three additional children, Shelley, Scott, and Amy. When the house became too small, they moved to Norton Shores, where their sixth child, Christopher, was born. As a family, they attended St. Francis deSales Catholic Church. The family enjoyed getting away to go camping when they could with friends and relatives, visiting Tippy Dam, Pentwater, and Silver Lake. In the wintertime, Jack helped Suzanne entertain the children by entering the citys annual Christmas display contests. Suzanne would create and Jack would install the displays. The children remember waiting with Dad behind the curtains as look-outs for the judges. On cue, Dad would turn on the music to enliven the display. One year, Jack suffered a broken nose when he fell off the roof after his daughters insisted he brush the snow off of Santa and his sleigh! Jack and Suzanne also did some traveling on their own, including trips to Mexico and Europe. Although his marriage to Suzanne ended after 45 years, Jack continued to enjoy time with his children and many grandchildren. If there is one word to describe Jack, it would be entrepreneur. He started his career at Certified Concrete in Spring Lake, under the mentorship of his uncle, Roy Winters, but his imagination did not stop there. Jack owned and operated several local companies over the years and loved helping others develop and market their inventions. He made bicycle safety flags, and, during the recession and gas crisis of the 70s, he pioneered the use of money and energy saving products such as the Coupon Keeper, Mileage Maker, Gas Guard, and Portable Solar Panels, to name just a few! Jack also owned and operated several successful local businesses, including Custom Coatings, Muskegon Tile, and MacJac Manufacturing, where he made down riggers, line releases, and lures for salmon shing. In 2002 Jack met Donna Langlois and shortly thereafter they were married. Donna came alongside him in his business ventures, and it was only when his health limited him that Jack retired. Throughout his life Jack was a man with a great sense of humor and many interests. He was famous for cooking barbequed chicken on the grill, making homemade Italian sausage for New Years, and for his original powdered sugar marinated steaks. Jack loved hosting family and friends for pig roasts in his backyard, playing cards with his grandchildren, and entertaining guests with stories and jokes. Later in life, he spent nearly every Wednesday night at Cowboy Jims where Donnas family band and other musicians entertained. A devoted fan of the Detroit Tigers and MSU Spartans, he was also an avid deer hunter, sherman, snowmobiler, morel mushroom hunter, and golfer who enjoyed these activities with his close friends and family. As time went by and Jack developed Alzheimers Disease he enjoyed spending time at Tanglewood Senior Center with his friends. Jack continued to delight in his family and friends until the day he died. Those who knew Jack Carlston appreciated the twinkle in his eye, his mischievous sense of humor, and his loving and sentimental heart. Jack Edward Carlston died on June 25, 2015. Jacks family includes his wife, Donna Carlston; her mother, Helen Langlois; his six children, Laurie Lokar, Julie Carlston, Shelley Davis, Scott Carlston, Amy Forrest, Christopher Carlston; fifteen grandchildren, Andrew Davis, Zachary Carlston, Ryan Forrest, Taylor Jo Carlston, Rachael Davis, Justin Forrest, Matthew Lokar, Adam Lokar, Stevee Lee Carlston, Lisa Davis, Kenneth Forrest, Aria Carlston, Autumn Carlston, Natalie Davis, and Amelia Carlston; step daughter, Melinda Johnson; step granddaughter, Elizabeth Knowles and her children, Aubrey sister, Darlene Bell; and brothers, Don Carlston and LeRoy Carlston. Jack was preceded in death by his sisters, Lois Yob and JoAnn Firlit, and his former wife of 45 years, Suzanne K. (Bont) Carlston. A loyal Spartan fan, Jack chose to donate his body to Michigan State University. A celebration of Jacks life is planned for Friday, August 14, 2015, 11:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service at the Clock Chapel - Muskegon. Donations in Jack's memory can be sent to Life Circles (www.lifecircles-pace.org/donation/) or Alzheimer's Association. Arrangements provided by Clock Funeral Home Muskegon.