John Havranek, a former physical plant foreman at EMU
for 22 years, and a Lansing resident, died Aug. 24. He
was 57.
Havranek worked at EMU fom 1983-2004. He enjoyed sculpting,
golfing and boating. He was a music lover and was a fan
of WEMU radio.
"I got to know John through our annual property surveys,"
said Dan Salk, assistant director, risk management and
workers compensation. "These surveys are done to review
many of our buildings to keep them safe and avoid future
problems. With his intimate knowledge of EMU's campus,
John was very helpful for this work, as well as assisting
our department on some of the insurance claims made."
 |
REMEMBERING JOHN: A photo of
John Havranek and flowers
were set out by a campus
sculpture, The Psychic Armor of
Aphrodite," that Havranek
created in 1999. The former
EMU physical
plant foreman
died Aug. 24. |
"When you spend several full days each year with a colleague,
you learn a great deal about him, and John and I became
friends through the process. When a building problem was
discovered, John quickly set up a work order to fix it
and helped prioritize each one," Salk said. "While John
could become frustrated when things would not go as well
as he imagined they could, he also was a great advocate
of processes or procedures that went right and were working
well. I know he was proud of his children and reveled in
their accomplishments. You could tell his mind was always
working, and it was fun to listen to him talk about things
he imagined for the future. I'm very saddened by his passing
and know that I'll miss him, as will many others. "
Havranek is survived by two sons, Andrew and Jeffrey,
both of Pinckney; a daughter, Carrie of Chicago; his parents,
John and Beatrice Havranek of Hamburg; two brothers, Larry
Havranek of Ypsilanti and Jerry Havranek of Hamburg; a
sister, Holly Eberhart of Garden City; his former wife,
Barbara Clark; and his dear friend Becky O'Neill.
Memorial contributions are suggested at EMU's sculpture
studio or WEMU 89.1 FM. Please leave a message of comfort
to his family by calling (877) 231-7900, or visit and sign
his guest book at www.borekjennings.com.
For more information, call the funeral home, (810) 231-0200.
Roy Russ, a former custodial employee
in the physical plant at Eastern Michigan University from
1975-87, died Aug. 24. He was 84.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy, where
he received an honorable discharge. He served as an assistant
pastor for Rev. Clarence Hayes at Faith Assembly Church
in Belleville for many years. He had attended the Ypsilanti
Pentecostal Church the past seven years.
He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed spending time with
his family.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Jean; a daughter,
Linda Owen of Ypsilanti; six grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren
and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services took place Aug. 28 at Janowiak Funeral
Home followed by a burial in Highland Cemetery in Ypsilanti.
