John A. Urbonas

John A. Urbonas of Livonia, Michigan passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2020. He was 89 years old. Visitation for immediate family members will be held at the Harris Funeral Home in Livonia followed by a burial and service at Grand Lawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. Rev. Timothy Halboth of Grace Lutheran Church will officiate. Born in rural Lithuania in 1931, Algis became a U.S. citizen in 1954. He served in the United States Army in an engineering battalion responsible for medical evacuations by rail during the Korean War and earned the United Nations Service Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. He married his beloved wife of 57 years, Janet, on November 3, 1962. John started his career as an assembly line worker at the Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant. He attended night school and earned BSE and ME degrees while also working to support his mother and brother and to build a family of his own. A firm believer in the importance of education, he would go on to have a 45-year career with Ford, retiring in 1997. Always an engineer at heart, Algis preferred to find homemade solutions before buying things from a store. He came up with countless innovations around the house, by which his family will remember him fondly. Avid landscapers, Algis and Janet could often be found planting new trees, digging ditches, or caring for the rose bushes around the yard. They especially enjoyed visiting with neighbors. Our family is grateful for their friendship and help. An avid traveler, Algis used his time abroad as the starting point for his impressive collection of records and CDs suitable for any occasion. He would search tirelessly for hard-to-find music, and thanks in part to YouTube he meticulously cataloged hundreds of hours of music which reflected the trips he and Janet took around the globe. Algis will be best remembered for always putting family first, sacrificing in the hope of building a better future, and working tirelessly for those he loved. Algis is survived by wife Janet; his children Julie Johnson (Chris), John Michael Urbonas, and Allan Urbonas (Pamela); grandchildren Kenneth, Katie, Rebecca, Greg, and Danny; and his brother Al Urbonas (Marie). He is preceded in death by his parents Mike and Anna, and his sisters Alytė and Rasytė. The family appreciates the kind words and fond memories that friends and family have already shared. If you are interested in doing more, please visit giving.medicine.umich.edu for many different ways to support research and other needs. Please share a memory of John on his Tribute Wall.