John Barrett, August 05, 1943 — January 31, 2019

John’s Obituary John Barrett passed away peacefully on January 31st, 2019 surrounded by family. He was born on August 5th, 1943 in Urbana, Illinois to Charles and Marian Barrett, and was raised in Gross Pointe, Michigan. He attended St. Paul on the Lake, Austin Catholic Prep, John Carroll University, and the University of Detroit (where he received a bachelor’s degree in business).

John was a talented musician and excelled as a guitar player and teacher. From 1963 to 1993, he played lead guitar in several bands: “The Well Respected Men”, “The Disc Chords”, and later— “Reunion” and “Rockin’ Gold”. Behind the scenes, he was known as “Twang”, and used his perfect pitch to work out the complex harmonies his bands were known for.

John and his buddies rocked their way through the 60’s– gigging all around Detroit, playing backup for “The Vogues”, and scoring huge events like George Romney’s 1965 inaugural governor’s ball. He married and had three kids, then started a decades-long journey as a salesman, selling everything from automotive parts to houses. John was a born salesman and tried to charm everyone he met with his favorite jokes and tall tales.

In his words: “there are more important aspects to a story than facts”. He was an avid collector/restorer of classic cars, a weekend pilot, and an obsessive World War II collector. In fact, he had so much war memorabilia that in the 1970’s, he started and ran a WWII museum on Mackinaw Island with his good friend Pat Caldwell.

John is survived by his sister Judy, his children (Jeff, Chris and Suzi), his wife Mary, and his childhood buddies “The Stanton Lane Gang”. Brother in law of Gregory (Kyunghee) Dorais, Michael (Angie) Dorais & Christopher (Shelley) Dorais. Also survived by Mary’s daughter Nicole (Ben) Hornbeck and their son, Mason.

Preceded in death by his brother David. Mary says his bright blue eyes will always be her blue skies, and she will continue to be his sunshine. Family services have been held.

Arrangements entrusted to Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home, Clarkston. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to gofundme.com/john-barrett-memorial-fund Please leave a condolence or memory at the online guestbook at www.

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