John Herman Wylie

Surrounded by loving family, Dr. John Herman Wylie Jr., MD passed away after a brief illness in Grayling, Michigan on December 5, 2011. John was born in Peking, China on June 11, 1926 to Dr. John Herman Wylie Sr., MD and Mary Bushnell Wylie. A son of Presbyterian missionaries, his early years were strongly influenced by both the Church and contemporary Chinese culture. As a teenager, he moved to Yorba Linda, California, obtaining a Bachelor of Science from the University of California Berkley and a Medical Doctorate from the University of California San Francisco. During the Korean War, John served as a lieutenant and ship physician in the United States Navy, stationed on an icebreaker in the North Atlantic. After returning home, he completed a residency in general surgery at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. John had a long and distinguished surgical career on faculty at Henry Ford, in private practice in Okemos, Michigan, as an Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at Michigan State University Medical School, and as both the Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff at Ingham Medical Center in Lansing, Michigan. Continuing the commitment to Christian service that he learned from his parents, John remained an active and dedicated servant of the church throughout his life. He was a member and elder of the First Presbyterian Churches of Dearborn and of Okemos, Michigan. Among many other commitments, he has recently served as the Christian Worship Chair and the Adult Sunday School Teacher at the Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church in Grayling, Michigan. He never stopped serving his church, tirelessly infusing his time, resources, energy, and ideas. John was foremost a caring family man, a generous, loving husband of 59 years to Mary, a warm and gentle father of six children, and the patriarch of three generations of extended family. His quick wit, genuine, playful personality, and broad interests endeared him to all. He was a natural teacher and willingly shared his expertise in sailing, fishing, scuba, birding, and playing bridge. His intellectual curiosity made him a vast resource on world history, geography, current affairs, and natural science. John loved to socialize and especially relished gatherings involving culinary delicacies. John's recreational passion was fly fishing. The pristine beauty and placid serenity that define the journey through fly-water were as important to him as was the pursuit of fishing. An avid conservationist, he fought endlessly in matters of water allocation and habitat preservation. He dedicated himself to these causes through decades of service with the Anglers of the AuSable and the Federation of Fly Fishers. John and Mary's love of travel took them to China, Thailand, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, and throughout North America. John is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Ruth Eschbach, Sarah Wylie, and Martha Pride, and by his son David Wylie. He is survived by his wife Mary Wylie of Grayling; children Cathy Hallenbeck (Steve) of Buckeye, Arizona; Michael Wylie (Angela) of Brighton, Michigan; Robert Wylie (Karen Cahoy) of Lakeside, Arizona; Carol Lentz (Amy Brow) of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Lisa Bulko (Rudy) of Jackson, Michigan; grandchildren Nathan Wylie, Jacob Wylie, Melissa Wylie, Leon Albert, Samuel Wylie, Miles Lentz, Corey Lentz, Hunter Brow, Ake Youngdahl, Anna Bulko, Reuben Bulko, Josef Bulko, and Gwendolyn Bulko. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 11 AM at Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church, 400 East Michigan Avenue, Grayling, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to: Service Extension Grayling, Salvation Army, c/o Matt Rowland, 211 West Kearsley Street, Flint, Michigan 48502-1393 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Herman Wylie, please visit our flower store.