John Marlo, age 88, of Southfield, Michigan, passed away peacefully on July 10, 2025, after being surrounded by his family’s love and presence throughout his final days. He was born on June 23, 1937 in Detroit, Michigan to Vincent and Wanda Marlo. He was preceded in death by his beloved son, Timmy; his parents; his brothers, Ray and Bob; and his sisters, Joanne and Kathy.

John is survived by his children: Rebecca, Mark, Dina, and Jason; six grandchildren: Melisa, Elizabeth, Gabrielle, Samantha, Stephanie, and Lauren; and 11 great-grandchildren: Noah, Julian, Sophia, Kaya, Marshall, Joey, Lindsey, Alex, Leo, Max, and Brynn. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Ann, and his brother, Bill, as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews, and close friends and neighbors.

A celebration of life will be held at Universal Lanes in Warren, Michigan, on Saturday, August 2, 2025, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., timed with the Detroit Tigers game. Family and friends are encouraged to wear Tigers or other Detroit sports apparel in honor of John’s love of baseball and Detroit teams. The lanes will be open for adults and kids who want to bowl a game in his memory. 

John, As Remembered by His Children

John was dependable, easygoing, and friendly. A hardworking tool and die worker who rarely missed a day on the job, he spent most of his career as a night foreman at Menlo Tool Inc. and took night classes at Oakland University to advance in his role. He was proud of the work he did, and others noticed. His kids remember how the shop owner would praise his work ethic – something that filled them with pride. He passed that same work ethic on to his family.

People were drawn to John's warm, humorous nature. He loved to talk with anyone and had a way of making people laugh. Whether it was staff at Beaumont Hospital or old friends running into him unexpectedly, the response was always the same: “He’s hilarious.” His laugh was memorable, and so was the way he’d repeat jokes that cracked him up.

At home, John had a talent for fixing things and enjoyed working on the house. He helped Fairfax Street neighbors with their home projects, re-shingled his own roof, and built a porch that still stands nearly five decades later. He took great pride in his lawn – known by him to be “the greenest grass” in the neighborhood – and kept his car spotless, often washing it even when it didn’t need it. For a while, he and a neighbor once made a hobby of picking up old webbed lawn chairs on garbage day – so many piled up to re-web, it quickly got out of hand. John enjoyed tinkering and even worked at Ace Hardware for a time during retirement. When he needed to hire help later in life, he’d often say, “If I were younger, I could do that.” He was proud of what he built – and he passed that pride on to his kids.

John had a playful side – he’d make tents under the covers with his long arms and legs for tickle fights, pull off his great magic trick of making his gum disappear and reappear, and whip up simple meals like hot dogs wrapped in cheese and bacon or English muffin pizzas, always giving them names like “John’s Surprise” or “John’s Delight.” He loved being around kids and never seemed bothered by the noise. One time, he decided to take his kids to the Detroit Zoo by himself, and before he knew it, the station wagon was packed with neighborhood kids too. That’s just how it went – he never blinked at the chaos, he just made room.

John was a true Detroit sports fan – whether it was the Tigers, Lions, Pistons, or Red Wings, a game was always on the TV or the radio. He’d join in the neighborhood softball games at Catalpa field, which brought together kids and adults of all ages and often turned into full-blown block parties. He enjoyed bowling and was proud to have appeared on Bowling for Dollars and a local lottery show with Chuck Gaidica. He also regularly entered The Daily Tribune Football Contest – beating out hundreds of other entries to win tickets to Lions and Big Ten football games. John especially loved baseball and coaching it. For his son Jason, those moments stood out as some of the most meaningful, because it was through his games that he most clearly felt his dad’s pride.

He had a thing for hats, musical clocks, and playful pranks – like the time he tricked his son Mark, who couldn’t handle spicy peppers or pickles. At the dinner table, John took a bite of one and, with a straight face, said, “Just a little tangy, really tasty.” His daughter Rebecca backed him up with, “Mmm, so good.” Mark took the bait – and a big bite – only to feel his mouth on fire as the two burst into laughter. “I’m crying in pain,” Mark later recalled, “but it was so much fun.” John also enjoyed trips to the casino, the occasional lottery ticket, and his bright red Ford Mustang convertible. In his later years, he gained the confidence to travel, even flying solo for family visits after his first trip by jet with his daughter Dina to visit relatives in Arizona.

To his kids, he was playful, easy-going, and proud of them. They’ll think of him when they watch the Tigers or Lions, drive up north, eat a bagel with lox, or laugh with their own families – who knew and loved him as Grandpa John, and later, as Great-Grandpa John. And when they see a red Mustang, they’ll smile – remembering a man who made the most of simple things, and whose presence will always be felt in the memories and laughter he helped create.

From Poland to Michigan: The Marciszonek Story

John was the second of seven children born to Vincent, most commonly known as Bill, and Wanda (Lawrynkiewicz) Marlo, both first-generation Americans. At the time of his birth, the family surname was Marciszonek. The name was changed to Marlo in 1952 when John was 14, in hopes of making things a little easier for the children – sparing them the frequent mispronunciations, misspellings, and teasing that often came with having a complex Polish name during their school years.

John’s parents were both born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and migrated separately to Detroit, where they met and entered into an arranged marriage on June 2, 1934. Both worked in factory jobs – Vincent as a chrome plater at Ford Motor Company for nearly 40 years, and Wanda as a welder at a wheel factory. According to Vincent’s retirement journals, they remained active members of the community, including involvement with the UAW, throughout their lives.

John’s grandparents on both sides emigrated from Poland to the United States in search of a better life – fleeing poverty, political oppression, and mandatory conscription, especially from partitioned regions under Russian control.

Wanda’s father, Vincent Lawrynkiewicz, arrived in 1909 at the port of Baltimore aboard the SS Bremen – a vessel commonly used by Polish emigrants departing from Bremen, Germany. Wanda’s mother, Amelia (Zygnowicz), followed in 1913. The couple eventually settled in Detroit between 1917 and 1920, where Vincent transitioned from working as a molder in the Pittsburgh steel industry to contributing his skills to the city’s growing auto industry. In time, they became proprietors of a neighborhood bar on Warren Avenue – one of the many small, family-owned taverns that dotted Detroit’s west-side Polish neighborhoods. Vincent and Amelia are both laid to rest at Saint Hedwig Cemetery.

Vincent’s father, also named Vincent Marciszonek, arrived in Philadelphia from Antwerp, Belgium in 1902, followed by his wife Constance (Szymanowicz), who emigrated from Poland in 1903. They spent their lives in Pittsburgh, where Vincent worked as a molder in the steel industry and Constance managed the household. They are laid to rest at Saint Augustine Cemetery.

Both of John’s grandfathers both submitted their naturalization papers on April 26, 1917, in Pennsylvania – likely part of a larger wave of filings by immigrants seeking to clarify their status just weeks after the United States entered World War I.

John’s kids remember Marlo family gatherings as lively events full of laughter, tradition, and lots of cousins. With 14 kids between John and his six siblings, summers and holidays were packed with fun and chaos.

Summers often included trips to Warsaw Park, where polka bands played under the gazebo and everyone danced – especially with their dad and uncles. They also recall unforgettable moments like piling into an RV with multiple families to attend the annual Fourth of July pig roast hosted by John’s sister and family who moved up north to Mikado. Along the way, their large, lively group often turned heads when they stopped at gas stations or walked into small-town diners.

John’s parents, Vincent and Wanda, were affectionately known as Grandpa and Grandma Marlo by his kids, who remember them for the warmth, humor, and vibrant traditions they brought to family life – especially during Christmas Eve gatherings. These celebrations overflowed with traditional Polish dishes like pierogi, pickled herring, stuffed cabbage, sausage, sauerkraut, and desserts such as angel wings. Grandma Marlo was known for preparing an abundant spread, even brining herring months in advance and feeding it by hand to eager grandkids. The cousins played, stayed up late, and enjoyed unlimited Faygo and Towne Club pop. Grandpa Marlo, always fun and quirky, brought along a reel-to-reel recorder to capture the family’s antics – never missing a chance to hand someone the microphone. He loved his sports, often watching multiple games at once, and his basement and garage – packed with odds and ends – felt to the grandkids like a magical treasure trove.

Through it all, they expressed pride in growing up Marlo and in their Polish heritage, saying simply: “We had fun!” and “I’m proud to be Polish.”

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