John Mark Rosenbalm

John Mark Rosenbalm was born on September 14, 1956 in Crawfordsville, IN. He was the third son of Maryalice (Bailey) Rosenbalm and John Ramsey Rosenbalm, Jr.. He was the third of five children: David Ross, Ronald Clarke, John Mark, Jeffrey Allen, and Robin Lynn. John is preceded in death by his father, mother, and three brothers.

He and Rose Marie (Elsner) Rosenbalm wed on August 11, 1984 and were happily married for 40 years, 5 months, 18 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes. One of his claims to fame is being Oscar and Evelyn Elsner’s favorite son-in-law.

John was the father of three happy, healthy, contributing adult children: MAJ John Vernon Rosenbalm, married to Carmen (Keller) Rosenbalm; Clare Catherine Cummings, married to Dr. Christopher Cummings; and CPT Daniel Clement Rosenbalm. He would say of his children, “Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck,” and “You have grown into a person who would have protected you as a child.” The father he was to his children is one of his greatest legacies.

John’s eldest child gifted him with his one granddaughter, Estella Taína Rosenbalm, who has been known to say, “Grandpa is my best friend.” She brought him immense joy, and he greatly enjoyed introducing her to his favorite children’s books, teaching her to identify pictures of Julius Caesar and the Buddah (among others), and providing her with STEM toys.

John attended Eminence Consolidated Schools for 12 years, graduating from Eminence High School in 1975. His education continued at Indiana State University, Indiana University, and IUPUI.

He worked for 42 years in Data Processing (DP) / Information Technology (IT). The last 17 years of his career were in education support IT. He retired in 2020 from J Everett Light Career Center, where he relished the many inside jokes he shared with his coworkers.

While John was still a small child, the Rosenbalm crew moved back to their hometown of Eminence and resided in a home designed and built by his father, Jack. Jack was perpetually working on a project while tutoring John on the discipline whether it was carpentry, auto repair, electrical work, home remodeling, or bicycle repairs–of which there were many! And thus began John's lifelong journey of having the gift of being a “John of all trades.” He was gifted in woodworking, metalworking/welding, sewing and other textile art, inventing, and engineering.

One of John’s gifts, too, was collecting. He collected coffee cups, jokes, and future project materials including wood, metal, and even fabric. He started sewing in high school, making his own shirts and bow ties. Then later in life, he renewed his interest in sewing; he pieced multiple quilt tops for many family members and was working on three more when he passed. He loved volunteering at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theater costume department. He took great pride in the costumes he helped create there, and lived for entertaining the costume designers with his dad jokes.

But John was really best at collecting people. He was good at noticing you, listening, and connecting one-on-one. He was good at communicating with small children and was patient at explaining science and nature to them. He noticed what you said, squirreled away his observations, and was wonderful at choosing thoughtful gifts informed by what he’d learned was important to you. He had a diverse collection of people who surrounded him, each of them drawn to his warm magnetism and sparkling sense of humor.

As a young adult, John was good at organizing a good time, a tradition which he continued throughout his life. Outings and occasions included trips to the Pizza Hut buffet in high school, WNAP raft races, Halloween parties, pumpkin carving parties, Canada canoe trips, the St. Monica Festival, a holiday Carus Ball, and, of course, the legendary Pencil Night. Just last fall his family hosted their annual apple cider-making party–a ritual which began with John’s great-grandfather and a cider press from the 1860s. John maintained the original cider press so that it is still in excellent condition to this day, having even rebuilt its base this past summer/fall.

What comes to mind for most people is John’s ability to tell a good joke. Another collection he had carefully curated, they came in many varieties, all groan-worthy; Sven and Olie, “a man walks into a bar,” and “did you know…” were some of his favorite set-ups. You either caught on immediately that he was joking, or you ended up falling for his trap. Then you’d have to remind yourself that if his lips were moving he was telling a joke!

John was committed to social justice for everyone. His moral code was based not on the dogma of any religion, but rather on his faith in the values of Christ as described in the Gospels: acceptance, mercy, forgiveness, and loving thy neighbor. He could not stomach hypocrisy, especially that which came in the guise of “Christianity.” John put these values into action by being a lifelong Democrat. He was active in Democrat politics from a young age, and was proud of casting his rare blue votes in the red sea of Hendricks County.

John was a man who put a great deal of importance into everything he did–nothing was arbitrary and everything was a chance to express his care for someone. From secret messages in the quilts he made, to inserting “Peace & Love” in binary code into his kitchen backsplash tile, he was a lover of symbolism.

All these lovely memories and attributes barely scratch the surface of the man John Mark was. There is so very much we could say, but it’s impossible to say it all. Those who knew him understand what a special person he was; those who didn’t know him really missed out. * Note: This obituary was compiled by multiple members of John Mark’s family, glued together into one cohesive piece, and polished until it shone–just like one of his famous cutting boards.

If you are so inclined, instead of sending flowers or memorial items, the best way to honor John would be to make a donation to one of the following organizations which he supported:

Storytelling Arts of Indiana: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/storytelling-arts-of-indiana/donate

AMPATH - Einterz Scholars: https://give.myiu.org/iu-indianapolis/P370015049.html

Luke Elsner Memorial Scholarship: https://jenningscountygives.org/donate

WFYI Public Radio: https://donate.wfyi.org/wfyi/give?utm_source=wfyi&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=page_banner&_gl=1*1y39u0n*_ga*MTkyOTgyNDcyMC4xNzM4NTMzMDQ3*_ga_6CD3XX8B44*MTczODUzMzA0Ni4xLjAuMTczODUzMzA0Ni4wLjAuMA