John William Bretz, Sr.

John William Bretz Sr., 74 of Carmel, was born July 11, 1943 in Salem, Ohio to the late Andrew and Elinor Bretz. He grew up in New Waterford Ohio, Columbiana County.

John graduated in 1965 from Youngstown University with a BS in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing. After graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in Vietnam on the DMZ as an Artillery Officer attached to the Third Marine Division forward. Upon returning to the United States he was assigned to The Artillery and Missile Center in Fort Sil Oklahoma. He was honorably discharged in 1968 with the rank of Captain and was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

John was employed by Culligan International Company, from 1968 to 2004. He began as a district manager and served in various positions, managing Culligan of greater South Bend/Elkhart IN from 1970 to 1978. John was President/General manager of Culligan Central Indiana which included Indianapolis and its surrounding suburbs from 1978 to 1998. He retired in early 2004 as regional manager of central Indiana and Ohio. John was pulled out of retirement later in 2004 to serve as a consultant for Culligan in the companies Florida region for over another year.

John was a member of the Culligan Northern and Central Indiana Dealers Association holding several positions to include President. He also served the Indiana Water Quality Association for a number of years in various positions; treasurer, secretary, and president.

Passionate about being involved in his son, Johnny’s life, John participated as an Assistant Scout Master in Boy Scout Troop 180 and was a member of the Crossroads of America Council’s Firecraft Association. He enjoyed the troops monthly camping and hiking excursions during this time; once camping out in conditions below -10° F. As John aged, he never slowed down.

During Johnny’s long swimming career, John was well known as a volunteer and leader in the Carmel Swim Club. At meets hosted by CSC, John volunteered both in Hospitality and Security.

John spent his weekends and many summers at his home on Lake of the Woods in Bremen, Indiana. While at the lake, John spent nearly every morning at the Bremen Downtowner; eating and joking with a group men whose friendship he highly valued.

John was truly a renaissance man and claimed to be ‘A Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. However, despite his modesty, John was a skilled mechanic and handyman. John’s love for cars began at an early age and lasted throughout his lifetime. His high school yearbook quote was, ‘You can tell the character of a man by the fenders he keeps’.

He was a member of St. Marks UMC where he enjoyed volunteering and socializing with other church members. John attended a weekly St. Marks luncheon known as ROMEO’s, Retired Old Men Eating Out. John also often ate breakfast with a group of men in Carmel, aka ‘The Breakfast Club’.

John is survived by his wife, Jan, whom he married October 23, 1985; son, John W. Bretz, Jr., stepchild Beth A. Brown; grandchildren, Calli, Lorelei, and Jake Kohl; sister, Marge Kress; nephew, Bill (wife, Laura) Kress; great-nieces, Morgan and Taylor Kress.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm Saturday, November 11, 2017 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, where family and friends are invited to gather from 1:00 pm until the time of the service. All are encouraged to join the family for a meal following.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to:
St. Marks United Methodist Church
4780 E. 126th St. Carmel, IN 46033
Designation: ‘Cornerstone Student Ministries – Memorial Fund’

https://secure.etransfer.com/EFT/custom/smumc/Bloc…
Arrangements entrusted to Flanner Buchanan-Carmel.