John David Vann, age 55, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, died on February 6, 2025. He was born January 20, 1969, in Denison, Texas, to Coman and Mary (Jonstone) Vann.
John grew up with his siblings, George, Eva Marie, and Laura. He attended Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie and became a mechanical engineer. He had Troy Benjamin and Haley Alicia, both who he would tell you were utterly gorgeous. He was a simple man, but not because of lacking intelligence; instead, he was always thoroughly in wonder of the world around him. He saw the beauty in observing how things worked and avoided worldly overconsumption. Not even his children could ever convince him to video chat, get a smartphone, or let his daughter take him on a cruise. Haley bought him a jacket that likely still hangs with tags attached, because his old one was "just fine". Every letter he wrote was on graph paper and written in pencil. He could tell his children how and why a bird flaps its wings, where a plane gets its parts, and when the flowers would find themselves above ground after the freezes. He watched the weather in Haley’s town from a thousand miles away and would remind her to get sensible footwear on the one day it snowed in Texas. Sometimes on phone calls, Haley would have to wait while he asked a neighbor, friend, or co-worker a question and he couldn't help but get it answered. A few times, he would call her hours later, satisfied he'd found the answer.
John loved his children with everything in him and was so happy to be their dad. He told them he was proud of them, thankful for them, and that “they were the best Haley and Troy in the world”. He was gentle, curious, and genuinely compassionate. He loved machines, marveled at how they operated, and enjoyed that machines had a rulebook. Haley once begged to know his teen playlist and he told her Led Zeppelin, so she memorized every song. John saw her as an equal, considering every viewpoint she shared, and then bragged about them to his friends. He cried when she told him she was teaching honors English (not many are proud of teachers) but he was. They lost Troy in 2023, and it broke them deeply. Troy was equally as brilliant and witty as John. Haley did convince her dad to create an email so they could share pictures without having to mail them to each other. She uploaded photos of her daughter and pets, and he uploaded videos of himself driving old cars. Haley prays with every fiber of her being that he has the challenge of getting a vehicle running, that then drives like a dream, with Troy in the front seat with him, wherever the afterlife took him. If you met him, he treasured you.
Thank you to the residents, family, and friends in Sault Ste. Marie for being a community that loved him back.
Family Life Funeral Homes assisted the family with arrangements. Condolences may be left to the family at www.familylifefh.com.
Obituary as submitted by family.
