Janis Baltmanis

Janis (John) Baltmanis passed away suddenly at home on January 1, 2016. He was born July 6, 1951 to Janis and Julija (Lazdans) Baltmanis in Kalamazoo. On June 19, 1976 he married Barb (Prior) at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Portage. John was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife, Barb; daughter, Amy (Bryan) Edwards and granddaughter, Jovy; and daughter, Julie (Josh Skeen) Baltmanis. Also surviving are brother, Juris (George) and Patricia Baltmanis; brother-in-law, Joe (Diane) Prior; nieces and nephews, Sharon (Ryan) McLaughlin; David (Meghan) Baltmanis; Dan Baltmanis; Kimberly (Bryce) Ingram; Michael Prior; and many beloved cousins, great nieces and nephews, and friends. John earned his mechanical engineering degree from Western Michigan University. He worked as an engineer for Modern Plastics Corporation in Benton Harbor for 21 years. For the next nineteen years, John was head of Research and Development for Lacks Enterprises in Grand Rapids until he retired on April 2, 2015. John found much happiness in hunting and fishing with his friends and relatives. He loved leading the amateurs to find the fish, and took great pride in sharing his favorite pastime with anyone who wanted to try. He anticipated many good fishing trips and lots of hunting adventures in retirement. John was a member of St. Mary's Parish and was very proud of his Latvian heritage. His family was the biggest joy in his life. He was extremely proud of his daughters and their significant others. He spent countless hours watching his girls play basketball and other sports. However, his granddaughter, Jovy, owned his heart. John will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 6, from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 p.m. with Rosary service at 7:30 p.m. at the Adams Funeral Home, 502 W. Michigan Avenue, Paw Paw. Mass of Catholic burial will be held Thursday, January 7, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 500 Paw Paw Street, Paw Paw. Burial will take place at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Kalamazoo. John's gift of organ donation will continue to help others and is being facilitated by Michigan Gift of Life. In lieu of flowers, please direct any memorial contributions to St. Mary's Catholic School or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Visitation Wednesday, January 6, 2016, 2-4 & 6-8 PM, at Adams Funeral Home.