Obituary of F. John Fuchs

Jamestown lost a mastermind on Monday, January 25th, 2021, when F. John Fuchs passed away. You know him as the guy who spent all year glued to his computer programming his Christmas light show (see it for yourself at lightsonwinsor.com — it's really worth a watch, and you're just stuck at home right now anyway, so go ahead and check it out…we'll wait…), made his beloved wife Margie dress like a ghost for two hours at the front door every Halloween while he orchestrated an elaborate array of Halloween decorations and posted pictures of ghosties and ghoulies at spookyfaces.com, and was the creative force behind the lighting in many of your favorite Shoestring Players shows. His family knows him as an accomplished photographer and the guy who used found objects to make precarious electrical doo-dads around the house (yes, those bedside lamps ARE made out of 1970's plastic bowls and cups, thank you for asking). And we're honestly pretty sure we have no idea what's plugged into where around here. Hopefully Alexa never forgets how to turn on the lights, because then we will be well and truly up a creek. But mostly, he's remembered as a brilliant, creative genius. He was a loving father survived by Chris Fuchs (daughter-in-law Jaclyn) and Betsy (Fuchs) Wolfe (son-in-law Charles), and a caring husband (Margie (Smith) Fuchs is very concerned she will now never know how to program her fitbit or use the Keurig…and she's really not sure who's going to bring her coffee and pastries in the morning). He was a hands-on grandfather who stained our kitchen tables with some sort of…acid ?!…while teaching our four-year-old kids how to make circuits (Evie and Sawyer Fuchs, and John-Warren (Jawsie) Wolfe will miss you so, so much Grandpa/Papa!). And he was a beloved friend to many — including his Seasons Greeters buddies and the many fellow Ham Radio operators he spoke with weekly on the Thumb Net in Michigan. He loved working with his good friend Ed Tomassini on techy projects at the Jackson Center, Chatauqua Institute, and elsewhere. He was a dedicated treasurer of the Jamestown Concert Association for many years. All in all, he was a pillar of the Jamestown community. John was born to Freda and Frederick Fuchs (deceased) on August 18th, 1945, and raised in Holly, Michigan, graduating from Holly High School in 1963 (to the relief of all of the Hardware Store owners in Holly, whom John bugged on a regular basis). He graduated from the University of Michigan with an electrical engineering degree in 1968. He's worked (and retired, and then worked again, and then tried to retire, and then became a consultant, and is basically still working, we're pretty sure) at Blackstone (currently Blackstone-Ney) Ultrasonics from 1968 until…well, basically now...as one of the preeminent (THE preeminent??) ultrasonics engineers in the world. (He told me to say that, so, Post Journal, you might want to fact check.) He was married to Margie (Smith) Fuchs for 46 and 1/2 "time-flies-when-you're-having-fun" years, loved to travel, and had a particular fondness for lighthouses. He is survived by his two sisters, Kay Pearce (husband Ken) and Patty-Ann Walls (husband Donald), in Michigan, as well as his whole brood of wife, kids, and grandkids spread around the country. He will be greatly missed (not just for his Keurig prowess), and we will have a John-sized hole in our lives that we will try to fill with memories and new experiences in his honor. There's so much more I want to tell you about him, so stay tuned next week for an address to subscribe to our John's-The-Best Newsletter. And as you all know, his greatest accomplishment (I mean maybe not according to him, but according to humanity) is perfecting his recipes for fudge and caramel corn (PRO TIP: use imported mushroom popcorn!). Observing strict social distancing guidelines, the family will celebrate with a viewing at Lind Funeral Home on Friday, January 29th from 3 to 6 p.m. A private family service will be held. If you would like to pay respects, in lieu of flowers please donate in John's memory to the Salvation Army.