Joe Landis passed away peacefully in East Lansing on October 17, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on May 15, 1925, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he graduated from Union High School with the class of 1943.
Following high school Joe enlisted in the Army and joined the Army Air Corps in August 1943. The war effort was winding down by the time he completed training and he was never sent overseas. He was honorably discharged in March 1946 and his last duty station was Boca Raton Army Airfield in Boca Raton, Florida. Many years later Joe met the famous Army Air Corps Lieutenant Louie Zamperini, subject of the book "Unbroken" and survivor of torture as a POW in the East Pacific. When Joe mentioned to Louie that he had been stationed in Boca Raton during the war, Louie just nodded and said, "that was pretty good duty".
Joe always claimed that he won his wife Barbara (Bobbie) Burgstahler in a poker game. The story goes that soon after returning to Grand Rapids Joe was invited to a party. A poker game ensued, but Barbara hadn't brought any money to play with. So, Joe staked her, after which Bobbie invited Joe to help her spend the winnings. They were married in 1948, a marriage that lasted 66 years until Bobbie's death in 2014.
Joe began his career in sales at Marathon Oil and later joined Addressograph Multigraph Corp. (AM) where he rose to become Branch Manager in Kalamazoo and then in Lansing. He was a frequent recipient of AM's annual outstanding sales awards. After 31 years with AM, he retired in 1982 to go into business for himself. In 1983 Joe opened the doors on Microform Systems, Inc. He finally sold the business after 15 years of success under his stewardship. In 1987 Joe was named Small Businessman of the Year by the Greater Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout his lengthy career Joe was involved in many professional and nonprofit organizations. He was a member of Kiwanis Club of Kalamazoo, the Rotary Club of Lansing, Lansing Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. In addition, he served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Lansing YMCA. Joe and Bobbie were avid environmentalists with a special concern for Michigan lakes. Joe served on the boards of directors of the North American Lake Management Society, the Harper Lake Association, and the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association, serving as an officer in the latter two organizations.
If the Detroit Tigers Baseball Team was playing Joe was watching or listening. He played baseball as a child on the neighborhood sandlot and made the varsity high school team as a sophomore. He was passionate about the game and a diehard Tiger fan.
Joe leaves behind a legacy of faith and friendship that will long endure. He and Bobbie were strongly rooted in their Catholic faith and active supporters of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing as well as St. Bernard's Parish in Irons, Michigan, located close to their beloved family cottage on Harper Lake. Joe loved telling jokes and interacting with his friends and family as much as possible. He formed a poker group and organized football pools at the Marquette Independent Living Facility, his home in the latter years of his life. His jovial manner, quick wit and winning smile will be long remembered by everyone who knew him.
Joe was predeceased by his wife Barbara (Bobbie, 2014), his parents Joseph (1961) and Mae (Laskiewitz) Lanski (1987), and his two sisters, Louise (Kolasa, 2008) and Lorraine (Sutter, 2017). He leaves behind three daughters Connie Landis Donovan (David Donovan), Mary Jane Graham, and Martha Levandowski and four grandchildren Joseph Donovan, Colleen Donovan, Carrin Levandowski, and Stanley Steven Levandowski III.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing at 11:00 AM. The family will receive guests one hour before the Mass at the church. Luncheon and celebration of life gathering will follow Mass in the Father MAC Hall at the church. Gravesite ceremony at 3:30 at the Rosedale Memorial Park, O-50 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, MI.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Joseph Landis to the American Red Cross, Barbara Landis Blood Services Scholarship (Attn Dawn Carleton, American Red Cross 1800 East Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48912), or the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, link: https://mymlsa.org/donate-to-mlsa/.
The family is served by Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Lansing Chapel 520 East Mt. Hope Ave. Lansing, MI 48910.
Following high school Joe enlisted in the Army and joined the Army Air Corps in August 1943. The war effort was winding down by the time he completed training and he was never sent overseas. He was honorably discharged in March 1946 and his last duty station was Boca Raton Army Airfield in Boca Raton, Florida. Many years later Joe met the famous Army Air Corps Lieutenant Louie Zamperini, subject of the book "Unbroken" and survivor of torture as a POW in the East Pacific. When Joe mentioned to Louie that he had been stationed in Boca Raton during the war, Louie just nodded and said, "that was pretty good duty".
Joe always claimed that he won his wife Barbara (Bobbie) Burgstahler in a poker game. The story goes that soon after returning to Grand Rapids Joe was invited to a party. A poker game ensued, but Barbara hadn't brought any money to play with. So, Joe staked her, after which Bobbie invited Joe to help her spend the winnings. They were married in 1948, a marriage that lasted 66 years until Bobbie's death in 2014.
Joe began his career in sales at Marathon Oil and later joined Addressograph Multigraph Corp. (AM) where he rose to become Branch Manager in Kalamazoo and then in Lansing. He was a frequent recipient of AM's annual outstanding sales awards. After 31 years with AM, he retired in 1982 to go into business for himself. In 1983 Joe opened the doors on Microform Systems, Inc. He finally sold the business after 15 years of success under his stewardship. In 1987 Joe was named Small Businessman of the Year by the Greater Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout his lengthy career Joe was involved in many professional and nonprofit organizations. He was a member of Kiwanis Club of Kalamazoo, the Rotary Club of Lansing, Lansing Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. In addition, he served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Lansing YMCA. Joe and Bobbie were avid environmentalists with a special concern for Michigan lakes. Joe served on the boards of directors of the North American Lake Management Society, the Harper Lake Association, and the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association, serving as an officer in the latter two organizations.
If the Detroit Tigers Baseball Team was playing Joe was watching or listening. He played baseball as a child on the neighborhood sandlot and made the varsity high school team as a sophomore. He was passionate about the game and a diehard Tiger fan.
Joe leaves behind a legacy of faith and friendship that will long endure. He and Bobbie were strongly rooted in their Catholic faith and active supporters of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing as well as St. Bernard's Parish in Irons, Michigan, located close to their beloved family cottage on Harper Lake. Joe loved telling jokes and interacting with his friends and family as much as possible. He formed a poker group and organized football pools at the Marquette Independent Living Facility, his home in the latter years of his life. His jovial manner, quick wit and winning smile will be long remembered by everyone who knew him.
Joe was predeceased by his wife Barbara (Bobbie, 2014), his parents Joseph (1961) and Mae (Laskiewitz) Lanski (1987), and his two sisters, Louise (Kolasa, 2008) and Lorraine (Sutter, 2017). He leaves behind three daughters Connie Landis Donovan (David Donovan), Mary Jane Graham, and Martha Levandowski and four grandchildren Joseph Donovan, Colleen Donovan, Carrin Levandowski, and Stanley Steven Levandowski III.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing at 11:00 AM. The family will receive guests one hour before the Mass at the church. Luncheon and celebration of life gathering will follow Mass in the Father MAC Hall at the church. Gravesite ceremony at 3:30 at the Rosedale Memorial Park, O-50 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, MI.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Joseph Landis to the American Red Cross, Barbara Landis Blood Services Scholarship (Attn Dawn Carleton, American Red Cross 1800 East Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48912), or the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, link: https://mymlsa.org/donate-to-mlsa/.
The family is served by Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Lansing Chapel 520 East Mt. Hope Ave. Lansing, MI 48910.
Joe Landis passed away peacefully in East Lansing on October 17, 2022, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on May 15, 1925, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he graduated from Union High School with the class of 1943.
Following high school Joe enlisted in the Army and joined the Army Air Corps in August 1943. The war effort was winding down by the time he completed training and he was never sent overseas. He was honorably discharged in March 1946 and his last duty station was Boca Raton Army Airfield in Boca Raton, Florida. Many years later Joe met the famous Army Air Corps Lieutenant Louie Zamperini, subject of the book "Unbroken" and survivor of torture as a POW in the East Pacific. When Joe mentioned to Louie that he had been stationed in Boca Raton during the war, Louie just nodded and said, "that was pretty good duty".
Joe always claimed that he won his wife Barbara (Bobbie) Burgstahler in a poker game. The story goes that soon after returning to Grand Rapids Joe was invited to a party. A poker game ensued, but Barbara hadn't brought any money to play with. So, Joe staked her, after which Bobbie invited Joe to help her spend the winnings. They were married in 1948, a marriage that lasted 66 years until Bobbie's death in 2014.
Joe began his career in sales at Marathon Oil and later joined Addressograph Multigraph Corp. (AM) where he rose to become Branch Manager in Kalamazoo and then in Lansing. He was a frequent recipient of AM's annual outstanding sales awards. After 31 years with AM, he retired in 1982 to go into business for himself. In 1983 Joe opened the doors on Microform Systems, Inc. He finally sold the business after 15 years of success under his stewardship. In 1987 Joe was named Small Businessman of the Year by the Greater Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout his lengthy career Joe was involved in many professional and nonprofit organizations. He was a member of Kiwanis Club of Kalamazoo, the Rotary Club of Lansing, Lansing Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. In addition, he served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Lansing YMCA. Joe and Bobbie were avid environmentalists with a special concern for Michigan lakes. Joe served on the boards of directors of the North American Lake Management Society, the Harper Lake Association, and the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association, serving as an officer in the latter two organizations.
If the Detroit Tigers Baseball Team was playing Joe was watching or listening. He played baseball as a child on the neighborhood sandlot and made the varsity high school team as a sophomore. He was passionate about the game and a diehard Tiger fan.
Joe leaves behind a legacy of faith and friendship that will long endure. He and Bobbie were strongly rooted in their Catholic faith and active supporters of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing as well as St. Bernard's Parish in Irons, Michigan, located close to their beloved family cottage on Harper Lake. Joe loved telling jokes and interacting with his friends and family as much as possible. He formed a poker group and organized football pools at the Marquette Independent Living Facility, his home in the latter years of his life. His jovial manner, quick wit and winning smile will be long remembered by everyone who knew him.
Joe was predeceased by his wife Barbara (Bobbie, 2014), his parents Joseph (1961) and Mae (Laskiewitz) Lanski (1987), and his two sisters, Louise (Kolasa, 2008) and Lorraine (Sutter, 2017). He leaves behind three daughters Connie Landis Donovan (David Donovan), Mary Jane Graham, and Martha Levandowski and four grandchildren Joseph Donovan, Colleen Donovan, Carrin Levandowski, and Stanley Steven Levandowski III.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing at 11:00 AM. The family will receive guests one hour before the Mass at the church. Luncheon and celebration of life gathering will follow Mass in the Father MAC Hall at the church. Gravesite ceremony at 3:30 at the Rosedale Memorial Park, O-50 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, MI.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Joseph Landis to the American Red Cross, Barbara Landis Blood Services Scholarship (Attn Dawn Carleton, American Red Cross 1800 East Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48912), or the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, link: https://mymlsa.org/donate-to-mlsa/.
The family is served by Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Lansing Chapel 520 East Mt. Hope Ave. Lansing, MI 48910.
Following high school Joe enlisted in the Army and joined the Army Air Corps in August 1943. The war effort was winding down by the time he completed training and he was never sent overseas. He was honorably discharged in March 1946 and his last duty station was Boca Raton Army Airfield in Boca Raton, Florida. Many years later Joe met the famous Army Air Corps Lieutenant Louie Zamperini, subject of the book "Unbroken" and survivor of torture as a POW in the East Pacific. When Joe mentioned to Louie that he had been stationed in Boca Raton during the war, Louie just nodded and said, "that was pretty good duty".
Joe always claimed that he won his wife Barbara (Bobbie) Burgstahler in a poker game. The story goes that soon after returning to Grand Rapids Joe was invited to a party. A poker game ensued, but Barbara hadn't brought any money to play with. So, Joe staked her, after which Bobbie invited Joe to help her spend the winnings. They were married in 1948, a marriage that lasted 66 years until Bobbie's death in 2014.
Joe began his career in sales at Marathon Oil and later joined Addressograph Multigraph Corp. (AM) where he rose to become Branch Manager in Kalamazoo and then in Lansing. He was a frequent recipient of AM's annual outstanding sales awards. After 31 years with AM, he retired in 1982 to go into business for himself. In 1983 Joe opened the doors on Microform Systems, Inc. He finally sold the business after 15 years of success under his stewardship. In 1987 Joe was named Small Businessman of the Year by the Greater Lansing Chamber of Commerce.
Throughout his lengthy career Joe was involved in many professional and nonprofit organizations. He was a member of Kiwanis Club of Kalamazoo, the Rotary Club of Lansing, Lansing Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. In addition, he served on the boards of the American Red Cross and the Lansing YMCA. Joe and Bobbie were avid environmentalists with a special concern for Michigan lakes. Joe served on the boards of directors of the North American Lake Management Society, the Harper Lake Association, and the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association, serving as an officer in the latter two organizations.
If the Detroit Tigers Baseball Team was playing Joe was watching or listening. He played baseball as a child on the neighborhood sandlot and made the varsity high school team as a sophomore. He was passionate about the game and a diehard Tiger fan.
Joe leaves behind a legacy of faith and friendship that will long endure. He and Bobbie were strongly rooted in their Catholic faith and active supporters of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing as well as St. Bernard's Parish in Irons, Michigan, located close to their beloved family cottage on Harper Lake. Joe loved telling jokes and interacting with his friends and family as much as possible. He formed a poker group and organized football pools at the Marquette Independent Living Facility, his home in the latter years of his life. His jovial manner, quick wit and winning smile will be long remembered by everyone who knew him.
Joe was predeceased by his wife Barbara (Bobbie, 2014), his parents Joseph (1961) and Mae (Laskiewitz) Lanski (1987), and his two sisters, Louise (Kolasa, 2008) and Lorraine (Sutter, 2017). He leaves behind three daughters Connie Landis Donovan (David Donovan), Mary Jane Graham, and Martha Levandowski and four grandchildren Joseph Donovan, Colleen Donovan, Carrin Levandowski, and Stanley Steven Levandowski III.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing at 11:00 AM. The family will receive guests one hour before the Mass at the church. Luncheon and celebration of life gathering will follow Mass in the Father MAC Hall at the church. Gravesite ceremony at 3:30 at the Rosedale Memorial Park, O-50 Lake Michigan Drive NW, Grand Rapids, MI.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Joseph Landis to the American Red Cross, Barbara Landis Blood Services Scholarship (Attn Dawn Carleton, American Red Cross 1800 East Grand River Ave. Lansing, MI 48912), or the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, link: https://mymlsa.org/donate-to-mlsa/.
The family is served by Palmer, Bush & Jensen, Lansing Chapel 520 East Mt. Hope Ave. Lansing, MI 48910.
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