John Joseph Dauser, age 69 of Grand Rapids, passed away on Sunday, July 23, 2023 after a courageous and painful fight with cancer.

John was preceded in death by his parents Frederick Sr and Josephine, Sister Mary Louise Dewey and brothers Richard (Nora) and Frederick Jr (John and Fred were true kindred spirits). And he lost Sammy, his dog and best friend, who was the light of his life.

He is survived by his sister Jo Anne, niece Jennifer Dewey (whose amazing tender care, dedication and love provided comfort during her "dude's" final days) and great nephew Micah (Sara) Halfacre (who both watched over and cared for John on a daily basis),nephew Brian (Laura) Dewey and Andrea (Tanya) Dauser. John is also survived by his East Coast family - sister-in-law Kate Mclaughlin, niece Debbie Dauser Forrest (Scott),and nephew Freddie (Christine) Dauser. Although John did not have his own children, he was a father figure and mentor to all his nieces and nephews and they all loved him very much and will deeply miss him.

John was a retired builder contractor and his work was always perfect and beautifully done. You could almost call them works of art. He was truly a craftsman and loved woodworking and his tile work was exceptional. His background included work for a cable company, construction company and a short stint as a chimney sweep during his early career. John loved his family in Connecticut so much and they have many fond memories of his trips back East. He may have thought of them as "vacations" but Kate, Debbie and Freddie loved all the wonderful projects that he completed in their homes. John's life also included a short stint with the National Guard.

John was a very caring and fun person. He had a smile for everyone he met. He was happiest when he was hunting, golfing and fishing. He formed many close, long-term friendships and his friends had such great affection for John and really helped him so much and especially so when he was struggling with so much pain.

John enjoyed his food, especially what Jennifer made for him, such as kielbasa (or any Polish food), potato salad, chop suey, goulash, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and Dad's famous hamburger stew were favorites of his. There really wasn't a food he didn't like. And he was so grateful for these homemade dishes. After just a taste of Debbie's special homemade chocolate birthday cake, John smiled and said it all with "what a great send off".

Our grateful thanks go out to the amazing nurses and social workers from Spectrum Health Hospice. They provided John and his family with so much information, compassion, care and strength during his final struggle. They are truly God's angels on Earth.

Per John's wishes, cremation has been arranged by Ofield Funeral Home whose staff were so very caring and sympathetic. His family plans to hold a private celebration of his life at a later time. His obituary can also be viewed on their website. John's suffering has ended but a great sadness remains in our hearts.