Jon Bottum Obituary, Death – Jon Michael Bottum, who resided in Ithaca, Michigan and was 75 years old at the time of his untimely death on December 3, 2022, went away unexpectedly. Jon was born on September 15, 1947, and he was born in St. Johns, Michigan. Jon’s birthday is September 15. Before he was even born, both of his parents, EJ and Freda (Miller) Bottum, had already passed away. On September 20, 2008, Jon wed the lady who would eventually become his wife, Dana Lambert-Bottum (Miller), and with whom he would spend the remaining 28 years of his life.
Dana would become his wife. The combination of Jon and Dana’s families resulted in a total of seven children, which in turn produced twenty grandkids and ten great grandchildren. Jon’s greatest source of satisfaction throughout his life was witnessing the development of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You could find Jon spending his spare time in the garage working on wood working projects, cheering on his grandchildren as they compete in their sporting events, spending the summers as the “Mayor” of “Just in Time Campground,” or snacking on peanuts and popcorn.
All of these activities fall under the category of “free time.” The term “free time” encompasses all of these different pursuits and pastimes. Both the Maple Rapids Fire Department and the Maple Rapids United Methodist Church saw him as an active member for a significant portion of his life, particularly in the former of these two organizations. When Jon was younger, he used to spend his Saturday nights at Crystal Motor Speedway, where he drove the number “22” Saturday Nite Ride.
In his latter years, he found tremendous fulfillment in organizing the first “Maple Rapids Grass Kickers” lawn mower races, which resulted in financial contributions being made to the American Diabetes Association. This was a passion that Jon had maintained throughout his entire life and which began when he was the owner and operator of Mint City Tractor in St. Johns, Michigan. Jon devoted the majority of his life to working on agricultural machinery; this was a hobby that he had maintained throughout his entire life.
He is survived by his wife Dana, his children Angela Zimmerman (Gary), Stephanie Swan (Steve), Jennifer Geller (Bryan), Denny Lambert (Chris), Darcy Wiser, Darren Lambert (Amber), and Danielle Smith (Christopher), as well as his grandchildren Tori (Aaron) Markel, Bret (Emma) Lambert, Jessica (Jeff) Miller, Skyler (Morgan) Zimmerman, DJ (Le Jon’s grandparents EJ