Junior Leo Fendt, age 94, of Chelsea, MI, went to be with his heavenly Father on September 21, 2024.
He was born March 16, 1930 in Farmington Hills, the son of Lionel and Elsie (Rutenbar) Fendt. He had one brother, Roger (Kathleen) Fendt of Eastport, MI.
Junior graduated from Farmington High School in 1947, and he graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Business Administration, as well as 2nd Lieutenant US Army from ROTC. He married Jean (McLeish) of Livonia on October 6, 1951 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD, as he was stationed at Fort Lee, VA.
Overseas duty took him to Fulda, Germany from 1951-1953. Jean joined him there. He was discharged from active duty as 1st Lieutenant in August 1953. Junior worked his entire life at Fendt Builders Supply, Inc. in Farmington, MI. His father, Leo, started the business in 1924. Another plant was purchased in Ann Arbor for manufacturing concrete products.
Junior served in various positions in trade associations, including President of the Michigan Ready Mix Concrete Association, President of the Concrete Products Guild of Michigan, and Board of Directors of the National Concrete Masonry Association. Junior was a lifelong Lutheran church member and was active in church work serving the Lord on various boards and offices. He was currently a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Dexter, MI.
Junior and Jean lived in Farmington for 58 years where they raised their family. They had three children, Sandra A. (Rick) Shrope of Cody, WY, Alan D. (Sharon) Fendt of Dexter, MI, and Terri J. (Eric) Schuster of Waterford, MI. They had seven grandchildren, Brook Schuster, Nikole Bierman, Samantha Davidson, Matthew Fendt, Steven Fendt, James Schuster, and Jessica Newberger; also 18 great-grandchildren.
Junior semi-retired, and he and Jean moved to Meeteese, WY where they lived from 1989-2005, also owning the Bar TL Ranch for a few years during that time. Junior was an avid hunter and always enjoyed the pack trips and horseback riding in the mountains. He loved fishing and spending time with his family, as they all grew up enjoying the outdoors. They relocated to Cody, WY in 2005. Junior was also an avid pilot for many years, accumulating 4000 hours of flying time. He made many trips in his aircraft from Michigan to Wyoming and to many other destinations in the US and Canada.
Visitation will be held at the Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 from 5-7 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at Faith Lutheran Church, 9575 N Territorial Rd., Dexter, MI, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Spencer Biga officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 10-11 a.m.
Burial will take place at Glen Eden Memorial Park in Livonia, MI.
Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Lutheran Church, Dexter.
Arrangements by Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home, Chelsea.
