John E. Calvert, 92, of Elkhart, passed away on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at Greenleaf Health Campus. He was born in Elkhart on July 1, 1928 to the late Leroy and Rose (Cosby) Calvert.

Preceding John in death were his loving wife of 60 years, Marguerite "Margo" W. Calvert (2013) and sons, James E. "Jim" (2012) and John R. Calvert (2015). He is survived by his daughters, Mary (Chris) Haas of Elkhart, their son, Ryan Calvert, and Catherine "Cathy" (Clyde) Prestly of Cassopolis, MI, their children, Anthoney, Tyler, Brittney, and Nicholas Prestly; Jim's children, Jessica Calvert of Elkhart and Samantha (Brian) Wittenberg of Three Rivers, MI; four great grandchildren; one great great granddaughter; and niece, Jeanne (Howard) Brickman of Norwell, MA. In accordance with John's wishes, cremation was chosen.

John was a 1950 graduate of Northwestern University where he met his his then-future wife, Margo. He received his Master's Degree from the University of Iowa and his Doctorate in Education from Ball State University.  John retired as the Dean, School of Business, at Southwestern Michigan College.

John was a United States Naval Commander, Retired.  He served active duty in the Korean War.  In addition, he served 24 years active reserve duty including recruiting duty for the U.S. Naval Academy and two assignments as Commanding Officer, South Bend Reserve Units.

John was elected as Elkhart's 3rd District Councilman in 1980 and was voted Council President in 1996.  John's memberships included the Elkhart Lions Club, BPO Elks #425, Moose Lodge #599, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Knights of Columbus, Elkhart Conservation Club, Reserve Officers Association, Pachyderm Club, and associate member of IARA.

John's family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Greenleaf Health Campus who took care of him the last few years.  They treated John with dignity, compassion, and love, and when expressing their sympathy, many cried and shared stories about John and how much they loved him.

Visitation will take place on Friday, March 19, 2021 from 4-7 pm at Billings Funeral Home. A service will follow with Pastor Jeremy Sarber officiating. A graveside service with military honors will take place on Monday, March 22, 2021 at noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Premier Arts, 410 S Main Street, Elkhart, IN 46516 in remembrance of John's commitment to the city of Elkhart.

Premier Arts
410 South Main Street, Elkhart IN 46516
Tel: 1-574-293-4469
Web: https://www.premierarts.org/donate/