John E. Romero

John E. Romero was called to be with the Lord on August 11, 2016. He had just celebrated his 76th Birthday August 9.  His love for his family and his faith were his two top priorities. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lovada. Together they produced their greatest legacies – three children and nine grandchildren—Jeff Romero and Renee of Chattanooga, Tenn., with their sons Johnathon, and Christopher; daughter Alicia and Bob Schoshinski of Annandale, Va., and their children Rose, Marie, and Robert; and daughter Andrea and Eric Sumner of Caledonia, Mich., and their children Marisa, Shane, Alexa, and Gianna. He is also survived by two sisters, Rita (Sam) Adams of Joplin, Mo., and Annette (Blake Tobias) Burch of Johnstown, Colo., and two brothers, Raymond (Erika) of Omaha, Neb., and David (Ann Marie) of Austin, Texas, as well as a loving extended family of brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

John was born and raised in Alamosa, Colo., to the parents of John B. and Rose Romero. He has called Grand Rapids home since 1987.  He received his bachelor’s degree from Adams State College in Colorado, his master’s degree in linguistics from California State University at San Jose, and his Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Denver.

John served with distinction as a U.S. Air Force officer for 21 years.  His responsibilities included important work with the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) before transitioning to education and administration where he served as an astronautics and space operations instructor, an evaluation director at the Leadership and Management Development Center and worked in officer training at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy in the Republic of Panama and at U.S. Air Force ROTC Headquarters. He was also honored to teach Spanish and work as an academic advisor to the senior class of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Upon retiring from the Air Force, John began new careers in the private sector. He worked in human resources and training for Kindercare and Sylvan Learning Centers in Montgomery, Ala. He returned to academia, serving as Chair of the Foreign Language Department at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids and was soon named Associate Academic Vice President.

A passion for community service led him to United Way as Director of Human Resources where he led Project Blueprint, a program which prepares minorities to serve on boards of directors. After 10 years, John managed diversity and inclusion initiatives at Foremost Insurance. He also enjoyed several years teaching classes at Davenport University in Grand Rapids.

John was extremely involved in the community and was very active with his fellow Brother Knights in the Knights of Columbus, Council #7341 of Holy Family Catholic Church. He shared his time and talents on several boards including St. Mary’s Hospital and Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools. He was a leader in countless church, school, and community volunteer activities.

A family visitation will be Monday, August 15 from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf Funeral Home (Kentwood), 4646 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. A Rosary will be held at 7:30 pm. The Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, August 16 at 11 am at Holy Family Catholic Church, 9669 Kraft, Caledonia. Memorial contributions may be made to Aquinas College or San Juan Diego Academy at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids.