Jack Stankrauff

Jack Stankrauff died in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Jack was born on July 21, 1938 in Flint, Michigan and grew up in his early years in nearby Holly, Michigan with his mother, Eileen Bogue Stankrauff, father, Emmanuel Stankrauff and sister, Julie Stankrauff (Stoffels). His mother was a before-her-time college goer, graduating from Western Michigan Teachers College (now Western Michigan University) and was a school teacher before marrying Emmanuel. Emmanuel was a newspaper editor and journalist – having a career of owning, operating, and editing Michigan newspapers. It took the family around several towns in Michigan and Illinois through Jack and sister Julie’s formative years.

Jack graduated from Mount Morris (Illinois) High School in 1956 and Monmouth (Illinois) College with an English major and minors in government and history. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1964 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. He earned a masters degree in Library Science in 1965 from Syracuse University.

Jack was an order and circulation librarian at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, head librarian at the Hayner Public Library in Alton, Illinois, film librarian and public relations coordinator at the Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library in Ohio, and serials librarian at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He was vice president of Universal Periodical Services in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He then spent over 26 years at Ford Motor Company in Milan, Michigan, and retired in 2004.

Jack had a boundless sense of humor. He enjoyed traveling all over the world, classical music, and reading. He was an avid artist, cartoonist, and collector of old radio records and CDs. His other hobbies included model train railroading, gun collecting, and writing and illustrating children’s stories for his daughters, nieces, and nephews.

Jack was a member of the Huron Valley Sunrise Lions Club, Dundee Sportsman Club, Yankee Air Museum, Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club, the Ypsilanti Historical Society, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor.

Jack is survived by his loving wife, Janet, daughters Alison Stankrauff and Ursula Adams, son-in law, Bryan, granddaughter, Aleah, sister Julie Stoffels, brother-in-law John Stoffels, sister-in-law Joan Vernon, brother-in-law Ronald Vernon, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Services will be held on Jack’s birthday, Monday July 21st, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1400 W Stadium Blvd #5353, Ann Arbor, MI 481, with visitation beginning at 1pm, and service at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Huron Valley Sunrise Lions Club (https://e-clubhouse.org/sites/huronvalley/index.php), Yankee Air Museum (miflightmuseum.org) , Dundee Sportsman Club (thedundeesportsmansclub.com), Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club (hvrrhs.org), Ypsilanti Historical Society (ypsihistory.org), or Trinity Lutheran Church (trinitya2.org).