John U. Halter

John U. Jay Halter, 83, passed away Wednesday, April 30th following an extended illness. He was the son of Raymond and Hazel (Mannweiler) Halter and was born in Canton, Ohio on February 18, 1925. He was a 1943 graduate of Lincoln High School, where he was a member of the football team, earning the nick-name of Superman mostly because he was a little powerhouse in spite of his small stature. He entered the U.S. Army in September of 1943 and was a Staff Sargent in the 1st Cavalry Division serving in New Guinea, The Admiralty Islands, Leyte, Luzon and was stationed in Tokyo during the occupation. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Unit Badge, six Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in December 1944 while serving on Leyte. He was also a member of one of original Special Forces branch of the Army, the Alamo Scouts, of which he was especially proud. Upon returning home, he was employed in the building trades for several years, and then with the Post Office at Station C as a letter carrier, from which he retired in 1987. He was always recognizable as the little guy with the cigar in his mouth. He was an avid fisherman and loved spending time on his boat with his family on Lake Erie, which he enjoyed most of his life. He was also a talented artist, a wonderful cook, (a trait that he passed along to his daughter and grandson) and had a love for animals and wildlife. He often was taming and feeding rabbits, birds, etc. in the yard that returned year after year. He had a wonderful quick wit, had an amazing talent for telling the best jokes, loved parties and was so much fun to all who knew him. Even at the end, dealing with difficult health problems, he never lost his sense of humor, which was such a joy and comfort to us. He was most proud of his service to his country and of his two daughters. He was indeed the epitome of the Greatest Generation. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by a brother, a sister and their spouses: Robert & Goldie Halter, Thelma & Ralph Ross and a brother-in-law, William Piatt. He is survived by two daughters and sons in law: Susanne & David Harrison of Canal Fulton, Carole & Ross Mariol of Massillon, two grandchildren, Jason Harrison and Desiree Geier, and a great-granddaughter, Madeline Harrison; three sisters and brothers in law: Eileen Piatt of Massillon, Joan & Bob Poffenbaugh of Florida and Norma & Paul DeGarmo of Canton; special adopted daughter Cheryl Ferris, special friend and companion Sandy Mennell whom he dearly loved, former wives Ruth (Hughes) Popiel and Patricia (Dornan) Halter who have remained his dear friends throughout the years, life-long friends, Donnie and Carol Fleishour who were a constant in his life and always there for him, and numerous nieces and nephews. Jay was a beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. The family would especially like to thank care giver, Norma Knobloch who took wonderful, loving care of Dad these last months, and his beloved granddaughter Desiree, who lived next door to him and cared for him and attended to his needs with such tender loving care. Finally, the family would also like to express their deepest gratitude to the fine doctors and extended staff that treated Dad over the years; he often said he had the best doctors taking care of him, and just to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. A Celebration of Jay’s life will be at 1:00 P.M. Monday at The Paquelet Funeral Home in Massillon. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. Friends are invited to visit with the family Sunday from 2-4 P.M. and one hour prior to the service on Monday at the funeral home. Messages of support and sympathy can be sent to www.paquelet.com. Memorial contributions can be made to the Stark County Humane Society. Paquelet-Massillon A Golden Rule Funeral Home 330-833-3222