John "Jack" Leroy Brandt Jr, 86, of Canton, Georgia passed away peacefully on Sunday July 21, 2024 surrounded by family at Heritage Hospice & Palliative Care in Marietta, Georgia. After being separated from his wife for 38 days, Jack was reunited with his beloved Betty. Private services to be determined at a later date.
Born on December 16, 1937 in Lorain, Ohio, Jack was the oldest of four children of John Brandt and Clara Belle (Lipple)Brandt.
Jack graduated from Lorain High School in 1957 and worked at Ford Motor Company at the Lorain Assembly Plant for 33 years.
He married his high school sweetheart Betty (Gillespie) Brandt on November 21, 1959.
They lived for several years in Vermillion, Ohio becoming avid sailors in ILYA, attending regattas, racing and competing throughout Lake Erie. They were very active members of the Vermillion Boat Club and were Commodore and First Lady in 1988. Jack and Betty enjoyed taking sailing trips to the Lake Erie Islands and various ports in NE Ohio.
They moved to Canton, GA in 2003. Jack's hobby of woodworking evolved into a masterfully skilled woodworker building an incredible wood shop in his basement which he kept meticulously organized. He built most of the furniture in their house . He also had a knack for carving decoy ducks. These ducks were hand carved out of wood and painted to be life-like replicas. He would enter them into competitions and frequently won first place. When he was not down working in the shop, Jack enjoyed watching the Atlanta Braves and NASCAR races.
Jack is preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty of 64 years; his sister Donna Luby; his brother William Brandt and his parents John Leroy Brandt Sr and Clara Belle Lipple Brandt.
He is survived by and will be dearly missed by daughter Brenda (Chip) Brandt Showfety of Lavonia, GA; son David (Karen) Brandt of Geneva, IL; Sister, Beverly Koppenhoffer Martin and grandchildren Lauren Hanzlick of Fort Lauderdale, FL; Allison Hanzlick of St.
Petersburg, FL; Chelsea Brandt of Geneva, IL; and Jack Brandt of Geneva, IL; Wes Showfety of Atlanta, GA and Kate Showfety of Atlanta, GA.