By Deborah Larsen
John Rink Nowels
John Rink Nowels was born in Detroit, Michigan, on November 8, 1922, the son of Russell and Grace Rink Nowels. The Nowels family moved to Rochester when John was a child, and his father operated Nowels Lumber Company in downtown Rochester. John attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1940. After high school, John attended Miami University in Ohio and was employed in the Rochester post office.
In April 1943, John entered the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the 53rd Armored Engineer Battalion of the 8th Armored Division, known as the “Thundering Herd,” and served overseas in Germany. John’s unit repaired roads and bridges for use by the Allied forces and cleared mines and bombs that were left behind by the retreating German army. John was released from military service in January 1946.
After the war, John married, started a family, and joined his father in the family lumber business. He transferred to the Lake Orion Lumber location in 1958 and remained active in that business until his death.
John Rink Nowels died at age 81 on March 3, 2004, and was laid to rest at White Chapel Cemetery.