John B. Anderton

Marquette

John Baye Anderton, Ph.D., 49, of E. Hewitt St, Marquette, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, March 2nd, 2014, while pursuing his passion for cross country skiing.

John was born at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Marquette on July 15th, 1964. He was raised in Negaunee and was very close with his grandparents throughout childhood. As a child, he loved to be in the woods- hunting, hiking, and camping. As he was growing up, John discovered his passions for running, biking, and cross country skiing. He graduated from Negaunee High School in 1983. In the fall of 1983, John started at Northern Michigan University. As a student, he participated in his first archaeological dig in 1985. He graduated in 1987 with a B.S. in Earth Science with minors in Biology and Anthropology. He moved west to pursue a master’s degree from the University of Wyoming. John graduated in 1990 with his M.A. in Geography with minors in Geomorphology and Archaeology with a Geoarchaeology focus. John continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In 1990, John married Laura Ricklard. Their first daughter, Karalyn, was born in 1994. In 1995, Dr. Anderton received his Ph.D. in Geography with a minor in Archaeology with a Geoarchaeology focus. He took his first tenure track academic position in 1996 at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. His knack for hands on learning became immediately apparent in his field trips. He even took a group of students from UND to the UP and Mackinac Island. In 1998, John’s second daughter, Colleen was born.

John made the decision to move his family home to the UP and take his dream position teaching at his alma mater, Northern Michigan University, in 1999. He was eventually tenured and went on later to receive full professorship. In 2005, the sparkle of his eye, his son Jack, was born. John loved reading nightly stories to his three children, taking them backpacking and on other wilderness adventures, introducing them to both downhill and cross country skiing, and teaching them about the history of UP through stories.

John was an avid cross country skier, and he truly embraced his love for the sport when he moved back to the UP in 1999. He participated in 13 Noquemanon half marathon ski races, receiving 12 bells as prizes ranging from first overall classic skier to third in age group. In his skiing career, he also participated in the Great Bear Chase, the Seeley Classic, the Birkebeiner, the Brockway Mountain Challenge, as well as other races. John also partook in the Wednesday Night Relays and helped coach the Superiorland Ski Club. John accomplished all of these things after recovering from a heart attack suffered in 1998.

In the summers, John loved backpacking with his children along Pictured Rocks. He also enjoyed biking, and was able to ride the 28-mile Ore to Shore in 2013 with his son Jack, and his daughter, Colleen. He loved being out on Lake Superior on SUP or in a kayak and above the lake hiking the many trails of the Marquette area. Every outing involved a lesson on geology, history, archaeology or geography. He will always be remembered for sharing his knowledge with others.

John was a published academician as well as local history author. He wrote and contributed to scholarly articles that were presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences. Most of his research was on geoarcheaological aspects of the Upper Peninsula from Paleo-Indian through historic sites, most recently including fur trade. He published many works, most notably a local history book called The Jewel in the Crown: An Environmental History of Presque Isle Park, Marquette, MI, which was published in 2008.

He was affiliated with the Register of Professional Archaeologists, Association of American Geographers, Society for American Archaeology, Conference on Michigan Archaeology, and Friends of the Pleistocene. John served also on the board at the Marquette Regional History Center, and the Presque Isle Park Advisory Committee.

Surviving are his three children, Karalyn, Colleen, and Jack, parents, Judy and Keith DeFant, father, Robert (Beth) Anderton, brothers Lee Anderton, Martin (Kris) DeFant, Phil (Jen) DeFant, and Bob (Wendy) Anderton, sister, Julie Anderton, aunts, Marilyn Houle, and Sharon Schrandt, uncle Bill (Cheryl) Schrandt, cousins, Mark Houle, and Chris Houle, 5 nieces, and 4 nephews. He was preceded in death by grandparents, Phillip and Lorraine Marketty, and an uncle, Mike Houle.

The loss of John is significant to his family, NMU, the Marquette community, and the Upper Peninsula as a whole. An intelligent, vibrant, colorful, comical leader, instructor, friend, brother, son, and most importantly, father, will be missed greatly. His legacy will remain alive in the community and hopefully spark those who knew him to pursue their true passions.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Monday, March 10th at St. Paul Catholic Church in Negaunee with Monsignor Peter Oberto and Rev. Nick Thompson officiating. Burial will be in the Negaunee Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Jim Paquette, Cary Gottlieb, Dave Buhl, Robert Legg, Lowell ‘Corky’ Ricklard and William Schrandt. The family will greet relatives and friends at the Koskey Funeral Home on Sunday, March 9th from 4:00-7:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed in John's memory to Father Marquette Catholic Schools, 500 S. 4th St., Marquette, MI 49855, or the Marquette Regional History Center, 145 W. Spring St.
Marquette, MI 49855.

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