John Lee Springberg

John Lee Springberg of Cadillac passed away on Friday evening, November 15, 2024 at Whispering Pines Assisted Living in Lake City, Mi. He was 81. John was born June 15, 1943 in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to Phyllix and Ollie (Iser) Moyer. John was then brought to the Cadillac area and adopted by Clarence and Mildred (Kilgren) Springberg at the age of seven after losing his mother to childbirth delivering his 16th sibling. On August 5, 1961 at the Covenant Church in Cadillac he married his childhood sweetheart, Karen Edith Swanson and she survives him along with their daughters, Julie (John) Snider of Cadillac, Kim (Dewey) VanderVlucht of McBain; grandchildren: Tanya (Tony) Sanger, Travis Snider, Amy (Kyle) Moore, Josh (Jessica) VanderVlucht, Jake (Kayle) VanderVlucht, great-grandchildren: Colton, Brodyn, Attillie, Evellene, Jaelyn, Jaxon, Jillian, Jace, Jayda; siblings: Alta, Betty, and Mary. John graduated from Cadillac High School in 1961. During his time in high school, John played varsity football and basketball for the Vikings. After high school he founded Springberg Distributing. John also founded, sang vocals and played keyboard for Nickel Plate Band, which traveled and entertained from 1969 to 1989 all over the Midwest. John was also very active in real estate, owning multiple residential rental properties, eventually transitioning to commercial development. He built and developed five Adventure Island Amusement locations, Days Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and the Hampton Inn all in Cadillac and the Days Inn in Ludington. He never minded swinging a hammer or getting dirty himself. After retirement, John and Karen enjoyed traveling with friends and family. Winters were spent in Treasure Island, Florida with their many close friends. While “Papa” John enjoyed all traditions that involved his family, his favorite tradition by far was having his grandchildren bring his great-grandchildren to visit him and “Nanny” Karen in the warm weather. John was preceded in death by his parents; and siblings: Irving, Herb, Gerald “Sonny”, Kathleen, Pattie, Merna, Virginia, Phyllix “Dutch”, Barb, Lester, Billy and baby Glen. Memorial services will be held 3:00 PM Sunday, December 8, 2024 at Peterson Funeral and Cremation Services in Cadillac. Visitation will be prior to the services from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Cremation has taken place and burial will be at Maple Hill Cemetery in Cadillac on a later date. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Michigan Cadillac Chapter or The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.

John Lee Springberg

June 15, 1943 - November 15, 2024