CHARLEVOIX — John James Witherspoon has returned to Charlevoix, after being killed in action while serving in Ukraine. Witherspoon was a member of an infantry platoon in the second battalion of the International Legion.
The 28-year-old was killed on Jan. 17, 2025, near the village of Vozvyzhenka in the Donetsk Oblast of eastern Ukraine. His family stated that he chose to serve to defend the freedom, sovereignty and ancestral lands of innocent people, comparing the conflict to Native American history.
Witherspoon, who was respectfully given the battlefield code name Geronimo, was born on Dec. 31, 1996, in Cloquet, Minn. He was raised in Charlevoix and attended local public schools and the Northwest Academy. In 2015, he graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he focused on music. He continued to play music with friends throughout his life following graduation.
Before leaving for Ukraine, Witherspoon traveled across the United States and briefly attended Western Michigan University. He eventually returned to Michigan and became a certified welder two years before his deployment. His personal interests included fishing, camping, hiking, disc golf, skateboarding and playing blackjack.Witherspoon is survived by his parents, John and Sandra Witherspoon and his siblings, Sarah Rostar and Nathan Shawano. He is also survived by eight nieces and nephews, one great-nephew, and several aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his sister, Jennifer Louise Witherspoon and his grandparents, James and Lois Witherspoon and Cornelius and Dorothy Tookalo-Dyer.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to John and Witherspoon. These funds will be used to assist Witherspoon’s fellow members of the International Legion. Arrangements are being handled by the Charlevoix Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.Witherspoon will lie in state at the Charlevoix Township Hall starting Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 11:00 a.m. until Friday, Feb. 13, at 11:00 a.m. A funeral procession will depart from the township hall at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. He will be laid to rest at the Greensky Hill Indian Cemetery.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to John and Sandra Witherspoon. These funds will be used to assist Witherspoon’s fellow members of the International Legion. Arrangements are being handled by the Charlevoix Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.
Witherspoon will lie in state at the Charlevoix Township Hall starting Wednesday, February 11, at 11:00 a.m. until Friday, February 13, at 11:00 a.m. A funeral procession will depart from the township hall at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. He will be laid to rest at the Greensky Hill Indian Cemetery.