Obituaries

John Burke Wallis, age 91, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, passed peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, May 13th, 2026, at McKinley Manor Assisted Living. He was born on October 25th, 1934, in Sault Ste. Marie to Cecil and Marguerite (Field) Wallis.

John grew up in the Rudyard area and graduated from Rudyard High School with the class of 1952. He continued his education at Penn State University from 1952 to 1956, earning a bachelor’s degree in meteorology. Following college, he began working for the Weather Service in Columbus, Ohio, until he was drafted into the United States Army in July of 1957. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State. While serving there, he accepted Christ as his Savior, a decision that profoundly changed the direction and focus of his life.

After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1959, John worked for the Weather Service in Indianapolis, Indiana for a year. He later attended Emmaus Bible School in Oak Park, Illinois from 1960 to 1962. While there, he met the love of his life, Glenda Wilson. In 1962, John returned to Sault Ste. Marie to work at the Weather Bureau. He and Glenda married on August 29th, 1964. They lovingly raised five children together and lived in the Algonquin neighborhood for over fifty years. Following many years of dedicated service, John became the meteorologist in charge at the Sault Ste. Marie Weather Bureau. Following his retirement in 1994, he continued serving his community by delivering Meals on Wheels from 1994 until 2008. Due to declining health, John and Glenda moved into McKinley Manor Assisted Living in 2022.

John faithfully served for many years as an elder, treasurer, correspondent, Sunday school teacher, and Bible teacher at the local fellowship of believers in Sault Ste. Marie.

John’s two greatest passions were the Bible and the weather. After coming to faith in Christ, he devoted himself to carefully studying Scripture and teaching it to others. Meteorology was not only his profession, but also a lifelong interest, and even after retirement he continued serving as a volunteer weather observer from 1997 until 2022. He also enjoyed watching boats and birds, visiting with people, and helping others whenever he could. Above all else, John deeply loved his wife, children, and family.

John is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Glenda; children, Andrew (Caroline) Wallis of Ashland, Wisconsin, Bruce (Danielle Danke) Wallis of Suttons Bay, Michigan, Cheryl (Jonathan) Paine of Madison, Maine, Daniel (Juliet) Wallis of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Esther Wallis of Madison, Maine; and grandchildren, Gavin (Abigail Hager) Wallis, Amy (Eli Blodgett) Wallis, David (Grace) Wallis, Anna Paine, Brianna Paine, and Craig Paine.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Marguerite Wallis; and brother, Robert Wallis.

Visitation will be held on Monday, June 1, 2026, from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM at Family Life Funeral Homes - Sault Ste. Marie, 4951 S. M-129, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM, with burial to follow at Oaklawn Chapel Gardens in Bruce Township.

The Wallis family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the staff of McKinley Manor for the compassionate care shown to John during his later years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Pacific Garden Mission (pgm.org) or WHWL, The Gospel Opportunities Radio Network (whwl.net)

Family Life Funeral Homes – Sault Ste. Marie assisted the family with arrangements. Condolences may be given to the family at www.familylifefh.com.