John Paul Liddell

John Paul Liddell Age 79 of Naples Florida (formerly of Battle Creek, MI) passed away peacefully on March 16, 2024 in Naples Florida

He was born on May 16, 1944, in Hazelton PA the son of the late Robert D. & Angeline (Veet) Liddell. John spent his early childhood years in the Hazelton area, before the family relocated to Buffalo, New York. John attended local school in Buffalo, graduating from South Park High School in 1962. Shortly after completing his education, John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in the active reserve during the Vietnam War before being Honorably discharged.

On May 28, 1966, John was married to Darlene (Grabski) Liddell in Buffalo NY. The couple began their lives in the Buffalo area before relocating to Michigan when John began working for Consumers Power Company in the early 1970’s. During this time Consumers was developing widespread use of Nuclear Power and John was on the forefront of developing safety protocols for many of the Michigan power plants. John’s career provided the family with the unique opportunity to live and enjoy several different areas in the state of Michigan.

John left Consumers during the mid-1980’s and began working at Kellogg Company and then retiring from Northrup Grumman Co.

John, Darlene & the family all loved being on the water, especially boating on the “Big Lake”. During the long Michigan summer, John & Darlene lived onboard their boat the “Still Restless” in South Haven. He instilled a love and appreciation of music in his children. He was often seen playing guitar and DJing social events at their Marina and neighborhood. John was an active member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he assisted active duty with water emergencies and rescues as needed. In 2010 John & Darlene relocated to the Naples Florida area to enjoy the warmer climate. Over the years they have enjoyed traveling together on various cruise ships and visiting Ireland and Italy. John was able to find his family Veet origin home. John was always willing to lend a hand in his community and used his skills as an amateur “HAM” radio operator to establish communication protocols in case of emergencies.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years Darlene, his children Dawn (Pat) Coltson, Chris (Suzanne) Liddell, his sister Angela Paner, brother Robert J. (Annette) Liddell, 4 grandchildren, Clay, Garrett, Abby and Ben and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Donna Shoemaker.

A private memorial service will be held in Naples, FL and later in Michigan with date/time to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to HATTR Amyloidosis (arci.org) or the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida (harrychapinfoodbank.org).