Jean (John) Turcotte

Jean (John) Turcotte, 87, of Streetsboro, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. He was born February 4, 1938 in Nicolet, Quebec, Canada.

John was the beloved husband of Debra (Bowser) for 50 years.  He will be deeply missed by his wife, his daughters Tammy Turcotte and Tina Tiano, step-daughter Charlotte Salzano, grandchildren Christa Wotring (Charlie Brennan), Jeffery Wotring II (Alyssa), Erin Hall and Kayla Hall, great grandchildren Noah Brennan, Leonardo Wotring and Ariel Wotring.  His family will miss his beautiful smile, his funny stories and his cheerful outlook on life. He always said that he had a great life for which he was thankful.

The Turcotte family moved to Northeast Ohio in 1956 and John began working at the Ford Motor Company’s Walton Hills Stamping plant in 1957.  He retired in 2007 after working there for 50 years.  Whenever he ran into another retiree in town, they would always greet him by his old nickname, Frenchie.

John’s passion for cars and racing ran deep.  Prior to working at Ford, he traveled across the Mid-West with Bill Reed and the International Auto Daredevils performing in thrill shows as “The Flying Frenchman.”   Throughout his life, many hours were spent working on cars, washing cars, watching NASCAR races and Barrett-Jackson car auctions on TV.

During his retirement, John had the opportunity to spend more time doing the things he enjoyed most.  He loved spending time with his wife, daughters and playing with his great-grandson Noah. He would watch any sporting event on TV and his favorite teams were the Guardians, Cavaliers, Browns and the Montreal Canadians.

John could be found on most warm days sitting on his screened deck working on the Jumble crossword puzzle in the newspaper, taking a snooze or fishing on his boat at West Branch Lake.  Always the optimist, he liked going to Mountaineer to play Keno and loved trying his luck with scratch off lottery tickets hoping to hit the big one.

John was proud of becoming a US citizen in 1996.

He is preceded in death by his parents Albert and Jeannette (Lefebvre) Turcotte, his sisters -  Andrea Rocky and Micheline Johnston and his brothers – Rene Turcotte, Jacques Turcotte and Pierre Turcotte and son-in-law Steve Tiano.  He is survived by his sisters - Lise Coenen and Louise Walters and his brothers - Alain Turcotte and Robert Turcotte.

Cremation has taken place.