Guenther Mittelstaedt

Guenther Gerhard Mittelstaedt passed away at home on May 4, 2025, at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife, Janice (Evans) Mittelstaedt, daughter Jennifer (Andrew) Mittelstaedt, son Joel (Angelina) Mittelstaedt, and grandchildren Andrew, Liliana, and Wesley. He was preceded in death by his parents, Gerhard and Relscha Mittelstaedt. Born in Katlenburg, Germany, Guenther traveled by ship to New Orleans with his parents at the age of two. The family was sponsored by a Lutheran church in Wittenberg, Missouri, where they stayed and worked on a farm before moving north to New Troy, Michigan, later that year for his father to begin a factory job. Guenther moved to nearby Bridgman, Michigan, in sixth grade and graduated from Bridgman High School in 1968. Throughout his school years, he helped on his parents’ farm and immersed himself in American sports: baseball, basketball, and football. He was the first in his family to attend college, transferring from Lake Michigan Junior College to graduate from Western Michigan University in 1973 with a degree in Geography, minoring in German and History, earning a teaching certification. Guenther’s first job was at Maple Valley Junior-Senior High School, a rural community similar to where he grew up in Bridgman, beginning in the fall of 1973. He would retire from this job in 2009, having devoted his entire career to the Maple Valley community. In addition to teaching a range of junior high and high school courses in social studies and geography (and even, briefly, junior high German!) Guenther coached many different sports over the decades, including softball, baseball, basketball, track, and football. He was most successful as MV’s varsity football coach, with an overall record of 183-80. His 1997 team was a state finalist, and his 1992 team was a state semifinalist. Guenther had an amazing memory for the details of games and players of years past. After retiring from Maple Valley, Guenther moved with Janice to Canadian Lakes, spending winters in Florida, becoming an avid and competitive pickleball player. He also continued to play softball in the summers at Canadian Lakes, right up until his last summer. Guenther made many friends wherever he went, always enjoying meeting new people and pursuing athletic activities together. He loved piloting his pontoon boat around the lake, especially at sunset. Guenther and Janice celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in June 2024. He underwent multiple surgeries and treatments for renal cell carcinoma in his last seven years of life, but continued pursuing the activities he loved, including traveling to watch Maple Valley sports when possible and spending time with his children and grandchildren. Guenther will be remembered as a kind and friendly person, a loving father and husband, a fair and respectful teacher and coach, and a competitor with impeccable sportsmanship, among many other things. (Despite his good sportsmanship, Coach Mittelstaedt would certainly let referees know when they had made a bad call!) He will be greatly missed. The family would like to express their gratitude to Hospice of Michigan for the wonderful care they provided in Guenther’s final weeks of life. A celebration of Guenther’s life will be held at Maple Valley Junior-Senior High School on Saturday, June 28th, 1-4 pm, with a private burial in Bridgman to follow at a later date. If you would like to honor Guenther’s memory, please consider making a donation in his name to Maple Valley Schools or Hospice of Michigan, in lieu of flowers. To send a message of sympathy to the family, sign Guenther's online guest book, or to share a favorite memory, please visit: www.MichiganCremation.com Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Christiansen’s Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Greenville, 616-754-5638.