In Memoriam: John Guenther

Chris Beytes

Those of you who worked with or for Ball Horticultural Company from the 1970s through the early 2000s will most likely have known John Guenther, the company’s long-time controller and senior VP. John passed away July 31 in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. He was 83.

A thoughtful, measured man, he was especially well-known and respected in Asia, where he directed Ball’s production and marketing subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia.

Born in Detroit and educated at the University of Michigan, John did a stint in the Navy on a guided-missile destroyer. He then was hired by Arthur Andersen, where he worked in their Chicago and Melbourne, Australia, offices.

He joined Ball in 1973 as controller and never left, finishing his career there. He retired in 2005 as Senior VP, after which he and his wife, Christine (who preceded him in death in 2015), split their time between Wilmette, Illinois, and Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, traveling to Europe, South America and Asia. John is survived by two children, Elizabeth (John) Dischner of Wilmette, and Andrew (Tiffany) of Manlius, New York; four grandchildren; and a brother, Paul (Ruth) Guenther of Racine, Wisconsin. GT