Remembering John Peppler, storied Glen Arbor realtor, Sugar Loaf skier, Vietnam veteran

From staff reports

John Peppler, a fixture in Glen Arbor for decades and an affable realtor with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, passed away on August 9 at age 75. He had spent months at Munson Hospital in Traverse City after contracting a tick-borne disease.

Ticks and cases of Lyme disease have surged in Northern Michigan in recent years, as the arthropods that carry the disease ride along with northward migrating species as the planet warms.

Peppler, who is survived by his sisters, Linda Peppler and Christine Johnson, and, brother-in-law Gary Johnson, came from a family embedded in Glen Arbor history. His mother, Helen Rader (Andresen) Peppler, was born in 1920 in the building now called the Glen Arbor Bed and Breakfast, formerly the Andresen Hotel.  She and her husband, William Peppler, held their wedding reception at the hotel on December 27, 1941—less than three weeks after the Pearl Harbor attacks.

Born on July 28, 1947, at Munson, John grew up in the idyllic world of the east side of Big Glen Lake. Waking up to view of the azure blue waters of Glen Lake was ingrained into his soul at a very early age. John felt that growing up at Peppler’s Glen View Resort was like living in paradise. John was an active Boy Scout working summers at Camp Greilick, attending the National Jamboree in Colorado Springs and hiking at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. He became an Eagle Scout at an early age.

Skiing was always a family pastime. Water skiing in the summer was almost a daily family activity, but snow skiing was John’s passion from the first time sliding down the hill on Christmas Day at age 5 on the skis his grandfather made for him.

John was a Vietnam veteran who proudly served in the United States Army’s 1st Battalion 20th Infantry from 1967-69. He was stationed in Duc Pho at LZ Bronco. His memorable moments from that time included: the Tigers winning the World Series in ‘68, Martin Luther King’s assassination, the ‘68 Tet Offensive, seeing Bob Hope in ‘69 at Chu Lai, driving Highway 1, mini-guns, quad 50’s, the heat and humidity, mosquitoes, and boredom followed by extreme anxiety.

“Vietnam was a life changing experience,” he told the Glen Arbor Sun during a 2009 interview. “Not a day goes by without thinking about it in some fashion.”

After returning from military service and spending a couple winters skiing the Colorado Rockies, John returned to Northern Michigan and in 1973 joined his father’s business, Peppler Realty. He remained with the company when Peppler Realty merged with Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors in 1997. John was a fixture on the real estate scene for nearly 50 years, and in 2016 he was awarded Realtor Emeritus status with The National Association of Realtors.

Meanwhile, his passion for downhill skiing continued as he became a ski instructor at Sugar Loaf—the now defunct ski resort near Cedar. John told the Sun in 2017 that his history with Sugar Loaf—once the largest employer in Leelanau County—dated back to the 1950s when he got his first job as a ticket scanner at the bottom of “Awful Awful”—the hill’s steepest slope. In 1974 he became a ski instructor and worked in that position until the resort’s demise in the late ’90s.

“I miss the atmosphere and the friendships made the most,” he said. “It was a great place to work and play … It is really sad that a generation of Leelanau County kids have not had the opportunity to enjoy the skiing and experiences Sugar Loaf brought to the County.”

During his ski coaching tenure, John achieved the Level 3 Certification with the Professional Ski Instructors of America and Level 300 with the United States Ski Association.  While pursuing the Level 3 PSIA Certification he became a Certification Examiner PSIA and held that position for over 40 years. He was the first ski coach at Glen Lake High School, he coached with the Leelanau Ski Club, was head coach of the Northern Michigan University Alpine Ski Team and was the head coach at Traverse City St. Francis. In 2014 John was honored by the Professional Ski Instructors of America by being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award and Lifetime Membership.

“Thanks for sharing your ski ‘know-how’ which is a compliment to your incredible teaching ability,” Tina Mackintoah wrote on John’s obituary page. “You talked the talk with remarkably understandable simplicity and skied the ski for sure. I have taken that shared energy, along with your special knowledge and guidance to my students every season. You will be missed on and off the slopes.”

John was also active in many civic organizations including the Empire Lions Club and the Glen Lake Association. He became a Glen Arbor Township Trustee in 2016, and served as a Glen Arbor Township Planning Commission Member for many years.

Known around Glen Arbor for his kind enthusiasm, his quick smile and whit, John was outspoken conservative who nonetheless had the ability to connect with anyone he met.

“He was super at being playful. Being serious. Being generous. Being humble. Being kind. Being funny. And fun to be with. And oh what a smile!” wrote Deb Lynch on his obituary wall.

“We crashed politically. We swam up stream with friendship. His home of hunting trophies is a museum of his passion. And a tribute to his skill. I ate my first venison burger he grilled. I hate hunting. The burger was amazing. You will be missed JP. Thanks for your amazing life and friendship. My life has been forever enhanced with you as my friend.”

A viewing is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 18, from 5-8 pm at Reynolds Jonkhoff in Traverse City. The funeral will be Friday, Aug. 19, at 11 a.m. at the Glen Lake Community Church followed by interment at Maple Grove Cemetery, on M-109 in Empire. Family and friends are invited for fellowship and a luncheon at Johnson Park/Lions Club Park in Empire following the services.

Memorials can be directed to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, PO Box 353, Glen Arbor, MI 49636, the Glen Lake Community Church 4902 W. MacFarlane Rd., Glen Arbor, MI 49636 or the Glen Lake Association PO Box 245, Glen Arbor, MI 49636.