John Rolfes, 80 years old of Guilford, IN, passed away on Sunday, October 23, 2022. A man of few words,
John was a jack of all trades and seemed to know something about everything. In his younger years, he
was very involved with 4-H. He often took a week or two off work to prepare and attend the annual 4-H
fair. John had a passion for wood working and made many items that can be found in the home he
shared with Pat as well as the homes of his children. He made bed frames, nightstands, coffee tables,
lawn furniture, a kitchen island, and gliders for each of his children. John also made items that were
donated to church for the summer festival raffles. He was a man that could fix anything and kept all of
his “treasures” in his garage. Although it may not have looked that way, everything had a place and he
knew exactly where he could find the piece for which he was looking. John loved being outdoors and
every year had a giant vegetable garden and many flower gardens. He loved any flower that came from
a bulb as it continued to grow year after year.
After returning from Air Force active military duty, John met the love of his life, Pat, when he set up on a
blind date by Barb and Hank Schmeltzer. After immediately falling in love, they were married 11 months
later and moved into a farm house they purchased on Sawdon Ridge. Several years later, they built a
new home on the same property which is still the family homestead. Pat was Catholic and John soon
converted to Catholicism and always remained a man of faith. The family fondly remembers trips to the
Smoky Mountains and their last trip as a family to Indiana Dunes.
John will be deeply missed by his wife of 53 years, Patricia Beiting Rolfes; children Annie (Chris) Brown of
Guilford, Julie (James) Dawson of Indianapolis, and John (Sheila) Rolfes of Guilford; grandchildren Sarah
and Matthew Rolfes, Angela, Amanda and Abby Brown; siblings Margaret Reynolds, Virginia (Ken) Fulmer,
Jim Rolfes, Ray (Gerlean) Rolfes, Fred Rolfes Jr., Robert (Sharon) Rolfes, David (Norma) Rolfes. John is
preceded in death by his parents Mayme and Fred Rolfes, sister Verna West, and nephew Jeff Schmeltzer.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 26 at Andres-Wuestefeld Funeral Home at 25615 State
Rt. 1, Guilford, IN 47022. Rosary will begin at 4:45pm and visitation will be from 5:00pm – 7:00pm. Mass
of Christian Burial with Fr. Jonathan Meyer presiding will be held on Thursday, October 27 at 9:30am at
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 25743 State Rt. 1, Guilford, IN 47022. Graveside service with
military honors will immediately follow in the church cemetery. For those not able to attend, the Mass
will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/aspweeklyhomily. Memorials can be made to
North Dearborn Pantry and American Cancer Society. Memorials will be taken at the visitation or can be
mailed to the funeral home. Family and friends are encouraged to leave condolences at www.andres-wuestefeldfh.com