John Michael Belka passed away, at the age of 91. He was born on April 15, 1933, in Lowell, MA to Michael and Madeline (née Heaton) Belka, but he called Severna Park, Maryland home for over 47 years. Although he is gone, he will live in our hearts forever.

He is survived by his children—son Sean and his wife Anne Belka of Pinehurst, NC; Sean's children Cole Belka of Boston, MA; Megan Belka of Nashville, TN and Kevin Benstead and his fiancée Trice Foley of Tampa, Fl; son Colin Belka and his partner Daphne Filiopoulos of Crownsville, MD; and daughter MaryBeth Belka of London, England.

The first-born and last remaining sibling of four, he graduated from Punchard High School in 1950, in Andover, MA and went on to Bowdoin College, graduating in 1954. John was very grateful to his high-school guidance counsellor for helping him apply to Bowdoin. A member of PSI Upsilon fraternity, he loved his time at Bowdoin and the many friends he met and remained friends with over his four years and beyond.

John served in Germany as a 1st Lieutenant for the US Army from 1955-1957. He married Maureen Courtney of New York City on January 17, 1959, in the chapel of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan and they were married for 58 years.

Professionally, he spent most of his life in the furniture business. First as a department store buyer, as Sheraton's furniture purchasing agent and ultimately spent 35 years as a manufacturing representative.

In Severna Park, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 19 years, collected toiletries for the homeless and Christmas stockings for US soldiers abroad. John was also a former president of the Berrywood Community Association and of the Parish Council at St. Dominick Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

John's real passion was for bridge. In retirement, he took up duplicate bridge and continued to play online until the day he passed. He met many dear friends over the years travelling to various bridge tournaments on the East Coast and achieved Sapphire Master Status.

He moved to Brightview in Severna Park in 2019. Whilst he was there, he created a committee to bring recycling to the facility, began and ran a chat group for the men of Brightview and enjoyed lightly harassing management until they served local produce in the summer. John stood up for tenants' rights and was a spirited character known to wear funny hats and wild shirts at happy hour. He was sure to bring a smile to your face, and beloved by many.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 1:00 pm in the Garten Restaurant, 849 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Severna Park, MD 21146.

To honor John's colorful spirit, please wear a funny hat, wild shirt, or something that would have made him smile.

Please RSVP by email to megan.belka@gmail.com or call MB at 410-991-6864

To view a slideshow provided by the family, please click here .