John Michael Rantz never told his family he loved them, but he showed them with his eyes.
He died peacefully in his sleep Nov 4, at age 48, without ever speaking a word.
Born with cerebral palsy, his body failed him, but his family never let the disease hinder their love for their son.
Rantz lived at home with his parents, Harry and Kay Rantz of Edmonds, until he was 19.
“From the time Harry and Kay learned of John’s affliction, they were committed to his care and welfare,” said friend Mel Tuscher. “John was about 2 when they realized he was not going to be a normal child.”
His mother stayed at home and raised four children.
“As John got older it became more difficult for them to care for John, so he was placed in a medical facility and later a home.
“During this time Harry or Kay or both to them would spend time with John every day,” Tuscher said.
When it came time for vacations, friends and family pitched in.
“Many times Harry or Kay would stay at home while the other would vacation,” Tuscher said. “They are a unique couple, devoted to family and friends.”
Kay Rantz said the birth of her third child was very difficult. When he was not walking or talking at 2, they had a hard time accepting their child was disabled.
They helped form a school for developmentally delayed children because when they tried to enroll their son in public school, his application was tossed in a garbage can, Kay Rantz said.
Her son was content in a wheelchair, listening to Elvis or Alvin and the Chipmunks, his parents said. He loved to sit at the dinner table. His older sister, Pam Roberts, said the other children would sneak their vegetables onto John’s plate.
“He loved food and music,” Roberts said. “They called him gentle John. He was a sweet and gentle soul.”
John Michael Rantz is survived by his parents, Harry and Kay Rantz of Edmonds; sister Pam (Jim) Roberts of Edmonds and her children, Elise and James; sister Patricia (Randy) Ketzenberg and her children, Anna, Katie and Danny, all of Carnation; and a brother, Mark (Diane) Rantz, and his children, Jeremy, Christen, Mark Jr., Barbara, John, Dakota and Cheyenne of Lynnwood.
As a child, cousin Jenny Murdaugh would visit.
“They had this large rocking horse in their family room which sat right in front of the stereo. I remember watching Johnny as he rocked to the music on the stereo,” she said.
“And every time the music changed to a new song with a new speed, Johnny would change the speed of his rocking to match the music.”
She said she was amazed that someone as impaired as her cousin could coordinate his movement.
“He could not get a cup of liquid to his mouth without spilling most of it from the shaking of muscles, but he could react and interact with music.”
She got a degree in music therapy and works with severely mentally ill adults.
“I have treated hundreds of people in my long career,” Murdaugh said. “They all have John Rantz to thank, because it was watching what music did for Johnny that inspired me to become a music therapist.”
And Rantz loved being outdoors.
He would sit for hours on a deck, enjoying the sunshine. His younger brother taught him how to high five. Rantz learned to turn lights on and off.
When his parents walked into his room, Rantz knew they were by his side.
“He would lighten up,” his mother said. “He communicated a lot with his eyes.”
Though he never spoke, he laughed, and liked kisses from his mother. She said her angel was buried in a soft, white sweater.
“He died as he had lived with the quiet and simple dignity that endeared him to all who met him,” his sister Pam Roberts said.”The cerebral palsy may have limited his body but never his spirit.”
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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