Remembering Jack Hubbard: Alger County leader dies at 67

BURT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - The Alger County community is celebrating the life of a Grand Marais man after his death.

Jack Hubbard of Grand Marais died last Monday at the age of 67. Hubbard was an instrumental part of the Alger County Community.

“He loved his family; he loved his community, and he loved the U.P. and he would have done anything for any of those people,” Son John Hubbard said.

Throughout his career, he served as a fire chief, trustee and supervisor for Burt Township. He also served as Alger County Road commission chairman and was active with the Grand Marais Snotrails Grooming Association.

Jack’s wife Aleta says he started working at the fire department when he was young working his way up the chain.

“He ended up getting on to the Township Board as a trustee and he ended up doing that for a long time and of course, the town got in trouble financially and he was asked if he would serve and he debated long and hard because that was a big commitment and he finally said yes he would and took off from that,” Aleta said.

Hubbard’s major accomplishment as the supervisor was having the Grand Marais break wall built.

“The day he called the community together when we found out we got the funding was probably the proudest moment of his life,” Aleta said.

Aleta says his spirit lives on at the break wall.

“There is a void that is not going to get filled. He left behind [the break wall], so anytime we are sad or upset we can go out and look at this and say, ‘There you are’,” Aleta said.

Hubbard also ran for the 109th State House District seat in 2012. John says although Jack lost, he left an impact on voters.

“He didn’t care what political party you were in he cared about the U.P. He didn’t care what side of the aisle you were on as long as what was getting done was right for the U.P.,” John said.

Jack’s other son Luke Hubbard says his legacy is one of hard work paying off.

“Coming from a town of 300 to 350 people the impact that you can have on people is astronomical if you are willing to do it. Don’t let anything hold you back and be a valued member of the community,” Luke said.

Jack’s daughter Sara says she hopes generations to come appreciate the work her father put into the Grand Marais community.

“I hope that younger generations who come to enjoy this community can understand what it took to get that done and what they are coming here to enjoy was hard work,” Sara said.

Hubbard’s service will be held at the Grand Marais United Methodist Church Tuesday at 1 p.m. A public visitation will be held before the service beginning at 11 a.m.

Last published: May 18, 2023 4:41:34 PM

A prominent Alger County leader suddenly died earlier this week.

According to his obituary, 67-year-old Jack Hubbard of Grand Marais died at the Munising Memorial Hospital on Monday May 15.

Hubbard served the community in many ways. He was Fire Chief, a Burt Township Trustee for 8 years, and the Burt Township Supervisor for 6 years.

Hubbard’s major accomplishment as the supervisor was having the Grand Marais Break Wall built. He also served as Alger County Road Commission Chairman and was active with the Grand Marais Snotrails Grooming Association.

Hubbard ran for the 109th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2012.

He and his wife own the Dunes Motel in Grand Marais.

Services will be held at the Grand Marais United Methodist Church on Tuesday, May 23 at 1 p.m. A public visitation will be held before the service beginning at 11 a.m.

Copyright 2023 WLUC. All rights reserved.