Louis “Lou” Charles Vernon Alton, a devoted husband, father, brother, accomplished entrepreneur, and avid golfer, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, at the age of 74.

Lou was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He graduated from Barrington High School, where he could always be found in the theater, building sets backstage. He subsequently attended trade school in Colorado, and went on to complete a degree at Northwood University.

In 1977, Lou married the love of his life, Deborah “Debbie” Henderson. Together, they built a life defined by love, partnership, and shared adventure. In 1982, fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, Lou co-founded Great Lakes Ignition and Supply in Kalkaska, Michigan. He successfully navigated the challenges of business for over 20 years before his well-deserved retirement in 2002.

Lou was a kind and generous man who often gave his time and energy to helping others. He was well known for being extremely handy–a jack-of-all-trades who could (and often would) fix anything. He was a well of strength and a constant source of guidance for his son, William, and his daughter, Lisa. He will be remembered fondly for his sarcastic wit, infectious smile, and the “secret stash” of Jujyfruits candy that everyone helped themselves to in the center console of his car.

Outside of work, Lou maintained an extensive inventory of toys to satisfy his need to tinker. He started with snowmobiles and graduated to RVs, in which he visited most of the United States, frequenting Notre Dame tailgaters with his family. During Lake Michigan summers, Lou took family and friends on trips aboard his pontoon boat to search for Petoskey stones, and for faster trips on his speedboat. When he wasn’t out enjoying or tinkering, he was bidding on eBay for his next toy.

He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Debbie; his children, William “Bill” Alton and Lisa Alton (John Packa); his brother Jeffrey “Jeff” Alton (Jessica Adelson); and grandchild Lucian “Lu” Packa; and a community of friends and former colleagues who were touched by his kindness and generosity.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard William Alton and Martha Elizabeth Alton, and by his brother Howard Alton, Jr.

A celebration of Louis’ life will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth St. Traverse City. Family will welcome visitors an hour prior to the service starting at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Hospice Foundation of America (hospicefoundation.org) in his memory.