John Charles Uznis

October 5, 1947 – July 8, 2020

John Charles Uznis, a distinguished yacht racer and builder of custom homes, died in Grosse Pointe on July 8. He was 72. Uznis' extraordinary sailing career during the 1970s and 80s boasts five Detroit Yacht Racing Association season championships, more than 20 Chicago-to-Mackinac races and more than 20 Port Huron-to-Mackinac races, including a 1978 victory with his brother, George, on their boat, Hot Flash . Uznis was a longtime member of Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit and served as commodore in 1987.

He topped his sailing career in 1988, winning the Canada's Cup aboard Challenge '88 , a state-of-the-art One Ton yacht with a carbon fiber hull and deck and low center of gravity that were key to the sailboat's speed. Uznis skippered the yacht, bringing the Canada's Cup back to the U.S. and Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club for the first time in 10 years.

The 1988 Canada's Cup included more than 50 hours of racing and a narrow victory of just 11 seconds. Challenge '88 had lagged during the first six legs of the eight-leg race, but made a comeback on the seventh leg and roared to victory on a furious last leg which featured 55 tacks by both boats. Uznis and his Challenge '88 partners received a congratulatory telegram from then-President Ronald Reagan.

Uznis grew up in Dearborn and graduated from Dearborn High School in 1965. He began his career at John F. Uznis Builders, a construction and apartment rental company started by his father. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to create a custom-home building company, Uznis Development Company. UDC built homes in southeast Michigan and Florida. After his retirement in 2009, Uznis turned to deep sea fishing and competed in tournaments in Florida and the Bahamas, earning the nickname King Fish.

John C. Uznis is survived by his brother George, sister Sharon (Shumaker), son John, daughter Elizabeth (Johnson) and six grandchildren. Please join the family of John C. Uznis, Sr., for a memorial celebration of his life on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle, 1 Riverbank Dr., Detroit, MI 48207. We are looking forward to sharing stories of a life well lived. Many thanks! In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Brain Foundation.