OBITUARY FROM LEGACY.COM WEBSITE:
John Howard Johnson Jr. 83, of Chicago, IL passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones on February 20, 2025.
John was born on July 5, 1941, in Gary, IN to John and Alma (Swartz) Johnson. He spent his childhood in Hobart, IN and graduated from Hobart High School, class of 1959. As a senior he was awarded football All American honors and a scholarship to Indiana University.
He married his high school sweetheart, Laurel Loverich and they were blessed with four children.
John was drafted by the NFL Chicago Bears and as a rookie played in the 1963 World Championship Game against the NY Giants. After 7 successful years with the NFL, "he found a job which didn't hurt as much" as an Executive Recruiter. In 1976 he established the recruiting firm John H Johnson & Associates and a few years later, the outplacement company John Joseph Group, Ltd. Serving as CEO for over 30 years, these businesses employed over 300 personnel in 10 offices across the nation.
John had a passion for traveling the world with his family, celebrating life with friends, contributing to the community, coaching young athletes, engaging in woodworking, and enjoying a fine cigar.
He supported his favorite charities: Misericordia, Lambs Farm, Red Cloud Foundation, Brian Piccolo Cancer Research, Jimmie Heuga Foundation, Johnny Red Kerr Have-a-Heart Foundation, and Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
John was inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, Sports Faith International Hall of Fame, Hobart Football Hall of Fame, and received the Distinguished American Award from the NFL Foundation, Chicago Chapter.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Laurel; daughter Robin; and sons John (Amy), Jeff (Becky), and David (Mary) Johnson; and beloved grandchildren Jeffrey (Maya), Taylor, Emily, Christopher, and Madalynn. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Jim and Jeff Johnson.
Services will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Old St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1500 South Michigan Avenue, 60605. Visitation begins at 9am followed by a Mass at 11:30am. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Northwestern Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease or The Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund.
This information was obtained from: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/john-johnson-obituary?id=57841557. The picture above was obtained from the 1959 HHS Memories yearbook, made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1959Images/.