Obituary for John B. Giovanini Jr. John B. Giovanini, Jr., a lifelong resident of Joliet, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the Joliet Area Community Hospice Home on November 2, 2018, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Joyce; his daughters Ronae (John) Gerl, Robyn Apgar, Dawn (Jim) Lacey and Shaunna Repa; 14 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren; his special brother-in-law and sister-in-law Les and Judy McBride; his siblings and numerous family members. Preceded in death by his father, John B Giovanini, Sr., his mother-in-law Lucille McBride and sister-in-law Louise Nemensky, as well as other beloved family.
John was born on July 1, 1938, and as a young man served proudly as a Marine. He then worked for and retired from Caterpillar after 35 years, where he also met and fell in love with his wife. He has been an active member of the Catholic Church of St. Anthony in downtown Joliet for over 50 years.
John had a lifelong love of sports, from playing football for Joliet Catholic High School, to coaching his daughters’ teams and umpiring men’s softball, and finally to watching his beloved White Sox or attending as many of his grandchildren’s sporting events as he could, traveling hundreds of miles to show them how much he cared. His love of a good crossword puzzle and a good Three Stooges episode will also be remembered fondly. John and Joyce were fortunate to travel to many places around the world post retirement, and their last trip together was to Greece where he proudly saw his oldest grandson Bobby be married.
John’s wife and family would like to sincerely thank the Joliet Area Community Hospice, as well as John’s doctors and nurses who provided John with excellent care and also generous support to the family. Funeral from the Carlson Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home and Crematory, Friday, November 9, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. to the Catholic Church of St. Anthony for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be held at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. Visitation Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 4-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Joliet Area Community Hospice would be greatly appreciated.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of John B. Giovanini Jr. please visit our Sympathy Store. Cemetery Details Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery 20953 W. Hoff Road Elwood, IL, 60421 , Previous Events Visitation , NOV 8. 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM Carlson Holmquist Sayles Funeral Home 2320 Black Road Joliet, IL, US, 60435 carlsonfuneralhome@sbcglobal.net Mass of Christian Burial , NOV 9.
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