John F. Jeide

John F. Jeide, 85, of St. Charles, Illinois, passed away suddenly on Saturday, February 12, 2022, due to non-COVID related health issues.  John was born April 4, 1936, at home on the farm, located one mile east of Buckskin and two miles south of Mackey, Indiana, to his parents Fred Harmon and Olevia Christine (nee Meier) Jeide.

John’s formative years were spent attending Buckskin Grade School and later graduating from Mackey High School in May of 1954 with a class of 20.  He was confirmed at St. Johns E & R Church in Buckskin.

After graduating he attended Evansville College for five quarters majoring in Industrial Engineering.  John left college and joined the Navy in 1956.  He attended basic training at Great Lakes NTC near Chicago.  Achieving the rank of Petty Officer 2^nd Class Communications Technician over his four years of service.  He spent 25 months in Hawaii and 19 months in California.  He was never assigned to a ship. 

John returned home to the family farm before moving to Aurora, Illinois in 1964 to work for IBM.  As a Customer Engineer he installed and maintained IBM data processing machines and computers. 

John married Mary Kay Gusewelle on November 26, 1966, at Zion UCC in Carpentersville, Illinois.  They built their house in St. Charles in 1967.  This house would be the family home for the rest of their lives.

After years of dedication to IBM John took early retirement at the age of 51.  Being a man who liked to stay busy, he returned to the workforce in 1987.  He would spend the next 17 years working for WW Grainger out of Niles, Illinois.  He traveled extensively for work and his favorite destination was Puerto Rico.  Mary Kay tagged along on some of those trips.  He retired for the second time in 2004.

John was a man of many talents and a man before his time.  After retiring he returned to an old hobby, converting vehicles from gas to electric.  He was a founding partner in Pioneer Conversions, LLC in Lemont, Illinois.  He was very proud of his first conversion, a red 1994 Ford Ranger pickup.  When John went on to newer projects, he happily let his grandson Max drive the pickup to high school.  He was a member of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association.

John enjoyed being a member of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), also known as the Barbershop Harmony Society, for 36 years singing with the Elgin chapter.  He also sang tenor with The Clef Hangers quartet and delivered “Singing Valentines” for nearly 21 years.

John became an avid hockey fan when his grandsons Carter and Cooper took up the sport.

John is survived by his daughters Kelly Jeide and Karla (York) Kurinsky of St. Charles and his three grandsons: Max, Carter, and Cooper Kurinsky.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife, and his brother.

A memorial visitation will be held, Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at Moss-Norris Funeral Home, 100 South Third Street, St. Charles, IL beginning at 4:00 P.M. until time of service at 6:00 P.M.  A Celebration of Life service will begin at 6:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers John’s family request memorials be donated to the family.  The family will make one donation to the Elgin Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society in honor of John.