John F. Twomey, Jr.
John F. Twomey, Jr.; age 83; of Brookfield. Beloved brother of William (Therese), Alice (Thomas) Hanna, Beth (Karl) Williamson, Philip (late Mary) and David. Proud uncle and great-uncle of many. Dear cousin of many. John was preceded in death by his loving parents, John F. and Helen B. Twomey.
Graduate of the University of Notre Dame. An educator his entire life as a college professor of physics and mathematics, John had a passion for teaching.
Visitation 5 to 8pm Sunday, April 25th at Hallowell & James Funeral Home, 1025 W. 55th St., Countryside. Group limit of 50 guests in the chapel at a time. Masks required. Family and friends are invited to meet at St. Francis Xavier Church, 124 N. Spring Ave., LaGrange for 11am Mass on Monday, April 26th. All guests must register for Mass at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044DAAA72EA2F94-john1. Unregistered guests will not be permitted. Group limit of 110 guests at church. Mass will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/SFXParish.LG/live/. Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
For further service information, call Hallowell & James Funeral Home at 708-352-6500.
Johnny was one of the smartest, kindest and most generous people I have met. . Known him since he was a kid, he always remained the same wonderful person . He will be missed by many.
I am very sad to hear of John’s death. John was my dear friend from the time he came to St. Francis Xavier School in the fifth grade. His house on Waiola was directly behind ours, which was at 120 N. Spring. We were classmates later at Fenwick High School, U. Of Notre Dame, and also graduate school at Indiana University. John traveled to Oakland California to be in my wedding party in 1962. John was a very fine man who did many good works in politics and liberal social causes. He was exactly the kind of man we need today.
I have had the pleasure and honor to work with John in the Morton College tutoring center for many tears. He was one of the kindest, patient, an humble person I have ever known
.
I always told him he was my angel. He has now joined his fellow angels. He will be missed by so many students and faculty members.
My deepest sympathies to the family.
He is in good hands now and he will never be forgotten.
Please accept my deepest sympathies for John’s passing. I remember visiting many years ago with John and other St Francis Xavier students and I admired the sweater he was wearing. I asked him to get me one. I don’t think he ever did but then this may be a result of lack of superior memory capabilities I once enjoyed.
Louis Doll
835 N Calle Canela
Green Valley, AZ 85614
louisdoll@cox.net
My good friend since Gradeschool (SFX) h.S. (Fenwick), Will miss him so much. Talked to him earlier this year.
My good friend in grade school (SFX) & High School . Many gettogethers when I would visit the Chicago area–Talked to him earlier this year by phone & zooms. Will miss him so much. My sympathy to his wonderful family.
My fellow Friar, I’m class of ’95. John and I had planned on, maybe, going to a Friars’ football game around September 2019.
We talked about it at work, but sadly it never happened due to work schedules, etc.. I miss him so. God Bless you Larry, and God Bless John.
So sad to have another member of our Fenwick carpool pass away in just a little more than two months.
We will miss John.
John worked as a tutor at Morton College for many years. His kindness and depth of knowledge in his field was extraordinary and enriched the lives of many students. He will be missed.
I had the privilege to work with John at the Morton College Tutoring Center for the last several years. I am very sorry to hear of his passing, and wish comfort to his family and friends.
John was one of the most intelligent and kind people I have ever met. He was a walking encyclopedia. He could help students with ANY math or physics problem that came through the door. I was very impressed with his wide range of knowledge, and he made a big impact on me.
But more importantly, was the kind and humble manner John had about him. John always made the students feel good about themselves. His patience and kind words helped many young people raise their self-esteem and level of academic success greatly.
His loss is felt here, and he will be missed greatly.
I was fortunate to have worked with John at COD. He was was a very caring teacher and a valued colleague. He was always calm and could be counted on for a reasonable solution to any problem.
He made the world a better place through his dedication to his students, the environment , and his political activism.
He truly was a treasured friend.
I have been very fortunate to work with John for almost 15 years at the College of Dupage. Over these years, he and I would always take a few moments in the PT faculty office to just say “hi” and chit-chat about our day. I will truly miss this man … He was such
a great colleague and friend.
I have worked with John for over 30 years at College of DuPage, most recently as his supervisor in our Math Assistance Area where John was always a “go to” person to work with students struggling with math or physics at any level. John was still working for us this spring and often worked with great patience with a student, for hours if necessary, until they understood. But John knew a lot about most everything, from politics to gardening, often bringing in flowers or tomatoes for us all to enjoy and always up for a good political discussion.
John will be greatly missed.
I attended SFX school in the 50’s with John and Bill Twomey. Two memories of John I hold in my heart are:
(1) John was very interested in abolishing the Death Penalty in the US. He wanted it done in a very short time.
I use to send John the Peace and monthly newsletter from our Congregation and he never failed to thank
me each time he received it.. He was thrilled when the Governor Ryan announced his decision to abolish the
death penalty in our state.
(2) Of course many of us remember John great concern and compassionate for the coffee pickers in Central America. He was always there to set up the Fair Trade Coffee Stand for SFX parishioners and introduced cocoa and chocolate sales. At times he brought a chocolate bar to our monthly P and J mtgs. Peace, John!.
I remember John from 6th grade particularly. He always told me so many things about Sunbury, PA. He was a good guy and a good friend to many. The SFX crew is dwindling but many of us are still around. Keep in touch.
Condolences to John’s family and friends.
My sincere condolences to his family and friends. I’m ever so sorry. What a wonderful, thoughtful man. I met him at activist meetings and he was very dedicated to his community. He believed in working for a more fair and just world.
The loss of John is devastating. I had the great pleasure of working with John at Morton College’s tutoring center. His warm, generous soul, his subtle humor, and his endlessly patient demeanor with those around him made working with him a pleasure. The work he did with students has been the standard by which I have judged my own behavior; the high regard he rightfully earned from his fellow tutors and instructors is testament to his deep, lasting impact on the futures of so many. I will miss him.
John was my best friend. We met at Farley hall during our first weeks at Notre Dame in September, 1956 and became immediately close because of our common interests. At times, sick of Dining Hall food, we would purchase a steak from a nearby grocery and cook it over an open fire in the woods just east of the campus.
John was part of our stunt aty N.D. when I played dead behind Lyons hall near the lake and he obtained some ketchup from West Dining Hall to make the whole affair seem more real.
Real indeed!
When the Dean of Discipline and Fr. Broestyl arrived bringing the Last Sacraments of the church and I all of a sudden jumped up…
It took Fr. Ted Hesburgh the next day (Palm Sunday) to make light of the affair which prompted the University historian to enter the whole affair in the official Archives where it resides today.
John and I enjoyed many more adventures. He did travel to our wedding -as he did to Paul Chestnut’s.
John was a frequent visitor to our farm where he would always bring a gift of warm gloves and handy flashlights, and the “Anderson” dish towel calender which he sent every year. The last was at Christmas, 2020.
I will always remember his kindness, gentleness, and great heart.
Especially will I recall his deep spirituality.
And I believe this will gain him quick entrance into heaven where he can meet Notre Dame herself in person and receive from her a blue ribbon tour of paradise immediately after his arrival .
Until our next adventure, John, thank you for it all!
I already miss you greatly.
marvin d anderson, m.d.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m so sorry for your loss, and we will all miss him at College of DuPage.
Deanna
Not only did John have a passion for physics and mathematics, but he also had one for gardening, as attested to by his 47 years of active membership in the Suburban Garden Club, even when our meetings went virtual this past year. It is amazing that he joined our club when he was just 36 years old! We are saddened by the loss of our long standing and dedicated member. To us he was a kind, caring, gentle and soft spoken person who always asked a special question to speakers at our monthly meetings, showing his interest in a variety of gardening topics. We appreciated too that he was one to yearly volunteer to bring treats to a meeting of his choice during the summer months because he was always conscientious about selecting fresh and healthy fruits from the Farmers’ Markets and pastries from bakeries! We will miss him. We send our condolences to John’s family and friends. Donna Czarnecki, president, Suburban Garden Club
John,
As part of my extended family, you were always held in high regard. I feel blessed to have known you if ever so remotely over the years through your wonderful parents who were my godparents. May you celebrate the fruits of your many selfless efforts with your creator and know that your memory will be cherished by the many lives you’ve so generously touched now and until we are reunited at the end of our earthly journey.
God Bless and rest in peace!
As mathematics faculty members at the College of DuPage, John and I encountered one another on a fairly regular basis, and I recall many pleasant conversations. Occasionally we joined other long-standing math faculty to go out to lunch. If I wanted a deeper understanding of the physics underlying applications we commonly teach in mathematics, I would seek out John. He will surely be missed.
John is my brother. I was always in awe of him. When I was 7 and it seemed everyone thought I was too young to play Chess he didn’t hesitate to teach me and played it with me as if I were a fine player. In 4th grade I said i had an opportunity to do extra credit in history about the Wild West but probably wouldn’t. John jumped in and said let’s do it and together (well mostly he) made a covered wagon. He was often like that. He enjoyed doing things that he thought worth doing. In fact he generally enjoyed himself. I’m realizing now how much he gave me. Someone to emulate.
I have known Johnny since I was five years old and will always remember Johnny as one of the kindest people I’ve know and a very good conversationalist . Spoke to Johnny this past Thanksgiving at Whole Foods and had a nice visit. Still have the free trade coffee.
John Twomey is my Uncle and Godfather. As I grew up he was often at our house. I remember all the times he helped me with my homework or tried to anyway, as I was not as good a student as he was a teacher. I am sure I frustrated him, but he never showed it, and it never seemed to dissuade him from being willing to take the time to help me. I will always remember when he took me sailing, I will never forget it. He was kind, gentle, patient, and very generous with his time. I have never known anyone like him.
Sweetest, kindest, gentlest person anywhere….and probably the smartest. Always fun to watch him form an answer or express an opinion. You could watch the wheels turn and then there would be a slow delivery usually with a big smile. We’ll miss you, John.