John Harris
John Joseph Harris, age 72, of Western Springs, passed away on November 13th, 2024. Beloved husband of Ginger (nee Stein); loving father of Meghan (Bryan) Hallene, John, and Julia; cherished grandfather of Jack, Henry, and Vivian Hallene; devoted brother of Julia (the late Bob) Gibson and the late Timothy (Sara); dear son of the late John and Catherine; fond uncle and friend of many.John graduated from the Naval Academy in 1974, followed by fulfilling his military service duties on nuclear submarines. He later went on to earn an MBA from the University of Chicago. John had a long and successful career as an investment banker and most recently served on the Board of Directors of First Business Bank in Madison, Wisconsin.
Throughout his life, John enjoyed spending countless hours tending to his garden, and traveling abroad with his wife to places including Italy, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic. In retirement he delved into his love of books, taking literature classes at the University of Chicago. However, cooking for his family and friends was truly John’s passion, orchestrating Thanksgiving dinner, hosting “Lobster Nights”, and never missing an opportunity to cook a meal for his children.
His happiest achievement was his family; officiating swim meets for all three of his children’s swimming careers, and organizing annual family vacations to Isle of Palms, SC, but what delighted him most was doting on his three beloved grandchildren by building trains, reading books, and preparing fruit salad famously known as “JJ’s fruit”.
John will be greatly missed by all those who loved him, and forever cherished in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Heart Association are greatly appreciated.
Services have taken place privately.
It has been delightful and insightful to hear John’s stories of his naval experiences. He has been a great contributor and has provided wise counsel to the Board and management at First Business Bank in Madison, Wisconsin.
Sadly, I was not aware of John’s passing. John was a good friend. He and I combined in many efforts while we were employees at The Chicago Corporation (TCC). He headed many capital raisings for banks around the country, both public and private, with significant effort made to further the growth of TCC in that area, even sometimes placing shares overseas. His efforts were instrumental to The Chicago Corporation’s becoming a leading investment banker in that area. He also put up with a lot of jokes about his submarine and Navy talents, plus Navy’s football team. John was an extraordinary human being and will be horribly missed. May God bless him.