John N. Nizick passed away peacefully on October 19th, 2022, at the age of 87. Born in Chicago, IL on April 5th, 1935, John was the beloved son of the late John E. and Margaret I. Nizick (née Schwaller). He is survived by his former wife Julia Nizick (née Petersons) and their daughters, Katherine Nizick and Elizabeth Nizick (Eric Muska, fiancé). John was uncle to seven nieces and nephews.
John will be remembered for his unwavering faith and devotion to the Catholic Church. He was a lifelong parishioner of All Saints St. Anthony in Bridgeport, before it was closed, where he also attended his early years of school. After graduating from St. Rita High School, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame. In addition, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
John served in the U.S. Army in the Signal Corps and was stationed in Germany. His travels through Europe while on active duty were some of his fondest memories. He had a love of photography and cameras and an eye for composition, art, and history, capturing much of his travels on film. He spent most of his career as a Technical Illustrator at various companies and agencies in both the public and private sectors.
An avid history buff, especially of World Wars I and II, as well as baseball, John loved building complex and intricate paper and wood models of warplanes, warships, historical sailing ships, and early American automobiles and ballparks – past and present. He was a fan of George Carlin’s humor and Mike Royko columns and books. He enjoyed completing complicated crossword puzzles, watching documentaries – especially those by Ken Burns, old war movies, comedies by Mel Brooks or starring Rodney Dangerfield, or watching Notre Dame football, White Sox and Bears games.
John will be missed for his resilience, attention to detail, outspoken opinions, running commentary on politics and other current events, interesting food choices and inventive recipes along with a self-proclaimed family motto, “Never get between a Nizick and a plate of food.” He enjoyed dry humor, but he could barely contain his distinctive laugh before starting or mid-way through a joke or funny story. He delighted in creating new lyrics to existing songs relating to current events or his own situations and sang them proudly.
Visitation to be held on October 29th, 2022, at Michael Coletta Sons Funeral Home at 9:00 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary of Perpetual Help at 10:00 a.m. Rite of Committal and Interment immediately following held at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Funeral luncheon to follow at Russell’s Barbeque in River Grove. In lieu of flowers, Masses appreciated or memorial donations requested to: Disabled American Veterans, any other veteran-focused charitable organization, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, or Catholic Charities.
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