John DeBoer

John W. DeBoer, age 91, of Peotone, passed away Sunday, December 7, 2014 at Presence St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee.

He was born November 1, 1923 in Stickney, SD the son of the late John and Jesse (Hoffman) DeBoer. He was a retired electrician for Ford Motor Company. He was a World War II United States Navy Veteran serving as a cryptographer decoding Japanese messages. He also served guiding aircraft back to home base in Iwo Jima following bombing missions. He was a member of the Peotone American Legion Post 392 and St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Peotone. He was one of the founders of the Peotone Baseball Bronco League in the 1960’s. He worked at his beloved Peotone Park for over 30 years retiring in 1993. In 1996, a ball diamond was renamed and dedicated in his name for his many years of service. He was a beekeeper, an avid runner for many years, a master gardener, and was a lifelong diehard Chicago Cubs fan.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Louise (Didier) DeBoer who he married on September 14, 1946 in Watseka, IL. She passed away on January 30, 1993. They had six children; Daniel (Paula) DeBoer of Antioch, CA, Raymond (Gail) DeBoer of Godley, IL, the late Michael DeBoer (2000), the late Edward DeBoer (1996), Mary Louise (Donald) Cann of Manhattan, IL, and Evelyn Brown of Peotone; sixteen grandchildren, Jeremy DeBoer, Seth DeBoer, Lorien Bird, Hillary White, Raymond DeBoer, Steven DeBoer, Samantha Childress, Tiffany DeBoer, Randall Cann, Christina Arnold, Brian Cann, Tricia Cann, Katrina Whitehead, Julie King, Angela Brown, and Matthew Brown; ten great-grandchildren; and a sister, Delores Kleinhakel of Holland, MI. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, two sons, five brothers, and one sister.

Visitation will be held at the Fedde-Helfrich-Cross Funeral Home on Thursday, December 11 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church on Friday, December 12 at 10:30 a.m., Father Roger Kutzner officiating. There will be visitation at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service on Friday. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Manhattan, IL. Memorials to the Family’s wishes would be appreciated.