John I. Green, 87, the original armchair expert, fondly known as "Grandpa John," from Winfield, Illinois, died peacefully on November 16, 2024. John was born in Akron, Ohio, son to Walter and Carmen Green and baby brother to sister Peggy. The youngest in his class to graduate high school, John spent a year at Akron University and then completed his chemical engineering degree at Purdue University. John was a proud brother in the Alpha-Zeta chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and played countless gigs in smoky bars and dance halls with his jazz band Take 5 on the trumpet and cornet.

After college, John started his working life as an engineer but quickly saw opportunity to advance, earning his MBA through night school at the University of Chicago while married to his first wife Nancy and growing his family with children Eric, Alec, and Carolyn. Balancing work, school, and parenthood, John found serenity in his busy life by waking at 3 am many mornings to take his boat out on Lake Michigan to fish. His passion for the rod and reel took him deep sea, fly, trout, and coho salmon fishing, dragging kids out of bed in wee hours and pan frying his catch in the best homemade batter in the Midwest.

John advanced to Assistant Treasurer at Universal Oil Products (now Honeywell) in the 70's and married Jody, his second wife, who he adored for 40 years. They lived in Illinois with Jody's kids Amy and Rob before moving to Grand Rapids where John worked as VP Operations for Sackner. He then founded Crown Associates and spent the bulk of his career as a management and engineering consultant in the auto industry. John and Jody's home on Bostwick Lake was a popular destination for friends and family and was constantly buzzing. Always in a bathing suit, John spent any time off windsurfing, jet skiing, waterskiing, or whipping guests around on tubes behind his boat. For several years he went big time with his best friend Dave, manning a rig in the Mackinac Island boat race.

While an avid skier who competed in Nastar downhill ski racing and taught all 5 kids to burn up the slopes, John's greatest adrenaline rushes came at motocross tracks. Whether he was racing at Redbud, Daytona, or the Pontiac Silver Dome or watching at tracks around the world, John couldn't get enough. All of his kids, pounding the hills alongside him or holding their breath on the sidelines, lived to tell about it.

Retirement never slowed John down. A voracious reader, John had 5 to 10 books in progress and another 20 on deck at all times, covering everything from microbiology and Civil War history to murder mysteries and theology. He was constantly gathering information to feed his latest theory and could be found regularly in one of Chicago's many museums or at the lakeshore. Just months ago he was taking online courses to successfully renew his real estate broker's license and was still actively volunteering weekly at the Cantigny First Division Museum as a docent and school tour guide. John was involved at College Church in Wheaton as a participant in the men's group and a volunteer. Recent reading included the Bible (he loved the words of Jesus), reflecting his commitment to Christ and coinciding with losing his wife Jody who also developed an intimacy with and trust in Jesus later in her life, which John admired greatly. He also regularly took "farewell tours" far and wide to visit people he loved. Driving thousands of miles a month, he would stop to see his kids, grandkids, relatives, old friends, and children of friends, always detouring to soak up the scenery at a nearby lake or National Park.

John found the most joy in his later years in the company of his 9 beloved grandkids. He attended every sporting event, school function, music recital, and graduation he could. He took grandkids fishing, boating, to museums and musicals, and on beach trips. He'd drive 250 miles just to take a grandkid out to dinner. He also regularly texted and called his older grandkids to get caught up on their lives.

If John were here today, you might find him watching the sunrise at a Lake Michigan beach, Starbucks oatmeal and coffee in hand, a couple of cough drops and tissues in his pocket, and a new theory to pontificate. If you were lucky, you'd be with him, getting instructions on what you were going to be doing that day. You might shake your head or roll your eyes, but it's pretty guaranteed that you'd love it.

John is survived by his children Eric (Tracy) Green, Alec Green and Carolyn (Donna Tobey) Green; his step-children Amy Wolgemuth Bordoni and Rob (Rebecca) Wolgemuth; his grandchildren Chelsea Green, Rachel (Vincent) Rios-Noyes, Liam and Elliott Bordoni, and Samantha, Paige, Luke, Brooke and Hannah Wolgemuth; and the theories he has expounded on for the last 60 years. We will all miss him so, so much.

A visitation will be held at College Church, 332 E Seminary Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187, on Friday, November 22, 2024, from 2:00 p.m. until the time of the memorial service at 4:00 p.m. The service will be livestreamed through this link: Memorial Service for John Green .

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Koinonia House National Ministries, PO BOX 1415, Wheaton, IL 60187. Use this link to to donate: https://koinoniahouse.org/give/