John Benjamin LaMagdeleine, 78, of St. John, IN passed away on August 13, 2024 after a battle with metastasized melanoma.
John was born on April 3, 1946 in Waukegan, IL to Benjamin and Genevieve (Wells) LaMagdeleine. He grew up with his family in Mundelein, IL and, like his father, spent his childhood tinkering around the house and garage, almost burning down the family home on several occasions. In high school, he played trombone in the concert, marching and jazz bands, and was a member of both the football and wrestling teams.
John graduated from Libertyville High School in 1964 and went on to study engineering at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where he continued to play the trombone and was a member of Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity. To help finance his education, John took a ‘work break’ after his junior year, working nights as a welder, helping his father with construction jobs, and managing an apartment building. He completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1971.
In 1972, John married his wife of 52 years, Nancy (Gantz) of Shannon, IL. The two relocated to the south suburbs of Chicago after John took a job as an engineer at United Air Cleaner. They bought their first house in South Holland, IL in 1976, where they raised their children, Alicia and Eric. John took great pride in his family, and he always attended his children’s games, performances and school activities. He even served on the School District 150 school board from 1999-2003. He and Nancy relocated to St. John, IN in 2008.
John had a highly successful career in industrial manufacturing and management. He held several positions at United Air Cleaner in engineering and product manufacturing. In 1993, John traveled to Turkey to study the impact of sand in truck engines, and helped design air cleaner systems for military vehicles used in desert warfare. John left United Air Cleaner, then known as American Filtrona, in 1994. In 1995, he joined Universal Metal Hose, where he served as Plant Manager and then General Manager until his retirement in 2016.
Driving and fixing up cars was a long-time hobby of John’s, and he was particularly proud of his 1969 Opel GT, his 1966 Ferrari, and his 1990 Nissan 300zx. An avid fan of many Chicago sports teams, you could always find him watching the Bears and the Bulls. John also took great pride in his lawn and landscaping, often spending hours trimming hedges, mowing grass, and mulching leaves. For the last 15 years, he has been a proud Grandpa, making many trips to Indianapolis to watch his granddaughter Parker perform, and taking the time to delight his grandson Quinten by turning all the fans and lights in the house on and off.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin and Genevieve, and his brother, David LaMagdeleine. He will be remembered by his wife, Nancy; his children, Alicia and Eric (Chris Moffett); his grandchildren, Parker Sharp and Quinten Moffett; his sisters, Catherine Skowronski, Anita Foster, and Susan Corkins; and many nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held Saturday, August 17, 2024 from 10am-12:30pm at Lincoln Ridge Funeral Home, with a funeral mass and burial to follow at 1:00pm at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville. Donations in John’s memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy in Indiana or the American Cancer Society.
