John Joseph Knych, Jr., 78, of Huntley, died peacefully on March 13, 2024, at JourneyCare Barrington.
John was born in Chicago on August 14, 1945, to parents John and Stephanie (nee Baranski) Knych, Sr. John met Carol Krist at his parent’s 25th wedding anniversary and the couple were married on June 11, 1966. John loved Carol wholeheartedly and took great care in providing for her until his last day. He was a selfless and comforting man with a big heart. John was friendly and kind, and was a man who put the needs of others above his own.
John’s faith was very important to him, and he served faithfully at St. Marceline Parish in Schaumburg and St. Mary Parish in Huntley. He was very active, coaching both football and soccer at the Schaumburg Athletic Association and playing golf. He also enjoyed reading and being a member of the Train Club and the Computer Club. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him.
John is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Carol Knych, his children, Tracy (Dave) Noworul, David (Anna) Knych, and Steven (Trisha) Knych, his grandchildren Matthew Noworul, Emma Noworul, Zoey Knych, Samuel Knych, Abigail Knych, Emily Knych, Daniela Knych, and Abram Knych, and his sisters, Bernadette “Dolly” (Frank) Nowakowski, and Marlene (Frank) Zajack.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Linda Knych.
Visitation will be Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 4 p.m. to time of prayers 6:30 p.m. all at DeFiore Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley.
Mass will be Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 10 a.m. with a visitation the hour prior, all at St. Mary Church, 10307 Dundee Road, Huntley.
Burial to follow mass at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in John’s name can be made to the Alzheimer Association https://www.alz.org/ or to Catholic Charities https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
For further information, please contact the DeFiore Funeral Home 847-515-8772.
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John was a friend and former neighbor who we will miss.
My deepest sympathy to the entire family for this great loss. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
It is with our most sincere condolences that we offer up to John and the entire Znych family. We purchased our home from John and Carol when they moved from Green Meadow and have stayed in contact with him through St Mary’s and the men’s breakfast club in the neighborhood. We are currently in Florida for the winter, so will not be able to make it to the services or mass. John was a wonderful man who loved and cared for his wife and family. We’ll miss him! Love, Ed and Ruth Mrowczynski
John worked in Lockbox Operations at Continental Bank and then Bank of America for I believe 45 years. I had the pleasure of working with John for many of those years. He was a great, genuine person who was very committed to doing an excellent job at work. He probably did over 1,000 lockbox tours in his career. Each one of them was specifically tailored to the client or prospect. Clients would comment how informative and positive John was on his tours. But what stood out the most to them was that John knew everyone in lockbox operations by their first name and would say hello to each of them on the tour. John was the face of Lockbox operations to clients. We will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers to his family. May John Rest in Peace.
I just found out that my dear friend John Knych has died. He was such a great friend and neighbor. When ever I needed help he was always there for me. To his wonderful children and grandchildren, I am so sorry for your loss.
I just found out that my dear friend John Knych has died. He was such a great friend and neighbor. When ever I needed help he was always there for me. To his wonderful children and grandchildren, I am so sorry for your loss.
I knew John for all of my 44 years at Continental Bank / Bank of America. John was truly a special guy to work with. His demeanor was always calm and he projected very well his vast knowledge of the lockbox area and other operations areas within the bank whether speaking with clients or other bank employees. John also had a great sense of humor. Needless to say, we did a lot of work but also had some fun times too. I am so very sorry for your loss. We truly lost one of the great ones with John's passing. He will be greatly missed!
John truly appreciated and cared for people. In 1977, I had just started working for John at Continental Bank. He was managing our Lockbox Customer Service group. Even though I was only a few weeks on the job, he got a group of bankers to join him at my dad’s funeral Mass to support me and my family. That’s the kind of friendship that you never forget. When John retired from the bank, many of his bank clients scheduled a visit to share with him their appreciation. For example, the Oshkosh Truck treasurer and financial manager brought John, model gifts of Oshkosh Truck equipment. The treasurer told John at the time how much he trusted the Lockbox Services of our bank because of how highly he regarded John. We’ll miss you John. Hope to meet your family at your wake
Seeing John’s smiling face in the photo here brought back so many memories of working with one of the greatest guys around. He epitomized “service” — bank clients, his employees in his department, and everyone who had contact with John respected him and trusted him. He listened, he cared, and he knew his stuff. He was a salt-of-the-earth nice guy. The world was better for him being here. He will be remembered fondly by so many of us. My condolences to his family.
Seeing John’s smiling face in the photo here brought back so many memories of working with one of the greatest guys around. He epitomized “service” — bank clients, his employees in his department, and everyone who had contact with John respected him and trusted him. He listened, he cared, and he knew his stuff. He was a salt-of-the-earth nice guy. The world was better for him being here. He will be remembered fondly by so many of us. My condolences to his family.
Steve and all of the Knych family, I'm so sad to hear about John's passing. The photo on this website is exactly how I remember him when I think about his beautiful personality, just from playing golf with him. I'm sure he was a fabulous head of your family and will be sorely missed. But you were blessed to have him. My most sincere condolences!
So very sorry for you loss. Our prayers are with you. God Bless
On June 11, 1966 John married my cousin Carol. As I recall it was a beautiful, bright, sunny day. I was fortunate enough to be part of the wedding party. I enjoyed every minute of that day. Was that really 57 years ago? Why is time moving so fast? Rest in peace John. You were then, now, and always will be one of the good guys. My thoughts and prayers are with Carol and your family. Stay strong.
I met John in the lock box department at Continental Bank, I was just out of high school and going to school. I learned so much from John. What I remember most is his larger than life smile. He was the king of lock box tours and customers loved him. John taught me to give client tours and was always so positive and encouraging. He helped me build my self confidence in the work place and with giving client tours. A true friend and role model. My condolences to John's family. God Bless.
I worked with John for several years at Continental Bank. John was a great guy. I learned a lot from him. We did many lockbox tours together. He was truly great to work with and knew everything about lockbox. Rest in peace, my friend.
There are no words to describe the shock and sorrow we felt after learning about our dear cousin, John. We extend our deepest condolences to the entire Knych family. We formed a very special bond with John and Carol for many years. They even kept in touch with us after we moved to Colorado which meant a great deal to us. We will always remember our conversations with John about "The Chosen" and about faith, hope and the love of God.We will miss him very much and we pray for his soul. He was a good and caring man. Surely he is with our Lord. God bless the Knych family.
We worked with John for many years at Continental Bank and he was always fun to be around. Always there to help and lighten the mood. He was well respected for his work ethic but more importantly for his interactions with everyone. John was jovial during some rough times and that seemed to keep everyone together. We will miss him. Vito and Elaine Capozziello
What a shock John's death is. I met him when he visited Carol, who resides at the same assisted living home as my husband. As I observed, John was so dedicated and loving, patient, kind and doting to his beloved wife. I pray for John and Carol who will feel his loss greatly. He saw her about every day. God Bless the family!!
Like many ex-Cons have already said, I want his family to know how fabulous a co-worker and work friend John was. He was always positive with clients or in internal meetings. He knew everyone in lockbox and many others, and took a personal interest in all. He made me feel special as I think he did for many others too. John was always optimistic in solving clients’ requests and had a very impressive knowledge of operations and what was possible. May his children and grandchildren value his legacy - and remember with smiles his great sense of humor!
This is indeed very sad news. John was a wonderful guy who would light up a room. To say he helped close a lot of business would be an understatement! He was the best in the business.