John Cirillo, 80, passed away on August 18, 2026.

Born on April 11, 1946, to the late Helen and John Cirillo in Chicago, Illinois, John was a loving husband, a Superman of a father, and a spectacular Papa. He is survived by his adored wife, Carole (née Ferry), of 42 years; sons, Dan (Amanda Lawrence) and Chris (Nora Mangan); his grandchildren Camden, Rylan, and Carmela; his brother, Randy; his favorite cousin, Patti Nordhem; his loving brother-in-law, Jerry Ferry, and sister-in-law, Patti Ferry, and last but not least, his beloved dog, Pina.

He is also survived by many other cousins, extended family members, and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents and many loving aunts and uncles, including Gladys Mydlach (née Cirillo).

John grew up in Chicago and graduated from St. Patrick High School in the class of 1963. He went on to study and graduate from Loyola University in Chicago in 1967. After college, John enlisted in the Air Force Reserves and was stationed in Alaska for a portion of his enlistment, which didn’t bother John because he loved the outdoors. When his enlistment ended, he came back home to work as a Distribution Manager in Chicago.

It was during that time that he met the love of his life, Carole, and married her in 1984. In 1985, John and Carole welcomed their first son, Dan, and in 1987, they accepted their second son, Chris. John made it well known that he was hoping for Chris to be a girl, and wanted to name her Emily, but finally admitted recently that Chris turned out alright.

John loved to cook, garden, watch (a.k.a. complain about) Chicago sports, and embarrass his family. If you talked to John for more than five minutes, there is a high likelihood he would say something to embarrass his family, whether intentional or not, but there is also a 100% chance that in that same time frame you would find him bragging about his sons or grandchildren. He could not have been more proud of the men and fathers that his sons became or the milestones that his grandchildren reached.

John’s favorite recreational activity, as most know, was to go fishing. If John saw a body of water, he wanted to try fishing it, but his happy place was always the Northwoods of Wisconsin. He and his family started heading up in the 1950s, and John made his most recent “boys’ trip” there last year with Dan, Chris, Randy, and oldest grandson, Camden. Although it was already known he’d passed the fisherman trait on to his sons, it was confirmed on this trip that he had also passed it to Camden.

John was the hardest-working and most resilient man you’d ever meet. Although he had a number of health issues over the past decade, he never complained while fighting his way through and back from more than ever seemed possible. During it all, his only concern was how his family was doing.

John's legacy is one of living life and loving those close to you to the fullest, no matter what life throws at you, which will be carried on by his family. He will be incredibly missed.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, August 23, 2026, between 4:00-8:00 p.m. at Nelson Funeral Home located at 820 W Talcott Rd, Park Ridge, IL 60068.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John's (or Pina’s) name to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

For information, 847-823-5122 or www.nelsonfunerals.com