JOHN R. NANDORY
JOHN R. NANDORY
After a long, rich, full life, John R. Nandory passed away at the age of 90 on Jan. 31, 2023, at Agrace Hospice in Janesville. He met his goal of reaching the age of 90. He was born Nov. 17, 1932, in Black River Falls, WI, the son of John and Anna (Lichner) Nandory, the youngest of three children. John’s early years were spent farming with his family. He was a star basketball and baseball player and vocalist in high school. He was commonly known as “Jackie.” John married Kathleen “Kass” Mary Counter Jan. 16, 1954. They began their family in Black River Falls and then moved to Janesville. John and Kass did some amazing things together: they raised seven humans to be successful adults; built a large home “in the country,” which was a long-held dream; they travelled extensively; were always there for their kids - or anyone else - when needed; very often were the life of the party when the kids and their friends were partying or playing cards; took the kids on many vacations and camping trips and spent a summer on Lake Erie while John worked at the GM plant in Detroit.
John was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish and did so whenever possible. Sometimes just for fun, sometimes to put food on the table and sometimes to be by himself. He also went out west big game hunting with family and friends several times; the most memorable was when he went elk hunting and came home with a bear. In later years, he even went to the hunt camp to be “the chief cook and bottle washer.”
John had a goal of being retired for as many years as he worked. Well, he made it. After 34 years, he retired from General Motors as a foreman in the material department. He was a “hands-on” kind of guy and willing to jump in to help wherever needed, which made him very well-liked. Many of those 34 years were spent working one or two side jobs. He was also the electrical and plumbing inspector for Rock Township.
Papa John was that guy who would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his wallet if you needed it. He was also a master at fixing anything and everything. He made sure we could change a tire in the middle of winter if we needed to. Much to our amusement, as he got older and frailer, John developed an ice and popsicle habit, he was almost never without one or the other.
John’s beloved Kass died on Jan. 11, 2016. He was also preceded in death by his parents; brother Ed and wife, Mary; sister Jeannette and her husband, Irwin Ofte; granddaughter Anna Schenker; and niece Elizabeth Ofte.
He is survived by seven children, 16 grands and 15 great-grands: Julie Unbehaun (husband, Jim; daughter Sondra Unbehaun and her children, Jamie and Lexi McCarthy; daughter Amanda Unbehaun and Paul Oswald and her children, Mathias Downing and Kian Gapski; daughter Carolynn Bonnes husband Greg); Carole Schenker, (husband David; son Andrew Schenker; daughter Abigail Schenker and Chris Stansbury; and daughter Margo Stansbury; honorary grandsons Asher and Eli Lewis); John Nandory, (wife Karen; son John Thomas Nandory; daughter Kinsey Nandory); Tom Nandory (wife Shannon, daughter Corina Wirth and husband Alex and their children: Aiden, Connor, Elliot, Dylan, and Marshall; daughter Claire Nandory and Michael Hansen and son Atticus; Craig Nandory and wife Melissa and son, Chase; step-son Quinn Scheidegger and step-daughter Shayla Scheidegger); Mary Hauri, (daughter Sarah Egan and her sons, Wyatt and Wesley Egan; son Carl Hauri and wife, Brieanne); Janet Schultz, (husband, Dennis; son, David Schultz and Angela Linneman and daughters, Willow and Brynlee; daughter, Arianne Harried and husband, Robert); Jim Nandory, (wife, Amy; daughter, Bailey; son, Nick); very special friends Dick and Sandy Hynes, JoAn Brown and Richard Caple; and extended family and friends, way too many to mention.
We would like to extend a big thank you to Agrace Hospice who provided excellent care with dignity and respect for Dad for the last year and a-half of his life. We are so very grateful for them and their work.
HURRAH for Papa John, HURRAH at last….
John requested that any memorials be given to Agrace Hospice in Janesville.
There will be a memorial service and celebration in the spring. Details will be announced in the paper. Schneider Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family. For online condolences and guestbook, please visit www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com.