John B. Reardon Jr.

Jack was born in Youngstown, on June 15, 1930, to John B. Sr. and Helen Cannon Reardon.

He grew up on Garland Avenue, attended Sacred Heart Grade School and graduated from East High School in 1948. He cherished his roots and talked about how, during the tough times of the Great Depression, nobody on the East Side had much, but everyone shared what they had.

Jack joined the United States Air Force after graduation. He was briefly stationed in San Francisco and Minneapolis before transferring to Anchorage. As a staff sergeant, Jack was a courier during the Korean War; he was issued a security clearance and personally transported classified and top-secret documents from Anchorage to Tokyo and back.

After discharge, Jack studied business and accounting at Youngstown College (now YSU).

He married Carole Ann Shutrump in January 1957. They had seven children and celebrated 66 anniversaries.

Jack worked for over 60 years. His life’s purpose was providing for his family. He started working on the railroad at the age of 14 during World War II (he loved to tell the story about pretending to be 16 to get the job). After the service, he worked at Automatic Sprinkler Company, subsequently spending decades in construction. He was an operating engineer by trade, but spent most of his time in the industry as an estimator and project manager. He owned a successful contracting company for many years. Later in his career, he worked for a Washington, D.C. firm, serving as a key manager in the renovation of CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. At age 80, he retired after several years with Hively Construction Company in Canfield.

Jack loved football, especially Ursuline High School. He spent most fall Friday nights at YSU Stadium, cheering for the Fighting Irish. He was also a Buckeyes and Penguins fan.

Jack played football himself in high school — center for the Golden Bears. In addition, he was an accomplished amateur boxer. He fought in “High Chair” tournaments for boys, and later Golden Gloves and Air Force boxing tournaments.

Jack enjoyed traveling with his wife and family; he visited practically every state and almost 25 countries. He looked forward to family poker games at holidays, enjoyed a cold beer and a glass of Scotch whisky, and took great pride in family members’ achievements.

Jack was kind to everyone, a gentleman. He was outgoing and could strike up a conversation with anyone. While out of town, upon meeting someone, he’d often discover a link to Youngstown. He especially enjoyed talking to veterans of all ages and service branches; he loved to hear their stories and tell his.

Jack had a positive attitude; he was an optimist who rarely let challenging circumstances get him down, and often encouraged others.

He was proud of his Irish heritage and Catholic to his core.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; older brother, Robert; and a son, Matthew.

He leaves his loving wife, Carole; and children, John III (Darla), Michael (Jayne), Mary Ann, Frederick, Thomas (Gi Gi) and Daniel (Amanda).

He is also survived by 16 grandchildren: John’s family — Sarah (Brett) Bauer, Charlotte (Andrew) Lizon and John IV (also called Jack); Mike’s family — Daniel, Andrew, Claire and Anne; Mary Ann’s family — Christopher, Tess and Genny Dilan; Tom’s family — Sasha; and Dan’s family — Emma, Matthew, Patrick, Grace and Maggie. Jack also leaves great-granddaughter, Vera Lizon; and sister, Helen Verdream.

Calling hours will be 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Boardman-Canfield Chapel, 3701 Starrs Centre Drive.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, July 14, 2023, at St. Patrick Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: The John B. Reardon Memorial Scholarship Fund (c/o Ursuline High School, 750 Wick Ave., Youngstown, OH 44505).