John Robert Murtagh

John Robert Murtagh started his life January 26, 1944 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and was the 4th child in a family of 9. John spent the last 18 years of his 75 in Oak Park where he was an active member of the community until dementia brought his life to a close on October 14, 2019. In between he spent a few years in the Army as a code-breaker stationed in Korea post-Vietnam War and 25 years in St. Clair Shores, Michigan raising his 3 children with his wife, Margaret. John, also known as Butch, leaves behind a legacy of civic engagement, volunteerism, and love. Among the many outside his family who will miss him are the children of Old St. Pat’s in Chicago and the nurses of UIC Hospital who were accustomed to seeing him every year as Santa.

His wife, children (Patricia, Karen, John), and grandchildren (Jack, Joe, Kendall, Maggie, Liam and Rita) have been missing him even as he was physically present over the past 3 years as dementia first robbed him of his ability to keep up a 65 year tradition of reading the NY Times (or whatever paper he could get his hands on), then his mastery of the spoken word, and finally mundane life skills and ultimately his life. However, it never robbed him of his humor or his desire to connect with people, strangers and loved ones alike. Neighbors probably have grown accustomed to seeing him on regular walks around the neighborhood and will miss his easy, engaging smile.

John was the life of the party, in fact, a “recommendation letter” from one of the Christian brothers at his high school said “this man will never amount to anything” presumably after observing his love for fun over school. But John was motivated by his young family and leveraged his intelligence and sharp analytic skills to rise from the mailroom of General Motors to senior director level, traveling the world. From Caracas to Cairo to Geneva to Dubai (Quito was his favorite), John enjoyed making new friends and learning wherever he went.

With his family he kept the travel domestic reaching 41 states, mostly by car. John enjoyed stopping at every historical highway marker to torture his children and always claimed he was just taking a shortcut when he was clearly lost. Thankfully he had Marge by his side as his co-pilot, both for the weeks long road trips and in life. John and Marge had been friends but got to know each other better when she served as his secretary in General Motors in downtown Manhattan. Marge couldn’t stand watching him unable to balance his checkbook and took over managing his finances in a way he always joked made him completely reliant on her so they had to marry.

John and Marge had a beautiful marriage, one built on mutual trust and love. They showed their love for each other in lots of little ways like how John would always grab Marge’s hand in church or how Marge would do her best not to say anything as John, more a thinker than handyman, assembled the IKEA furniture incorrectly yet again. Many of John’s grand outside-the-box community initiatives were only realized due to the organization and task driven nature of his partner he worked in tandem with. They traveled together from New York to St. Clair Shores to Oak Park accumulating friends and memories along the way.

In Michigan, John was tireless in fights for more funding for Lake Shore Public Schools both on the school board and as a leader of the Athletic Booster and Millage/Bond “Get out the Vote” parents’ organizations that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep lights and programming on. Inspired by the kids in the classroom and on the field, he challenged a community to dig deep and do things they, at first, didn’t think possible, and made sure everyone was having fun while doing it! He was a founding member of the St. Clair Shores Optimist Club, the president of the church men’s club, a coach and a mentor...the list goes on.

In Oak Park, he was a volunteer at the Shedd Aquarium with a particular soft spot for the penguins, his childhood nickname. He led tours at Old St. Pat’s about the history of the stained-glass windows. He used his life experience to serve the city when possible. But mostly, he entertained his grandchildren in his retirement. Butch was a beloved grandfather, always happy to take the path less traveled and spend some time staring at blades of grass. He was an avid photographer, documenting adventures and creating lasting memories.

John was passionate about politics and was proud to march with his daughters and granddaughters at the March for Women in Chicago in 2017. He took off work to watch the Watergate trials and enjoyed telling his kids about how he was a hippie who marched in the 70’s. John loved playing board games with his family and the ‘55 Dodgers. While still working, he always reserved 2 vacation days to take off to watch the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament from the comfort of his living room recliner.

To John, Patricia and Karen he was a source of love, support and advice. When John married Taryn and later Patricia married Lloyd, they were welcomed warmly into the family although good natured teasing back and forth was always the norm. John loved to laugh, he was a storyteller and a role model to live up to. His final days were spent in a hospital room and while the location wasn’t ideal, his family laughed, cried, sang, danced and problem solved life around him...so he was at home.

A wake will be held at Woodlawn Funeral Home 7750 W. Cermak Rd.; Forest Park, IL on Thursday, October 17 from 3 pm to 8pm. John loved a good Irish wake so please come armed with stories to share. His funeral mass will be at Old St. Patrick's Church 700 W. Adams St.; Chicago, IL on Friday, October 18 at 9:30 am, a church where he was a volunteer for many years, primarily as Santa Claus delighting children who would return every year with stories of accomplishments and pictures they’d drawn for him. Interment to follow at Woodlawn Cemetery Forest Park, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Save the Children and Su Casa Catholic Worker. (708) 442-8500 or visit www.woodlawnchicago.com