John A. Garrido Sr.

Loving father of John (Anna) Garrido, Joe (fiancée Cynthia) Garrido; Jennifer (Joe) Maul, Melissa Morales, Brianna Garrido, and Emily Garrido; cherished grandfather of Kaila (Chris) Spargo-Soos; cherished brother of Gloria Rivera, Tony Garrido, Aurora Herrera, Rose Almaraz, and Rosie Alvarez; loving uncle, cousin, and friend of many. Preceded in death by his parents, the late John and Augustina Garrido.

In 1963 John completed paratrooper training and became an official member of the 101st Airborne Division, “Screaming Eagles”. After being honorably discharged from the military in 1966, John went on to become a proud member of the Chicago Police Department where he served for 38 years.

John lived his life to the fullest and touched the lives of many. He was a good soul who never said no and was always there for family and friends to lend a helping hand.

John loved boating, traveling and spending time with family and friends. He worked hard to support two of his favorite causes; supporting the families of first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty and animal rescue.

He was called many loving nicknames like, “Papa G”, “Senior”, “Neato Garrido”, “Da Stram”, “Strammer” and many more.

Some of his favorite sayings were,

“No Way!”, “Neato”, “Go big or Go home”

He would light up a room with his infectious smile and wide array of brightly colored outfits and unique hats.

It seemed as though he had friends in every city, on every continent. Some have said, “The man is not someone you just met or knew, you experienced him” or “Everyone should be so lucky to have a John Garrido Sr. in their lives.”

A drive-thru visitation will be held on Sunday, December 6th from 3:00pm until 8:00pm at Malec & Sons Funeral Home, 6000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60646. Vehicles can line-up on Milwaukee Avenue in front of the funeral home. Dad's life was full of bright colors. We ask that you wear something bright and colorful in his memory.

A drive-thru Chicago Police St. Jude ceremony will take place at 7:00pm.

As you pull up to pay your respects, you can pray in your car, sign the book and take a prayer card.

While family will be present, we ask that you please remain socially distant as you greet them. In compliance with local CDC restrictions, any congregation of guests in the parking lot or funeral home is prohibited.

The funeral procession to the cemetery will line up at 9:30am on Monday, December 7th and leave for Maryhill Catholic Cemetery at 10:00am. There will be Taps and a Military Flag folding ceremony.

For more information, please call Tyler E. Zawatski, Manager/Director at (773) 774-4100.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in the name of John A. Garrido Sr. to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation or to a charity of your choice.

https://give.cpdmemorial.org/give/142398/#!/donation/checkout