John Michael Lesko III

John Michael Lesko III passed away on Feb. 12, 2025 at home, surrounded by music, family, and love. The hospice music therapist just finished playing the last song in her setlist on the guitar, an instrument John loved and played himself. In his final moments, his family’s love held him up, but for 42 years, John lived a life of holding up others.

As the rock of his family, John worked hard, prioritized the needs of everyone else and never complained (even when it was his turn to do dishes). He kept his family’s lives in order and organized — from starting a college fund for his sons (Jackson and Jameson) at birth to planning for retirement. John’s best days were spent watching the Miami Dolphins and UCF Knights play football and was often described as the most spirited person in the stands.

During the day (and many late nights for special projects), John worked as Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at NextEra Energy. He spearheaded the design of numerous FP&A solutions, both for the overall company and for individual business units. His boss, Mary Jane, described him as highly respected and well regarded — a trusted business partner and leader. She said he was relentlessly dedicated to his work, his team and the pursuit of improvement. When John talked about work, he took the most pride not in his own achievements, but bringing out the best in his team. He felt proud when anyone he managed overcame a challenge, did exceptional work or received an award. To John, being a leader meant helping others shine while supporting them and cheering them on.

There is one place where John did not stand on the sidelines — the dance floor. The originator of “The Lesko Shake,” John started this dance phenomenon in college at the University of Central Florida. Similar to the twist, the “Lesko Shake” was John’s signature dance move. He would often get crowds of friends and strangers to join in. When he was not starting an impromptu flash mob, he attended classes for his accounting and finance double major. On weekends in college, John enjoyed tailgating outside the games in the blue truck he built with his dad, John Lesko II. The truck was later repainted to UCF’s black and gold.

Also during college, John met his wife Kristin while auditioning for a hip-hop dance, as part of a college homecoming skit with their fraternity and sorority, Kappa Sigma and Alpha Xi Delta. At the time, John was president of Kappa Sigma and homecoming chair. He walked up to Kristin and asked her to help cut the sleeves off of his shirt. They've been inseparable ever since. They met 21 years ago, married 12 years ago and have never stopped being best friends. From an early age, they often said they felt destined to be together. John wrote Kristin a letter that said, “I thought I knew what it meant to be loved and to love. This experience has shown me how powerful that bond between two people can be. There should be another word for it because it feels more powerful and spiritual than love.”

Years later, John and Kristin had twins Jackson and Jameson. John traded in late, sleepless nights with his best friend Will and his fraternity brothers for late, sleepless nights with his newborn sons. It was a transition he happily made, as being a dad and having his own family was all he ever wanted. His love and admiration for Jackson and Jameson was very mutual, which was apparent by the fact that they both chose “Dadda” as their first word. On weekends, he treasured one-on-one time with each of them and would take them miniature golfing or to get ice cream. He would also recreate a live action version of the Super Mario Brothers, dressing up as Donkey Kong while his sons were Mario and Luigi in a living room battle to get to the next level. To this day, Jackson still declares dad as his favorite person — a title John rightfully earned through humor, patience and unconditional love.

While juggling the role of parent, husband, and director, John also earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota and learned to play guitar. He practiced weekly with a band and many nights by himself on his patio to prepare for performances at local venues.

His hard work ethic came from his parents, Diane and John Lesko, whom he always sought to make proud — and succeeded. Family is everything to Diane, which was a trait John admired and inherited. He also loved his mom's cooking. She made large spreads of Italian food for family and friends throughout his life, including for his football team at Douglas High School, where John played defensive end (#90).The eldest in his family, John was a good role model and support system to his younger sisters, Lori and Kristen, whom he loved very much.

John’s wife, sons, parents, siblings, and friends feel an irreplaceable void in their lives now that John is gone. But his laughter, love and Lesko Shake will live on in their hearts forever.

In lieu of flowers, John's family is asking for contributions to Jackson's and Jameson's future education: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jackson-and-jamesons-education

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 7, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Aycock-Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center, 1112 Military Trl, Jupiter, Florida 33458. Funeral Services will be private.

The family feels extremely grateful for the meals, cards, hugs, and general outpouring of love you've extended to them. They look forward to sharing stories and memories of John with you on March 7.