John William Geary

A humble and generous man, John dedicated his life to his family and St. Mary’s Church in Buffalo Grove, Illinois where he lived the vast majority of his adult life. John died quietly in Fairlawn, Ohio, on December 26, 2025.

John was born in Red Bank, New Jersey to Bernard James Geary and Mary Gertrude (Beatch) Geary on February 22, 1948. He grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Dayton (UD), where he graduated with two degrees--a BS in Biology and an MBA. John set an example for his three younger siblings, who also graduated from UD. It was in college that his love of private airplanes blossomed, something that he inherited from his dad. The day John soloed, he drove his car in circles around his parents’ house, wildly honking the horn in triumph. His love of airplanes continued for the rest of his life. After graduating from UD, John made his way to Chicago where he spent years in sales for computer companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and IBM. Eventually, he joined General Electric’s computer aided design (CALMA) division and was responsible for their largest sale to date when he convinced Eaton Corporation to adopt CALMA’s systems across their divisions. When John left GE, it was for a role with a California-based Computer Aided Design Company, as head of sales for North America. He was on the road every week with that role and eventually decided that being a world traveler was not a healthy thing for a family. He quit and started a company near his home that didn’t require travel.

In Buffalo Grove, John was active with his church, St. Mary’s. He was part of the leadership for several men’s groups, including the Holy Name Society and Knights of Columbus. At one point, John helped start a ministry to the homebound. On the first Saturday of each month, after morning Mass, a group of men, organized by John, would go out two by two to visit members of the church who were homebound. Twenty years after its founding, this group is still active.

In his later years John enjoyed his retirement and his greatest joy in life became his grandchildren.

John was proceeded in death by his parents and is survived by his two daughters Jennifer Geary & Jessica Heinz (Cooper), grandchildren Hayley and Mark, brothers, Patrick (Cathy) Geary and Bernie (Jody) Geary, and sister, Marianne (Paul) Berkemeier, as well as numerous nephews and nieces.

John will be remembered for his stories of family history and his kind and caring nature. He was always interested in how you were doing and was very willing to lend a hand if you needed it. He will be missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him.

Visitation will be held at St. Mary Parish, 10 N Buffalo Grove Rd, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, on January 24, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Followed by a Funeral Mass starting at 11:00 am. Inurnment to follow at St Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery, Palatine, IL.