John Patrick Honc

John Patrick Honc, 91, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, surrounded by family. Dad, Pap, Papi, Grandpa, Papa, uncle, brother, friend… He was our rock, the foundation on which we structured our lives to become our best selves. His undeniable faith in God, family and country and his strength, wisdom, humbleness, love, compassion and grace through the good times and bad will remain with all who knew him, despite our loss of his physical presence. There is no doubt he is rejoicing in Heaven with Mom, Stevie and Al and all other family and friends who have gone before him.

Born January 29, 1935, to Ludmila Elizabeth (Sushil) and Vincent Joseph Honc on the family homestead in Bokeelia, John spent his childhood there with his 8 siblings. After graduating from St. Leo Boarding School for Boys in St. Leo, FL, he returned home to Pine Island. In February 1954, he proudly enlisted in the Army National Guard and served until he was honorably discharged in October 1962. In 1955, John entered into partnership with his dad and brother and formally formed Honc's Nursery; a plant and tree nursery in Bokeelia. On June 22, 1957, he married the love of his life, Lil Yahl. They immediately started their family and Honc Construction; and there began the building of a legacy.

As a lifetime resident of Bokeelia, John assisted in building and then regularly attended services at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus for many years. He made great sacrifices to afford a private Catholic education for all his children, and he served on the Lee County School Board to ensure all children in the county received the best education.

John leaves behind his children, John Jr. (Cheryl), Dan (Donna), Ken (Laura), Denise, Damian (Latricia), Vince, and Carolyn (Greg); 19 grandchildren; 31 great grandchildren; 6 great-great grandchildren; several godchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and many dear friends he claimed as family. He gratefully acknowledged the Lord’s blessings on five generations of his family.

A visitation and celebration of Dad’s life will be held on Friday, March 27th from 5-8pm at Coral Ridge Funeral Home at 950 Chiquita Blvd. S, Cape Coral.

A funeral mass will be held at 10am on Saturday, March 28th at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church, 12175 Stringfellow Rd, Bokeelia, FL. Reception immediately following Mass in the Church Hall.

A graveside service and burial for both Mom and Dad (Lil and John) will be held at 2:30pm on Saturday, March 28th at Coral Ridge Cemetery at 950 Chiquita Blvd. S, Cape Coral.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to one of the following: Tunnel to Towers Foundation https://t2t.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/In-Memory-of-Online-Form_Interactive-Online-Form.pdf, Wounded Warriors Supportwwp.org/wwp

John Patrick Honc Sr.(Grandpa)

Eulogy at Funeral Mass

Written and Delivered by Lilli-Anne Honc Spolar(granddaughter)

Good Morning,

On behalf of the entire Honc family, we would like to thank you for coming and celebrating the life of John Patrick Honc Sr. Everyone here is a piece of John’s 91 year journey on this earth. Whether you are a friend, cousin, nephew, niece, son, daughter, or grandchild, each person holds a special and valuable place in his life, and for that we are grateful.

John was a lot of things for a lot of different people, but most importantly he was first a brother to eight siblings, husband to our granny, Lillian, father of nine children, grandfather of 21, great grandfather to 33, and great-great grandfather to 6 children. For 30 wonderful years I had the distinct privilege of not only being my grandmother, Lillian’s, namesake, but I was also one of grandpa’s beloved “dolly’s”. For anyone who doesn’t know, a “dolly” is a term of endearment my grandpa would always say upon greetings and goodbyes. And for most of my childhood, I thought it was specific to me, but grew up to find out it was his way of not calling one of us girls the wrong name because he couldn’t always recall our names quickly. And what a beautiful problem to have, a legacy of family so large sometimes it’s hard to keep names straight.

A lot of people hear the name Honc and immediately associate it with the many companies you see that stemmed from the hard work and dedication of John’s life’s work. And although I’m sure the name Honc stretched further than he originally dreamed or

anticipated, I know that his most prized achievement was us, his family.

There’s a phrase I’ve heard many times over the last few weeks when we all knew that his time left on earth was short, and that was “it will be the end of an era”. And it truly has been the end of an era. My grandfather was a rarity in today’s world. He was loyal, honest, kind, never wished ill will on anyone. His word and a handshake were as good as a legally binding contract. If he said he was going to do it, then that’s what was going to happen. Honestly, I never really thought his era would end, in my eyes, he was invincible. I remember being a young girl and thinking nothing would ever happen to my grandparents. My grandpa was in his 60’s still changing tires on Mac trucks. Together they were so full of life, that I couldn’t even imagine an ending to them.

John was not a man of many words, but when he did speak, you just knew you needed to listen. Grandpa was always the one to quietly listen and offer sound advice when it was needed, or in most recent years little tidbits of encouragement when life for me with two small children seemed impossibly overwhelming. His acts of love were quiet, steadfast, they weren’t showy but derived out of what the other person needed.

When I was pregnant with my first baby I remember one day I was spending an afternoon with grandpa just catching up. During our conversation I mentioned in passing that I had really been craving his famous potato salad and needed to make it sometime to satisfy the craving. About two weeks later around 9 pm on a Saturday night, I got a call from my

grandpa saying he had a dish full of potato salad just for me. I was in the car on the way to his house within about two minutes. When I got to his house he had a whole system set up making what appeared to be 30 pounds of potato salad for a church event the next day.

Despite him probably have been working on that salad for I’m sure several hours, he still remembered that I had a craving and set some aside just for me.

His love wasn’t in the extravagance, it was in the small details. It was in his time, in words of encouragement, in the way he hugged and said “love you dolly”.

Some of my cousins, my sister and I got to spend some time with Grandpa in the hospital the day before he passed. We got to spend some time telling stories and sharing laughs. At one point I asked him if he was ready to go and see granny again, and he said he’d been ready, and he’d been dreaming of her every time he closed his eyes.

I’m really glad I got to have that conversation with him, because I feel like it put a lot in perspective for me. He lived, he loved, he was devout and steadfast in his faith despite what this world sent his way, but he wasn’t unsure of what happened next. He knew with certainty that when he took his last breath here on earth, he was opening his eyes to a sight we can only imagine this side of heaven, and being greeted by his savior saying “well done, good and faithful servant”.

Again, on behalf of our entire family and Grandpa’s dolly, thank you.

Written and delivered by: Lilli-Anne Honc Spolar(granddaughter)

John Patrick Honc Sr. (Grandpa)

Eulogy at Visitation Service

Written and Delivered by Sara Honc Crocker(granddaughter)

John, Pap, Johnnie, Dad... He was known by many names, but I was privileged as one of his granddaughters to get to call him grandpa. For those that don't know who I am, my name is Sara, the youngest daughter of Damian Hone, who's a son of John Hone. When I look back on our childhood as grandchildren, some of my very first core memories include grandpa. The many large family gatherings we had, where we ran up to him so that he could scoop us up and use his arms as a swing and swing us high above his head. The many camping trips and buggy rides where we would listen to old stories. The family dinners where we held hands and said the Lord's prayer.

I was very much and am still very much an observer. If you don't think children are impacted by your role in their life, even if it's small, you are wrong. I remember even at a very young age, of just being so proud of the type of man my grandpa was and the type of men my dad and uncles are. Superheroes in my eyes. We got to watch and participate as they worked with equipment, chopped wood, hunted, fixed anything and everything. I knew if there ever was an actual "end of the world catastrophe" we would be safe surrounded by them. There was nothing they could not do in my eyes.

The role my grandpa and dad played in my life impacted the type of man I searched for and I was very much blessed to also marry into a family with the same type of men. I have always joked with my husband that my grandpa loved him more. I know he didn't, but I do know he loved and respected my husband very much. They have a lot of similar traits.

After joining the Crocker Family, I was privileged to become an adopted granddaughter to Grandpa Crocker, as I called him. This is where I learned that both Grandpa Hone and Grandpa Crocker both served in the same unit in the National Guard. In fact, I have an old picture of their unit, and in that picture, both are kneeling in the front, side by side, holding flags. Do you think they knew then that their grandchildren would one day marry, and they would share great grandchildren? No but I know God did.

It was through Grandpa Crocker, I got to hear more stories of how Grandpa Hone would go to Mass every Saturday night. He would never go out with the boys and miss it. His stories reminded me that my grandpa was always a man of faith. In fact, he built his whole life on that faith. It was the pillar of who he was. His quiet confidence was rooted in his belief in Jesus, and he carried that into all aspects of his life, from raising his family to building his business. A legacy that many respect.

There is a verse in the Bible that says,

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.

That is exactly what Grandpa, along with Granny did. The seeds they planted in their children from the time they were young continue to grow as the generations of our family continue to grow. It doesn't mean our family is perfect, we all must find Jesus our own way and in our own time, but I do take that verse as a promise to Grandpa.

One of the very last conversations I had with Grandpa alone, I was able to thank him for that faith. That because of his faith and prayers all those years ago, seeds were planted in my own father, and once he became saved it trickled into our lives which ultimately led to my journey to find my own relationship with Christ. Prayer is so powerful. And I firmly believe his and Grannies prayers have impacted generations and generations yet to come. I am so thankful God allowed me to have that last opportunity to thank grandpa for that. Our hero may no longer be here on this earth, but I have no doubt he was welcomed with open arms in heaven and is now rejoicing next to Jesus and Granny.

My biggest prayer now, even with our Patriarch no longer here, is that our family continues to carry on his legacy for generations to come. I want to end with the lyrics to the song from the Blessing by Kari Jobe

"May His favor be upon you and a thousand generations and your family and your children and their children and their children. May His presence go before you and behind you, and beside you. All around you, and within you. He is with you, he is with you."