Juan Antonio Bernacchi Jr.

Born on November 25, 1938, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Juan was the cherished son of Juan Antonio and Lucia Bernacchi. He is survived by his devoted wife of 60 years, B. Rita; his daughters, Annabell and Paola; and his youngest sister, Maria del Valle.

Juan's life was marked by love and determination. While waiting for his visa to emigrate to the United States, he fell in love at first sight with Rita at a friend's birthday party in 1963. They became engaged on March 11, 1964, just days before he departed for the U.S., arriving in Miami, FL, on St. Patrick's Day. After a 38-hour Greyhound bus ride, he settled in Chicago, where he quickly found work as a Mechanical Engineer. In July 1964, Juan and Rita married in a civil ceremony in Argentina, with his father standing in for him by proxy. Once Rita arrived in Chicago that September, they married (again) at St. Jerome's Catholic Church.

They lived in Forest Park, IL, and Juan started working at the Western Electric Cicero Plant in 1968. In 1970, they bought a house in Wheaton, IL, and Juan started a new position as a Product Engineer in the Electronic Switching Department at the Western Electric Lisle Plant. While there, he worked on the creation of a new generation of capacitors. In 1977, he was transferred to the Western Electric Guilford Center in NC to work in the International Department as an Engineering Operations Representative for Central America. While he enjoyed travelling to Central America (except for the time he was held on the tarmac during a military uprising), he didn't like being away from his wife and daughters so much. So, he became a Cost Analyst in the Purchasing Department and stayed in that department until he took early retirement in 1989 when he said, at 51, that he had been “waiting his whole life to retire.” Since he had been fixing motors since he was a teenager and always loved automobiles, he decided to become a dealer and start his own small business, International Motorcars, Inc. In addition to automobiles, Juan had a passion for soccer. He played for River Plate in Chicago, and loved watching all “buen fútbol,” especially his beloved Boca Juniors, the Argentina national team, and whatever team Messi was playing for. His urge to explore and his curiosity took him to 46 states and much of Europe and South America, with Pompeii, Italy, being his favorite destination. A devotee of music, he enjoyed tango, opera, big

band, and Argentinian folklore. Throughout his life, Juan remained curious about the world and eager to learn from everyone he encountered.

A Celebration of Life service will be held, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Parkinson's Foundation (https://rebrand.ly/Parkinsons-Juan) or to ACLU (https://rebrand.ly/ACLU-Juan) or to the wonderful Hospice that so loving cared for Juan, https://www.authoracare.org/give/donate-online)

Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfhsedgefield.com