John Hernandez

Born in Iowa City, Iowa, on December 2, 1958, Hernandez moved around many times to many towns and cities in eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois, but especially valued his time spent in Davenport and in Kewanee, Illinois. He graduated from Annawan High School in Annawan, Illinois, in 1977.

He married Peggy Weber in June, 1980, and on his birthday in 1981 welcomed his first child, daughter Joy. Later, they welcomed his son, John Jacob. That marriage dissolved in 1986, and Hernandez enlisted in the United States Army in the fall of 1988, a career that would reward him with a lifetime of world travel and adventure in service to his country. He would be stationed in South Korea on two occasions, Turkey, Germany, and closer to home in Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

On April 10, 1991, while stationed in South Korea, he married Chinsuk Kwon, and together they welcomed another son, Joshua Michael, and two daughters, Michelle and Nicole.

His twenty-three years of service saw two tours in Iraq as part of Operation: Iraqi Freedom. Sergeant First Class Hernandez retired from the Army in 2011, heavily decorated, having earned two Meritorious Service medals and the Bronze Star for “(h)is outstanding dedication to duty during combat operations in Iraq,” which “contributed to the overwhelming success of the Command’s mission.” Retiring while stationed at the Rock Island Arsenal meant that he and his immediate family could settle closer to more family members living in Davenport. He continued to work as a defense contractor at the Arsenal, and through that role, returned to Iraq a third time.

But he wasn’t done living his life in service to others. In May 2019, at the age of 60, John Hernandez graduated from St. Ambrose University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and became a chaplain for several Quad City hospitals, most recently the UnityPoint Health hospital system at hospitals on both sides of the Mississippi River.

Hernandez spent his free time expressing his lifelong artistic talent through oil painting, consuming science fiction, especially favorites Star Trek and Doc Savage, reading and staying up on current events, researching his family’s genealogy, and spending time with his family and church, Grace Korean Church. As evidence of his patience and endurance, he cheered on his beloved Minnesota Vikings each season without fail. He will be remembered as a man of integrity who never shied from doing the right thing, even under difficult circumstances.

John R. Hernandez is survived by his wife, Chinsuk, his children Joy (Troy Butler), John Jacob (Meghan Nee Comer), Michelle (Harley Pohlmeier), and Nicole, his grandsons Logan and Carter, as well as by his sister-in-law Kathy, sister Rose Boehle (Chris), and brother Thomas (Michelle Hand), many nieces and nephews and his dog Bananas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Helen Hernandez, his older brothers Steven and Eugene Jr. “Geno”, a sister Penny, nieces Stephanie and Gena, his son Joshua Michael, and his dog Monk.

John R. Hernandez will be laid to rest on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Weerts Funeral Home, 3625 Jersey Ridge Rd., Davenport, Iowa, with visitation beginning at 9:30am and service at 11:30am. He will be buried with full military honors at the Rock Island National Cemetery on the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois at 1pm. A reception will follow at Grace Korean Church, 4915 21st Ave. A, Moline, Illinois. The family welcomes anyone who knew and loved John in their lives.