John Samuel Partenheimer

John Samuel Partenheimer, 62, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Saturday, March 27, from complications of non-Covid related pneumonia. John was born July 17, 1958, in Hillsborough, California. His family moved to Indianapolis in 1961 when he was three years old. He attended North Central High School, where he sang in Counterpoints and founded the band Clarian. John graduated from the Indiana University School of Business in 1980. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and the Indiana University Student Foundation Steering Committee. After graduation, John worked briefly at American Fletcher National Bank but left to pursue his passion for music. Besides being a lifelong musician, John was interested in computer technology and completed a second degree at IUPUI in Computer Science. He worked in IT for the rest of his career, both with Sallie Mae as a Sr. Systems Analyst and for the last ten years at First Data Bank, he was a Manager of Software Development. In 2004 John married the love of his life, Janet Pirillo, on Valentine's Day. They tried to elope in Las Vegas, but their families wouldn't hear of it and followed them to be part of the celebration. John was best known for being one of the founding members of PolkaBoy, where he was the lead singer and played the clarinet. He could play any instrument he picked up and could play any song by ear. John entertained countless thousands with PolkaBoy's infectious and joyful music. John is survived by his wife, Janet, his Mom, Dessie Partenheimer Koch, his sisters Nancy (Mike) Duffy, Sally (Tim) Claffey, Jane (Mike) Jones, stepsister Nina Koch, stepbrother Stu (Lynn) Koch. He was the favorite uncle to Jack, Grace, Sally, Michael, Matt, Evan, Brian, Hannah, Sophia, Ciana, Matteo, and Alessio. His father, John A. Partenheimer, and his stepfather, Stuart H. Koch, precede him in death. John's spirit and memory allow us to go forward. We will never forget his quiet smile, the twinkle in his eye, and his unmistakable baritone voice. Now.. in heaven, there IS beer. Ya! Ya! Ya! Due to Covid restrictions, a celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Sigma Chi Foundation at https://donate.sigmachi.org. Leppert Mortuary - Nora Chapel assisting with arrangements. To share a memory or condolence, please visit www.leppertmortuary.com.