I was saddened to learn about the death of Dr. Jack Navins.  I knew Jack as a volunteer in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.  I attended most of Jack's classes in the presidential library and participated in his excellent museum tours.  I learned so much from Jack.  He had a wealth of knowledge about most subjects.  I will especially miss him as a volunteer in the presidential museum. I saw Jack many times in Barnes & Noble at a table probably preparing for some upcoming class he planned to teach museum volunteers. R.I.P. Jack.  

I worked with Dr Navins in the Navy at Oakland Naval Hospital. He was an excellent physician as well as a kind compassionate gentleman. I never saw him in a bad mood! He had that twinkle in his eye and that cute sense of humor regardless of the circumstances ! He made a difference. I hope he was enjoying his trip to France, and I know his family will miss him.
Berdi Price Retired Navy Nurse

I am a retired member of the Presidential Library staff and it was my privilege to work with Jack on our book discussion group.  He was a great member of the team selecting and leading discussions and I enjoyed conversations with him about books of all kinds.  Jack was truly a Renaissance man.  His profession in medicine was one side of him, but he was equally at home in the field of history and social sciences.  Please accept my sincere condolences for your loss.  I also enjoyed his reminiscences about growing up in Minnesota.  Gwen Podeschi, Taylorville, Illinois

I was blessed to work with Jack as a Nurse Practitioner in his Springfield Clinic office many years ago. He was such a kind and caring physician and readily shared his vast knowledge
willingly. I remember kidding him about the "organized" clutter in his office.  When I requested readings on a particular topic he would go to the stacks of  books and periodicals  in his office, piled neatly on the floor, and immediately find the requested material.  
His love for history and flags was evident. After I retired  I would occasionally  see him at Barnes & Noble doing research for the book he was currently writing. He always had big smile and a comment.
I am so sorry to hear of his passing. Prayers are offered for comfort for his family.  
Receive your reward Jack, you have earned it.


My name is Stephen Sauer and I was an early tour guide at the Abraham Lincoln Library before the museum opened in 2004.  Please accept my sincere sympathy at the passing of Jack as I truly respected him as a learned man willing to share his historical knowledge on Lincoln as well as a man who always had a kind word to say about his fellow volunteers and professional staff at the ALPLM.  He was our “go-to guy” if any volunteer had a question on Lincoln that they could not answer.  He was always asking me what I was reading and I reciprocated by asking him how big his stack of unread books was at home, but in his defence, he was ALWAYS reading.  I took Jack on his first tour of the library when it opened in April of 2004 before the museum opened in October of the same year.  We chatted numerous times about that first meeting and he was so appreciative of my presentation and the positive way that I told the library/museum story.   I was saddened to hear of the stroke he suffered from several years ago, but I visited him in the hospital and he was clearly on the mend and we all were so happy to see him return to his volunteer duties at the museum.   He will truly be missed and while I have been away from the museum since 2017, I always will consider Jack my friend.  He will always be in my mind the brightest,  most cordial and caring person that the ALPLM could ever have employed.  God bless your family during this difficult time and all the positive memories of Jack.

I was truly saddened to learn of Jack’s passing. I had the privilege of working with him as a nurse in the OB department at St John’s Hospital for many, many years.   We’ve also worked the same shift at the ALPLM for over a decade.  He was very well respected and possessed a wealth of knowledge on numerous topics.  While he was a bit on the quiet side he was known for his humorous “one-liners”. He will certainly be missed by many. My sincere sympathies and prayers for his family 

So sorry to hear about the passing of John. He has been a friend for over 10 years. He had many interests and one of them was flags. By doing personal research on the history of the City of Springfield  Flag he discovered that it had been made incorrectly for several years. Thanks to John, this error has been rectified. He also wrote a research paper on "The Evolution of the United States Flag" and presented me with a copy. John even designed and made many different versions of the US Flag that were used throughout our nation's history. I'm sure he flew them at his home on different occasions. My condolences to the entire Navins family on their loss. I'm sure he will be missed.

OBITUARY

Dr. John P. "Jack" Navins, MD

October 31, 1948 – July 11, 2022

Bisch & Son Funeral Home

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