Joseph E. Jannotta Jr.

1928 - 2018

Joseph E. Jannotta, Jr., who died last month after complications from a fall, will be best remembered as a man ready to share a kind word and an open-hearted smile. Throughout his active life, Joe was quick with his humor, wit and warmth, always inquisitive about the lives and doings of others. Blessed with an intuitive knack to connect with people, his personal and professional life was propelled by his desire to help people make the most of their talents in life and work. Born on May 22, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois to parents Joseph Sr. and Ramona, Joe was raised in Kenilworth, Illinois, with older sister, Stella, and younger brother Ned. He attended New Trier High School, and graduated from Williams College (BA-1950) and The University of Chicago (MBA-1967). Following his service as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1955, with a tour in Korea as a carrier pilot, he resumed a career with Jewel Companies (a company originally founded by his forebears in 1899). There he spent 25 years, eventually serving as senior personnel officer of Osco Drug, Inc. In 1976 Joe became President of Yoplait Midwest, a start-up company, until its sale to General Mills two years later. In 1978 he founded Jannotta, Bray & Associates, Inc., a career consulting firm which grew to include 13 offices coast to coast, and he served as its Chairman until it was sold to Right Management Consultants, Inc. in 1994. He remained active in the career counseling industry, and as a volunteer board member and student mentor for Chicago State University. Against the backdrop of Chicago, the North Shore and his cherished Castle Park community in Michigan, Joe and wife Gina raised their three children, Mary, Martha and Sepp. Over the years, he nurtured many dear friendships, along with passions for sports (tennis, paddle tennis, skiing, golf), music, art, fine food and wines. In the late 1990s, he and Gina retired to Santa Barbara, where Joe kept up with his student mentoring at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and served on the vestry at Montecito's All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal church. In retirement he wrote a memoir and historical account of his uncle Vernon Jannotta, a decorated US Naval hero, and a Japanese naval officer, and their parallel experiences in the WWII Solomon Islands. Carefully researched and richly detailed, "Extraordinary Leaders," was published in 2015. Recent years brought another thrill -- cheering on the Chicago Cubs to finally break their drought with a World Series win in 2016. Joe is especially beloved by his wife of 58 years, Gina Laun Jannotta; daughter Mary Jannotta Ireland (Doug Ireland) and children Haley, Jack, Billy and Josephine; daughter Martha Jannotta (Jay Mittelstead) and children Nick, Quin and Nell; son Sepp Jannotta (Alysha Goheen) and children Sylvie and Gigi; brother Edgar Dalzell Jannotta and family; late sister Stella Jannotta Kelly and family; sister-in law Katie Laun Hodgson Olson and family. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in memory of Joseph Jannotta. Gifts may be made online at http://ChicagoBooth.edu/makeagift or checks made payable to Chicago Booth and mailed to: University of Chicago, Gift Administration, 5235 S. Harper Court, # 450, Chicago, IL 60615.