John Henry Eckenroad, III

John Henry Eckenroad, III, 78, of Boca Grande, Florida passed away surrounded by his family on July 24, 2022.

Born on August 14, 1943, John spent the first years of his life in Clarendon Hills, Illinois with his parents Mary and John Jr. and his younger sister, Ann. John attended St. Procopius High School before the family relocated to Dubuque Iowa and graduated from Wahlert Catholic High School in 1961.

John went on to attend Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa where he met his future wife, Margaret (Marge) Mary Friedrich. John graduated with a B.S. in political science in 1965 and went onto earn a master's degree in political science in 1967 from Northern Illinois University. John and Marge were married in Naperville, Illinois in 1967.

John embarked on a career in city management and development that would span over forty years. He began as an assistant manager in LaGrange Park, Illinois where he started his family with Marge. John became city manager of Northfield in 1970 where he and Marge raised their two daughters, Meg and Kathleen. As city manager, John oversaw the development, modernization and also preservation of the village he loved and called home most of his life. In 1995 John accepted a position to lead the Oak Park Development Corporation as executive director. For ten years, John fostered economic development, job creation and assisted countless small businesses in the City of Oak Park.

John dedicated his life to making a difference and leaned into the community in which he lived to make it a better place for everyone. John served on the boards of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School, Regina Dominican High School, and Catholic Charities of Chicago.

John was devoted to his family. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 55 years, Marge, his children, Meg and Kathleen (Brian) Noonan, son-in-law Brian, his three grandsons Colin, Casey and Patrick and his sister Ann (William) Hittman. John had many close friends in Northfield, Oak Park and Boca Grande. Visitation will begin at 9:00am at St. Philip the Apostle Church (Devine Mercy Parish) in Northfield, Illinois on Saturday, August 13, 2022 followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. A memorial Mass will be held at a future date at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Boca Grande, Florida. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John's honor to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research at www.michaeljfox.org/donate.