Dr. John Charles Dailey

Dr. John Charles Dailey
Jacksonville - Fortified by the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Dr. John Charles Dailey, 85, of Jacksonville, IL entered eternal life on Thursday February 26, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Jacksonville, IL, on March 7, 1940, the son of Paul Anthony and Margaret Ellen Dailey.
Dr. Dailey is survived by his beloved wife, Patricia Ann Dailey and his children, Sean Patrick (Julie) Dailey, Kevin Michael Dailey, Ellen Christine (Jim) Rottjakob, and Kathleen Ann (David) Morris; 10 grandchildren, Sean Michael Dailey, Joseph Kevin Sadaj, Paul Anthony Dailey, Mary Kathleen Desena, Anna Elizebeth King, Michael Thomas Dailey, Frederick Andrew Dailey, Isabella Rose Dailey, Sophia Magdalena Dailey, and Jane Frances Rottjakob; 10 great-grandchildren; and one brother, David Kevin (Ken Casey) Dailey.
He is preceded in death by both his parents and one brother in infancy, David Michael Dailey.
Dr. Dailey grew up in Carrollton, IL. He graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, MO, and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. He studied medicine at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He completed his internship at San Bernardino County Hospital in San Bernardino, CA, and his residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served as a medical officer at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base during the Vietnam War. An Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) physician for more than 50 years, Dr. Dailey began his medical career in Minnesota and South Carolina before opening a private practice in Jacksonville in 1978. He served as a physician and surgeon at Passavant Area Hospital for 44 years, with his last two years of practice at Boyd Hospital in Carrollton, retiring at the age of 82.
Dr. Dailey loved the Catholic faith, his family, and the canoe country in northern Minnesota and Canada. He worked as a guide at the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada from 1957-1961 and also made many canoe trips with his wife, family and friends between 1956 and 2015. A published author, he was a prolific writer, often composing stories and poems for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was an accomplished artist and enjoyed planting trees, bird-watching, keeping bees, and making mead.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday March 10, 2026, at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Winchester. A visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday March 9, 2026, at Williamson Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Memorials are suggested to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul St. Louis or the Morgan County Audubon Society. Condolences may be left online at www.airsman-hires.com