Jack H. Heisler

Jack H Heisler
Jack H. Heisler, of Crystal Lake, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at the age of 75.
He was born October 20, 1949, the son of the late Leonard and Dorothy (nee Anderson) Heisler.
Jack grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and was a third generation Heisler, a "Townie" as he called it. As a boy, he enjoyed playing baseball as a Little League catcher. He also enjoyed riding his bike through town with neighborhood friends. When Jack was old enough, he would often help out at the family shoe store, Heisler's Bootery, which was originally opened by his grandfather, John Heisler, who immigrated from Germany to the United States. John was a skilled harness maker, making harnesses by hand - a skill that served Crystal Lake well at the time since horse and buggy were still the primary form of transportation.
Heisler's Bootery was passed on to Leonard Heisler (Jack's father), then later to Jim Heisler (Jack's oldest of three brothers). The store is still in operation today after 117 years of successful shoe sales, and is managed by Jim Heisler and his daughter, Jody Heisler.
During Jack's high school years he played the upright bass in the school jazz band at Crystal Lake Community High School. This passion for music continued into his adult years. He played in Chicago coffee houses with some of his friends. This was a popular place for young people at the time. In later years, Jack joined his brother Jim and Jim's wife Carol in a wedding band called The Brothers & Two, who played throughout the area.
After high school Jack attended Elgin Community College (1967) for one year until McHenry County College (MCC) opened the following year. He was one of the first graduates of MCC. After MCC, Jack transferred to Northern Illinois University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business. While at NIU, Jack dated Linda Barango. They were later engaged to be married. The Vietnam War was happening at the time and Jack's number came up. He was drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. Following his stint in the Army, Jack returned to Crystal Lake and married Linda Barango in 1972. Soon after, Jack was hired by Motorola in Schaumburg, IL, in Human Resources, working in compensation and benefits. Linda and Jack had two boys, Tim and Brian.
In 1980 Jack moved into International Benefits and traveled to countless countries around the world over the next many years. He worked at Motorola for 35 years. Later Jack worked for Zebra Technologies for another 10 years as Vice President of Global Rewards.
Jack loved spending time with his family and attending their boys' sports games, concerts and other activities. This continued with his grandsons Ryan and Sam. Another favorite activity for Jack included golfing with his friends.
Jack was proud to be an Eagle Scout. After his sons joined Boy Scouts themselves, Jack became the Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 347 in Crystal Lake, where he continued his duties for 10 years, plus an additional 10 years as a Scout leader. During that time, Jack was hands on guiding his sons all the way through to their own accomplishments, both Tim and Brian achieving the rank of Eagle Scout as well. Jack was very passionate about Boy Scouts and family.
In 2019 Jack retired and found more time to spend with family and friends.
Jack will be dearly missed by his wife of 53 years, Linda; his sons, Tim (Lindsay) and Brian Heisler; his grandsons, Ryan and Sam; his brothers, Jim (Rebecca), John (Wilma), and Jeff (Carol) Heisler; and his nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.
Visitation will be held Friday, August 29, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at 10:00 a.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, 76 W Crystal Lake Ave, Crystal Lake. Burial will follow at Crystal Lake Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jack's family to be distributed to Boy Scout Troop 347 and to Bethany Lutheran Church.
Please visit www.davenportfamily.com to leave an online condolence or for more information.