John J. Flaherty

John Joseph Flaherty of Elk Grove Village passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on May 3rd, 2025. John was born in Chicago and was the eldest son of Patrick and Mary (née Casey), Irish immigrants from Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. He married his high school sweetheart, Norrine (née Grow) in 1954 and together they raised eight extremely fortunate children: Dr. John (Jeanne, the late Katherine), Bridgette (Gary), George (Antoinette), Eileen (Peter), Daniel (Karen), Mary (James), Dr. Michael (Jill) and Amy (Jonathen). After forty wonderful years of marriage, Norrine was called to heaven, and John eventually found love again with a friend from high school, the late Rose Marie Clausen (née Nowicki).

John was a devoted and loving grandfather to: the late Jeffrey (Melissa), Erin (Lucas), Nora (Phillip), Daniel, Kevin (Rebecca), the late Brian, Maureen (Benjamin), Caitlin (Kyle), Anne, Thomas (Jennifer), Matthew (Olivia), Allison (Blake), Claire, Shannon (Mathew), David (Indhu), Kelly, Joseph, Violette (Sonny), Karly, Lily, Dahlia, Ian, Rosalie, Maeve and Mason. He was the beloved great-grandfather of: Mia, Casey, Grant, Lyla, Kellan, Eve, Jasper, Wesley and Theodore.

John was an excellent big brother to: the late Patrick (the late Rita), the late Marie Gibadlo Tauber (Edward, the late Kenneth), the late Michael, Barbara Svachula (Donald) and Kathleen Brady (the late Paul). John cherished his sister and brother-in-laws: the late Joan Dahlquist(John), the late Shirley Huening, and Bonnie Kelly. John’s many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews will miss him dearly.

John was a veteran of the Korean War, having served from 1952-1954 as a radio engineer. Upon his return, he made what he considered one of the best decisions of his life and enrolled at the University of Illinois in Champaign. John graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1959 and began a remarkable career, designing many medical and life-saving technological devices. He was granted numerous patents. Among his many achievements, John designed an early ultrasonic transducer for cardiac sector scan imaging and a hand-held Doppler Unit which was used to hear and visualize the fetal heartbeat and blood flow during development. He advanced in management at Magnaflux Corporation, eventually becoming Vice President of Research, Engineering and Marketing. In 1988, John started his own very successful company, Flare Technology. At Flare, John designed and manufactured numerous devices using eddy current technology for non-destructive testing. These patented devices helped detect abnormalities in automobile airbags, scuba and pressurized air tanks. John’s technological designs saved countless lives. He had many passions including woodcarving, amateur radio (call name W9QUT), gardening, bread making and writing poetry.

John was a special person, full of wisdom, empathy and deep faith. He was a founding member and parishioner of Queen of the Rosary Parish for over 65 years. John treated everyone he met with respect and loving kindness and yearned for a world in which this was the norm. He instilled a passion for learning and discovery in his children and grandchildren.

As a father, he was our hero, our teacher, our confidant, our advisor and our friend. He lived a great life, but it was not without its sorrows. Even through tough times, our father showed us how to rise above life’s bitterness and always choose love.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fidelity Charitable: the Jeffrey Whitebread Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of John’s eldest grandson. Visitation Tuesday, May 20th 3:00-8:00 pm and Wednesday, May 21st 8:00-9:30 am at The Oaks Funeral Home, 1201 E Irving Park Road (at Prospect), Itasca to Queen of the Rosary Church. Mass 10:00 am. Interment Saint Michael the Archangel Cemetery. For funeral info:630-250-8588 or oaksfh.com