John Anton Mutka

John Mutka

Jan. 2, 1936 - May 14, 2024

John Anton Mutka passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 14, 2024, in Lone Tree, CO.

John is survived by his sister, Anne Lewis of Griffith, IN; his four children: Mike Mutka of Chapel Hill, NC, Karen Kaukol (Rob) and Sarah Mutka-Ahern (Ken) of Denver, CO, and Jennifer Mutka-Fabac (John) of Colorado Springs, CO. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

John was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Virginia "Ginny" (Davey); his parents, Anton and Christine Mutka; and brother, Thomas Mutka, all of Whiting, IN.

John was born in Whiting, graduated from Hammond Clark High School and received a BA degree from Indiana University (IU) School of Journalism in Bloomington.  While at IU, he was editor of the Indiana Daily Student campus daily, ran on the varsity cross country team, and cycled in the Little 500 race. 

John was a long-time voice in Hoosier sports journalism, beginning with his tenure as sports editor of the Frankfort Times in Frankfort, IN.  It was there that he met Ginny on a blind date. After marrying in 1963, they settled in Northwest Indiana where John spent 50+ years as a sportswriter and editor for the Post-Tribune. They resided for 45 years in Valparaiso, where they raised their four children.  

John, or "Janko" as he was affectionately called by family, was a hard-working, dedicated family man with a dry sense of humor and a penchant for puns.  He enjoyed playing softball and tennis and making summer swim trips to the Indiana Dunes with his kids.  He was a ruthless competitor at scrabble and an avid amateur movie critic. He was an active member of St. Paul's Catholic Parish, and he served for many years as St Paul School's athletic director, always with his kids in tow to handle ticket and concession sales, work the scoreboard, and clean up after the games. John also volunteered in the church choir and at the St. Agnes senior care center. 

During his lengthy career he covered sports at the professional, college, and high school levels. Some of his most memorable moments included covering the Chicago Bears Super Bowl win in 1986, the White Sox World Series win in 2005, Notre Dame National Championship football win in 1988; Indiana University NCAA basketball championship wins in 1976, 1981, and 1987; and the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles

John earned "Sportswriter of the Year" awards at the national and state levels. He was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame and given a Lake County Sportsmanship Lifetime Achievement Award.  He was also awarded the highest civilian honor in the state of Indiana, Sagamore of the Wabash, for his career achievements in sports journalism.

John spent the last few years dedicated to taking care of Ginny as she battled Alzheimer's.  Last summer, he moved to a retirement community in Lone Tree, CO where he lived near his three daughters and was able to experience plays, concerts, coffee shop outings, and movies with them on the regular. Although he moved to Colorado, he remained a Hoosier at heart, posting frequent Indiana sports updates on Facebook.

A celebration of John's life will be held this summer (exact date to be announced) at St. Paul's Catholic Church at 1855 Harrison Blvd., Valparaiso, IN. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in John's name to the St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center at 1859 Harrison Blvd, Valparaiso, IN 46385.