John Richard Serdar

John Richard Serdar
November 16, 1958 – July 11, 2024
John was born to parents Evelyn Mae Schneider Serdar and John Louis Serdar and was raised in Trivoli, Illinois. He attended Farmington East High School where he was both Class President and an active athlete, playing three years of basketball, three years of football and four years of baseball. He attended the University of Illinois as an undergraduate and received a Master of Architecture, spending part of his college experience in a study-abroad program in Versailles. He spent his summers working as a contractor with his dad and serving as a school intramurals referee, something that he continued throughout his life, coaching the kids' soccer, baseball and basketball teams.
In 1983 John moved to Dallas to work with HKS Architects and met the love of his life, Laura. They moved to California in 1987 and married July 2, 1994. John and Laura were blessed to have three children, Jarrick and twins Keagan and Kelleigh.
John said that he was a "woodworker for fun, carpenter by trade, architect by profession and a construction manager every day." He had his own construction business while working as a construction manager for hospitals and schools.
John and Laura joined the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) where John loved to volunteer. He organized the Hoops and Hightops three-on-three basketball tournament, spearheaded and rode on the Jaycees float in the Tournament of Rose Parade, painted the field each year before the Rose Bowl Game, sold programs and was honored as Jaycee Man of the Year. John was proud to never miss a Rose Bowl Game.
One of John's passions was woodworking. He collected exotic woods and created spoons, bowls and cutting boards to share with friends, often also donating them to nonprofit organizations. His other passion was ancestry. He loved sharing stories and traveling with his family. All of the trips included a location where some of his ancestors had lived. John was excited to visit Croatia in 2022 and learn more about his Croatian heritage. John said everyone was his cousin, connected in some w
In addition to his loving wife and children, John is survived by brothers Dave (Pam), Ken (Cheryl), Tom (Cynthia) and sister Jayne Serdar Nauman (Frank).
John was a friend to everyone and will be deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in John's memory can be made either to
St. Anthony's Croatian Church
712 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles
Or
the local high school booster club of your choice
Donations can also be made to
Serdar Academic Scholarship
Farmington Central Academic Foundation (FCAF)
Attn: Dave Giagnoni
PO Box 106, Farmington, IL 61531