John Matthew Waters

It is with the heaviest of hearts that the Waters family has to share the sad, sad news of John's sudden death. He passed away Oct. 31 at his Park Ridge home.
In his life, John's love for his family and community defined him. Sparked by the interest of his son Phill, John introduced himself to the Boy Scouts of America. Always eager to lend a hand, John quickly rose up to the Scout Master role, as well as merit badge counselor for Citizenship in the World and Personal Management. He was instrumental in assisting dozens of scouts in their journey to the Eagle rank and was voted into the scouting honor society - The Order of the Arrow.
In addition, he participated as an active member of the Field School Variety Show annual fundraiser. While helping with the VShow, John was proud to serve on the script writing team, construction crew, Tech Deck, and as a thespian, "singer," and twinkle-toed dancer. His crowning accomplishment was winning the Golden Tap award for his talented dancing.
John was also a long-term member of the Park Ridge Community Emergency Response Program (CERT). The CERT program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards in their area, and serves alongside first responders in situations of search and rescue, traffic/crowd control, and disaster medical operations.
If there was a hallmark of John Waters, it was his love of reading. John made close friends when he co-founded the Other Book Club. He cherished the comradery with others who shared this passion.
Last but not least, John led Indian Scout and Indian Princess groups for his son and daughter and coached soccer for his daughter Grace. Through all of his activities, John seized the opportunity to better his community and leave a lasting impact.
John graduated from Saint Paul of the Cross Elementary School in 1974; Maine South High School in 1978; University of Illinois in Chicago; and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He was employed by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
He is survived by his angel of a wife Kim Donahue and his two wonderful children Phillip and Grace. He also leaves behind his siblings Jennifer (John Bavester), Phillip (Lori), Julianne (Mark Armgardt) and James, his father-in-law, Jim (Wilanna) Donahue, in-laws, Mike and Theresa Donahue, and his nieces and nephews, Julia (Davy) Lindquist, Ashley (Vince) Vanacore, Brittany (Nick) Graziano, Brandon (Kiley) Waters, John and Annie Armgardt, James Waters, Hope Miedona, Faith Miedona, and Bella Igunbor, Dallas (Ryan) Donahue-Gourley, Christian Donahue, and Dylan Peters. His great-nieces and -nephews include Michael and Olivia Lindquist, Anthony and Luca Vanacore, and Rowan Gourley. Beloved son of the late Phillip J. & Julia M. Waters. Son-in-law of the late Janet Donahue.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, November 10, 2024 at Ryan-Parke Funeral Home, 120 S. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068. A Funeral Mass is planned for 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 11, 2024 at Saint Paul of the Cross Church, 320 S. Washington Street, Park Ridge, IL 60068. To view a livestream of the Funeral Mass, please visit the Saint Paul of the Cross Church YouTube page.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Will's Place would be appreciated.