John Gehant

1928 - 2024

John Gehant
Born: December 26, 1928 in West Brooklyn, IL
Died: July 11, 2024 in Rochelle, IL
John J. Gehant, 94, of West Brooklyn, passed away July 11, 2024, at Liberty Village in Rochelle.
Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church, West Brooklyn with Father Jeff Windy officiating. Burial will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, West Brooklyn with military honors by American Legion Post 657. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until time of Mass. Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota is assisting the family.
John was born on December 26, 1929 in West Brooklyn, where he proudly resided almost his entire life. Growing up during the Great Depression, times were not easy, but John and his siblings enjoyed West Brooklyn during its golden years. There were households full of kids on every corner to play pick up games of baseball, basketball and football. At the time, West Brooklyn was bustling, with a bank, a post office, a bowling alley, a cheese factory, a train station, a lumber yard, a grocery store, a grain elevator, two churches, a Catholic grade school, a three-year high school, two taverns, and various other businesses. John spent over 40 years working at H.F. Gehant Banking Co., which was founded by his grandfather in 1897. It was truly a family business, where John worked along-side his father, uncles, brother, sister-in-law, wife, cousins, nieces, nephews and children through the years. The bank was one of only a handful of banks in Lee County to survive the Great Depression. John often recalled his dad telling him that he and his brothers worked at the bank without pay for nearly three years, during the leanest times. His family survived by milking their three cows, raising chickens and growing a garden that took up the majority of their backyard. Besides his love of family, John truly loved West Brooklyn. He had a strong sense of duty, and he thought it was important to serve the community, where he served over fifty years on the Village Board, and over thirty years on the West Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Dept. Serving their country was important to John's family. John's dad served in the Army during World War I, and three of his brothers served during World II. After graduating from Mendota High School, John enlisted in the Air Force and Edward enlisted in the Army. During the Korean War, John served as a radio operator on an amphibious SA-16. John's other involvement included time on the Lee County Merit Commission, the West Brooklyn Community Club and memberships in the American Legion (69 years), the Mendota Elks (Life member), St. Mary's Church and the Experimental Aircraft Association (Life Member). If he wasn't attending a meeting for one of the various organizations, John's other passions were deer hunting, flying his Piper J-3 Cub, or watching Cubs and Bears games. Always on the ready with a story of his many adventures, John never met a stranger, and he will be missed by many.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty, his parents, Albert and Hazel (Lally), and his siblings Robert, Eugene, Sylvan, Joan (Sister Yvonne), Edward and Roy.
John is survived by his children, Lisa (Richard) Studebaker, Cynthia Gair, Jennifer (Adrian) Lyord, John (Mary Jo) Gehant, Jr., and Maria (James) McEachen and his stepson, Timothy (Lisa) Boone as well as 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Memorials can be made to American Legion Post 657 or the West Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department. Online condolences may be left at www.merrittfh.com