John Barrett

1941 - 2025

John Barrett
Born: February 11, 1941 in Woodstock, IL
Died: August 15, 2025 in Huntley, IL
John P. Barrett (SuperJohn, SJ) passed away August 15, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents, William J. Barrett (1894-1954) and Rose M. (Cafferty) Barrett (1904-1992), and his brothers William J., James A., and Michael E. He is survived by two sisters-in-law, Kathryn (Michael) and Sally (William) and seven nieces and nephews: Maureen (Mark) McNicholas, Elizabeth (Tom) Stibbe, Patrick (Elise) Barrett, Margaret (Blake) Chapin, Barbara (Jim) Cook, William Barrett, and Susan Lee.
John was born on February 11, 1941, and was baptized at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Woodstock on February 30. He was a member of the last graduating class of Saint Mary High school. John went to Loras College, a private Catholic school in Dubuque, Iowa (Physics, 1960-1964), and he served in the military in the U.S. Air Force, Kelly Air Force Base, Fort Worth, Texas (Captain, 1964-1968) and as a courier for Security and Intelligence with missions all over southeast Asia and the middle east. Other than school and military service, John lived his whole life in and around Woodstock. He worked many years at Chrysler Belvidere plant, but for the last forty years he supported himself by buying houses, remodeling each with his own hands and renting out rooms as he finished them, then selling the house and moving on to another.
SuperJohn was a builder (he could make any door swing just right), an inventor (parabolic microphone, ozone generator), an entrepreneur (Darome Industries, ATI Products, St Luke's Water Company and many others) and an author (The Holy Eucharist, Divine Mercy, The Woodstock Health Project, The Ozone Generation and others)
His life story is a trail of good deeds, large and small, from putting three kids through Marion Central Catholic High School for his friend who died, to creating an upstairs apartment for additional income for another friend. He looked out for children and did not forget those in prison. One of John's favorites things was finding people jobs, and some became great success stories. He was a zany, positive person, a good example and an inspiration, and in all these things, John lived above reproach.
John will be missed. His memorial mass will be celebrated Friday, September 5, at 10:30 am, at St Mary's Catholic Church, 312 Lincoln Ave. in Woodstock, immediately followed by a burial service for his ashes at Calvary Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be given to St Mary Church and St Jude Children's Research Hospital.