John S. Duryea

John Sherman Duryea, age 75, of Marco Island, Florida, and formerly of Quincy, died on July 3, 2022, at the Lake of the Ozarks.

John was born in Sheffield, Illinois on March 27, 1947, the son of Willis Henry and Sybilla Alice Jane (Walker) Duryea. 

John attended the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Accounting.  After school, John married his now ex-wife, LouAnn Bates, and worked in corporate America where his career led him to Quincy, Illinois.  In Quincy, he started his family having one son (William) and one daughter (Kathryn) who would become the center of his life. 

In 1984, John left the corporate world and became an entrepreneur as a Taco Bell franchisee, and later a Steak n' Shake and KFC franchisee.  Running restaurants was an all-consuming life passion. He greatly enjoyed the hard work and rewards of running a small business. More importantly he enjoyed the people.  He loved every customer, and he especially loved all the employees. 

In retirement, John enjoyed playing euchre with friends, fishing, and spending time in Florida and the Lake of the Ozarks. Later in life, he focused his efforts on passing his knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to the next generation, whether it was helping his children, grandchildren, or others. The last endeavor he accomplished was publishing his book. He wanted to see everyone succeed and would do anything to make that happen. And he was willing to do anything to help make that happen. 

He was steadfast in his Christina faith, and entrepreneurship was an expression of that foundational belief.  John was an expert at strategy, planning, and execution...so much so that he proclaimed he wanted to pass into the next world peacefully in the night without any impact to those he loved. He did exactly that on July 3, 2022.  It was a beautiful exit.

John is survived by his son, William (Corinne) Duryea, and their two children Leni and Lucy; his daughter, Kathryn (Jared) Ogden, and their two children Wallace and Adeline; his sister Leslie (David) Alexander; and his two goldendoodles Tinker and Locky.  

John was preceded in death by his parents, Willis and Sybilla, and his ex-wife LouAnn. 

 Visitation: 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday, July 11, 2022, at Hansen-Spear Funeral Home.

Services: 10:00 am on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at Faith Presbyterian Church with Rev. Ron King officiating.

Burial: 10:00 am on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at Woodlawn Cemetery, Urbana, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Mississippi Valley Council Boy Scouts of America.  Memorial donations may be made online at https://memorials.hansenspear.com/

Hansen-Spear Funeral Directors are in charge of the arrangements.