John Albert Herrick, 85, passed away Tuesday, February 1, 2022, at NorthShore Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Illinois.
Born on October 12, 1936 in Aurora, Illinois to Albert Herrick (son of Albert Herrick and Lucia LaPort) and Virginia (Coffey) Herrick (daughter of Thomas Coffee and Catherine Gallagher). On his father side, he is a direct descendant of the Laport and Gardner families; Laport, of French ancestry who served in the Mexican-American war and Gardner, a direct line to the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. On his mother’s side, he is a direct descendant of the Coffee and Gallagher families, both of Irish ancestry. The family has deep historical ties to Paw Paw Township and DeKalb County.
John graduated from Rollo High School in DeKalb County in 1954 and joined the United States Air Force. He was sent to Europe and served for three years as a military air policeman in Luxembourg. Upon his return stateside, he attended Beloit College (Class of 1962) and joined United Airlines as part of the passenger service team that opened at O’Hare International Airport. In 1964, he joined Braniff International Airways as a pilot; his first flights as co-pilot, then as captain of a Douglas DC-8 until 1981 when Braniff ceased air carrier operations. Thereafter, he worked at the Chicago Air Traffic Control Center and joined Piedmont Airlines (US Airways) in 1983 where he served as Captain of an F-100 until his retirement in 1996.
He met and married his wife Laura Herrick; née Piña Pinto in 1996 in Oak Park, Illinois. They spent summers at his home in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and winters in Chile, Argentina and Lake Tahoe, where he enjoyed snow skiing.
During his retirement from the airlines, he taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to various immigrant communities at City Colleges of Chicago until his retirement from teaching in 2010. John was conversationally fluent in both German and Spanish.
He is survived by his wife, Laura; four sons, John, Kevin(Anne), Brendan(Liz) and Brian(Lupita); step-daughter, Mayari (Matthew), six granddaughters and two grandsons, former spouses, Eve and Geraldine, and former daughter-in-law, Laura Lynn
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 from 10:30-11:30am at St. James Catholic Church in Lee, Illinois. Funeral Mass at St. James will begin at 11:30am and officiated by Father Bonaventure Okoro. Interment will follow thereafter at Calvary Cemetery also in Lee, Illinois, with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in John’s memory may be directed to the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org), your local Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter (https://www.ffa.org), or St. James Catholic Church, 221 W. Kirke Gate, Lee, IL 60530.
Please visit www.TormanFuneralHome.com to sign the online guest book.
It is always hard to loose the patriarch of the family. He lived a great life. Fly high Mr. Herrick
Your message *RIP John, so sorry to all the family !!
Your message *Deepest sympathies from his Piedmont Silver Eagle Family. He was a good one
Your message *an airline friend at Braniff and USAirways- always in a good mood full of joy and life- have not spoken to John in over 20 years losing contact after retirement – occasionally remembering and wondering what he was up to brought a smile to my face
Your message *
Your message *I graduated a year before John from Rollo High School. . My condolences to all John’s family . . May his soul Rest In Peace in the presence of God.
Your message *I met John only once, and he was full of life. I enjoyed his pilot stories and charming demeanor. My condolences dear Laura Herrick, Mayari, and the family. May he rest in peace, and may his legacy be a wonderful companion.
Your message *Thanks to John for being a good friend since we first met but especially in the past 12 years. We shared stories about Texas and the Dallas Cowboys as John was a huge fan. In recent years we talked sports every week and had breakfast visits.
I am deeply saddened by his death. He will be missed!
Rest In Peace. While you left us suddenly, I know you are in a better place now than you were in these last few weeks.
Thank you for accompanying my mom for the last 25 years. Your jokes, your silly banter, your pilot and airline stories, your dance moves, your junky candy obsessions and your presence will be missed. Thank you for being part of our family. ❤️ May your memory be a blessing ❤️