James E. St. John

Funeral Date September 18, 2020

Private visitation. Mass of Christian Burial on Fri., Sept. 18 at Our Lady of Hope Church at 10:30 a.m. Private burial at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Alzheimers Association at alz.org/cleveland. See full notice for details.

JAMES E. ST. JOHN, age 87, of Avon Lake, formerly of Bedford.  Beloved husband of Eleanor (nee Ilenin), for 66 years. Loving father of Eileen (Bruce) Spevak, Chuck (Stacy), Michael (Kyung), Mary “Peg”, John “Jack” (Paula), Annie (Jeff) Stark, Laura (Scott Howell), David (Megan), Patrick (Alisa Taddeo), and Jennifer (Brad) Bolander; Dearest grandfather of 17; great grandfather of 4; brother of John B. (late Betty) and Charles J. (late Lois). Jim was a proud member of the Armed Services from 1954 – 1956. After completing Signal School, he was stationed in Germany and served as a Cryptographer with the 502nd Communications Reconnaissance Group. Upon completion of service, Jim was honorably discharged and awarded the National Defense Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany) and a Good Conduct Medal. Jim was an avid fan of Dixieland Jazz, Broadway musicals, train travel, photography, the Bedford Mens Softball League and suffered through countless Indians seasons. He was a proud 1950 graduate of Benedictine High School, and a lifelong fan of Bengal sports. Jim was a dedicated CYO basketball coach. He loved to play Pinochle and tried many times to teach his kids! He served as a Councilman for the City of Bedford. In addition to working as a Funeral Director for the family business, Jim was also a small business owner, working tirelessly to support a large family. PRIVATE VISITATION. Friends welcome at Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, September 18, at Our Lady of Hope Church, Bedford at 10:30 A.M.  Wearing of masks and social distancing will be observed. Private burial at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift in support of the Alzheimers Association at alz.org/cleveland. A special Thank You to the wonderful staff at Avon Oaks Nursing Home, as well as his hospice caregivers, who lovingly cared for Jim during the final years and moments of his life. We will miss you dad.