John P. Houlihan

Born: May 11, 1927

Died: November 21, 2019

John P. "Houli" Houlihan, 92, of La Salle, passed away Thursday, November 21, 2019 at St. Margaret's Hospital in Spring Valley.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 26, at St. Columba Catholic Church, with Rev. David Kipfer officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., prior to the services, at Ottawa Funeral Home. The Knights of Columbus service will be at 9:45 a.m., prior to the visitation. Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery with military honors.

Known to many as “Houli,” John was born May 11, 1927, in Evanston, IL, to Edward F. and Margaret A. (Haley) Houlihan. He married the love of his life, Jeane Kewest, on August 20, 1949, at St. Andrew's Parish in Chicago.

At the age of 17, John enlisted in the U.S. Army and completed basic training in Fort Lewis, Washington. After discovering that he was not yet the minimum legal age, the U.S. Army required John, against his wishes, to attend the University of Wisconsin for one year of college until his 18th birthday. John and his older brother, Ed, felt their patriotic duty to enlist after seeing an Audie Murphy war movie at the Granada Theatre in Chicago. John was stationed in Livorno, Italy as a medic during World War II.

After returning from the war, John completed his undergraduate degree at Loyola University Chicago. After college, he worked at Abbott Laboratories for 16 years as a pharmaceutical salesman and then at Sentry Hardware Mutual Company for 22 years as an insurance salesman. Never too old to further his education, John received his Master's Degree from Governor's State University at the age of 60 and became a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Hypnotherapist. After that, he worked at La Salle County Mental Health for two years; Streator Unlimited for 10 years as the residential administrator and counselor; Kanthack House for 10 years as the executive director; all the while serving as a board of directors at Friendship Village for over 20 years.

John was a devout Irish Catholic and his faith and family fueled his entire life. He also loved traveling to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He loved the arts, going to the theater, watching the Turner Classic Movies of his generation, and listening to the music of yesteryear. John was a storyteller and his family often heard his stories over and over again. John was a past Grand Knight and proud member of the Knights of Columbus 4th Degree for 60 years. He was a member of St. Columba Catholic Church for 65 years, and a member of the American Legion. He was also a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

He is survived by his two sons, Thomas J. (Patricia) Houlihan and William J. (Lori) Houlihan; four grandchildren, Michael (Allison), Richard (Kelly) and Kevin Houlihan and Courtney (Andy) Walters; and five great-grandchildren, Katie, Brody, Luke, Evan and Lilly. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jeane; his daughter, Kathleen; and his infant son, Timothy.

Pallbearers will be Michael, Richard and Kevin Houlihan, Jerry Sexton, Noah Jackson and Zach Katz. Honorary pallbearers will be Thomas and William Houlihan and Jack Mitchel.

Memorials may be directed to Friendship Village.