John Michael Badnarik

John Michael Badnarik was born on June 19th, 1928, and passed away in a Michigan hospital on December 26th, 2020 at the age of 92. He is survived by two of his sons, Michael, and Chuck, and daughter in-law Leslie (Stephen).  He was preceded in death by his his loving wife, Elaine (Gima); his youngest son, Stephen; his parents: Michael and Mary Badnarik; and his three older sisters: Mary Porta, Ann Kunis, and Helen Thomson.

After graduating from Whiting High School, John joined the Army and was stationed in Korea as a Sergeant in command of an armored tank. He worked at the Sinclair/ARCO/ECI oil refinery for 32 years. Upon leaving the refinery John worked at Republic Steel in Chicago for nearly 10 years before finally retiring. John grew up in and was an active member of St. John the Baptist Church in Whiting, Indiana where he was a member of the adult choir for nearly 30 years, the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Assoc., BR.81 and the the Knights of Columbus Pope John XXIII Council 1696. He participated at mass as altar server or by collecting parishioner contributions. John coached boy’s basketball at St. John for many years and many in the parish knew him as the organizer and driving force behind the weekly fish fry and the church's pirohi/perogi production. John was an athlete and avid sports fan of all Chicago teams. He also loved the game of golf and played twice a week into his 80’s. John spent his final five years living with his son, Chuck, in Canton, Michigan.  He suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s but will always be remembered for his tremendous Catholic faith, moral integrity, and sense of humor. John was a dedicated and loving husband and father. Generous to a fault, John greeted everybody with respect and a smile and was always helpful to those less fortunate or needing a helping hand.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 9:30am at the Baran Funeral Home, 1235-119^th St., Whiting; a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10;00am at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Whiting with the Rev. Mark R. Peres, C.PP.S., officiating; entombment to follow at St. John Cemetery, Hammond; visitation at the funeral home on Wednesday from 4:00 to 8:00pm. The Mass will be live-streamed at www.stjohnbap.org and visitation live-streamed https://evt.live/baranfuneralhome/john-michael-badnarik (Due to the current health situation a limitation of 25 people will be allowed in the funeral home at one time, face masks must be worn, social distancing is expected and temperatures will be taken.) Expressions of sympathy may be placed on-line at www.baranfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the St. John Steeple Renovation Fund, 1849 Lincoln Ave., Whiting, IN 46394 would be appreciated. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Michael Badnarik, please visit our floral store.