John M. McKiernan, born in Evanston, IL, formerly of Sacramento, CA and Elmhurst, IL; preceded in death by his loving wife Jean of 45 years; loving father of Michael (Catherine), Jennifer (Chris) Lindberg, Katharine (Brian) Mendenhall and Ted (Elizabeth); proud grandfather of Isobel, Seán, Conor, Lucas, Emma, Audrey, Eleanor, Patrick, Ryan and Shea; dear brother of Joseph McKiernan (Sue), Mary Kennedy (Tom) and Bob McKiernan (Linda); fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. John was a proud alumnus of Marquette University. It was there that he met his wife Jean and the great adventure began. John joined the Navy and proudly served two tours in Vietnam aboard the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany before retiring as a lieutenant in 1972 to raise an amazing family and eventually settling in Elmhurst, IL. John was widely known as a wonderful father to his four children, and an even better grandfather to his grandchildren. Grateful to him for never missing one sporting event or school activity are his sons and daughters. John was a man who would give you the shirt off his back, presuming you wanted to wear something even Tom Selleck would think twice about. His children want everyone to remember his infectious laughter, love of a good road trip, and inability to turn down yet one more cat or dog. Visitation Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, 10:00 a.m. until time of funeral service 12:00 p.m. at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 South York Road, (½ mile North of Saint Charles Road), Elmhurst. Interment Private. Live Stream of funeral service available through the funeral home website. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Porter County Animal Shelter, 3355 Bertholet Boulevard, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383. For funeral information please call 630-832-0018 or www.gibbonsfuneralhome.com.