John G. Reckamp

John Reckamp, beloved husband and brother, passed away peacefully on Monday, July 15, surrounded by family and friends. Two days earlier, he celebrated 56 years of marriage with his great love, Ria Putman-Reckamp, with singing, cake, champagne and flowers. John lived each day of his life with tremendous joy, curiosity and integrity.

John loved being outdoors. He started swimming and bicycling as a child, took up scuba diving, camping and boating as a young man and continued to hike and golf into his later years. He was an accomplished dancer who swept Ria off her feet on their first date (and at every opportunity after that). As a photographer, he captured many important life events for family and friends. John ruled the home kitchen and loved finding and trying out new recipes.

John loved his country and was a proud veteran. After high school, John served in the United States Army as a Military Police Officer. He earned a marketing degree in college and worked for over 50 years as a realtor and real estate appraiser before retiring in 2023. He spent many years on the Appraisal Board of Review and taught courses in appraisal for 12 years at McHenry College. For the last several years, John focused exclusively on doing VA appraisals and helping fellow veterans.

John is survived and will be missed by his wife, Ria, and his siblings Clara Annunziata Harris and Paul Reckamp, as well as countless cousins, nieces and nephews. He will always be remembered for his positivity and beautiful smile.

John was a lifetime devoted Catholic. He hand-made hundreds of customized rosaries that he gave away to anyone that he felt would use it for prayer. This included everyone from his priests, family and friends to his home and hospital caregivers.

John was a member of the St Thomas the Apostle congregation in Crystal Lake. Mass will be held at the church, 451 W. Terra Cotta Ave., on Wednesday, July 31 at 10:00 AM.

The family requests that donations in John’s memory be made to St Michael’s Abbey to help support the priestly formation of their seminarians:

St. Michael’s Abbey, 27977 Silverado Canyon Road, Silverado, CA 92676 or at  https://www.stmichaelsabbey.com/one-time-donation