John Edward Stary, 72, of Poplar Grove, IL passed away peacefully, August 7, 2021 at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center.  John was born November 30, 1948, the son of Edward and Maxine (Snodgrass) Stary. He graduated from Glenbard West High School and married Debra Kubalewski on October 17, 1970, in Schiller Park, IL. Over the years, John worked as a conductor and Yardmaster for CP Rail, was a steelworker at Ryerson Steel and served as a Pressman at the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune.  He made his spiritual home at St. James Catholic Church in Belvidere.  John had many interests in life; he enjoyed cooking and baking, traveling, and reading, crossword puzzles and watching Jeopardy.  John was also a lover of sports; he was a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, Rockford Ice Hogs, the Chicago Bears, and lifelong Chicago White Sox fan.  He continued his sporting devotion by serving as a high school and collegiate football official.

John is loved and will be missed by his children, John Stary II (January) of Belvidere, IL, Jennifer Moede (Chet) of Poplar Grove, IL, Matthew Stary (Kris) of Hoffman Estates, IL; grandchildren, Olivia, Harley, John, and Gracelynn; sisters in-law, Diane Tavolacci (Leo), Dorice Kozak, Darcy Kubalewski (Jeff Aagaard); brothers in-law, George Kubalewski, Jr. (Angela), Ersin Gedik and Steve Kozak; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. John is preceded in death by his wife, Debra; parents, Edward, and Maxine; sister, Susan Brown; his mother and father in-law, George, and Audrey Kubalewski.

The family would like to thank his doctors, especially Dr. Lucietto and Dr. Korkmaz; the nurses and staff at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center and the Patricia D. Pepe Cancer Center for the love, support and care given to our dad and family.

The visitation for John will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Friday, August 13, 2021, at Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, 218 W. Hurlbut Avenue, Belvidere, IL. The Liturgy of Christian Burial for John will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, August 13, 2021, at St. James Catholic Church, 402 Church St., Belvidere, IL with Rev. Brian Geary celebrating. John will be buried next to his wife at St. James Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given in care of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org) 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, in John's memory. To share a remembrance, please visit www.AndersonFCS.com.