Mr. John H. “Tyke’ Jordan, 79, passed away peacefully at 10:44 am Saturday, August 27, 2022, at OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.
Tyke was born August 18, 1943, in Galesburg the son of Edward T. and Alice M. Palmer Jordan. He married Beverly J. Lozier on September 9, 1967, in Galesburg.
Surviving are his wife of 55 years, Beverly; his children, Denise (fiancé, Steve Gerstenberger) Bradburn of Knoxville, Illinois, Dirk (Julie) Jordan and Melissa (Scott) Stransky both of Galesburg; sister, Kathy (Jim) Doyle of Monmouth, Illinois; his brother, Tim (Martha) Jordan of Harvest, Alabama; ten grandchildren, Hannah and Luke Bradburn, Tanner (Jorlían) Wynes, CeCe and Janie Jordan, Leslie, Jillian, Linnea, Josiah and Noah Stransky and a large extended family. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Christopher Jordan.
Tyke served in the US Army Reserves from 1964-1970.
Tyke graduated from Corpus Christi High School in 1961. He began working for the CB & Q Railroad, then went on to work for Wagoner printing from 1968-1976. Tyke later received his Associates in Fire Science from Carl Sandburg College in 1986. He went on to live his dream as a firefighter for the City of Galesburg. He retired after 26 years of service on April 2, 2002, with the rank of Battalion Chief.
Tyke loved his community and all that was firefighter related. He took pride in learning and educating new firefighters. He was a certified CPR instructor, taught in the fire science program specializing in auto extraction and was an instructor for the University of Illinois Arson Class. He served on the board and was past president for the Retired Firefighters Association. Tyke also served three terms as president on the Firefighters Pension Board. After the McCabe Scrap fire, Tyke felt inspired to volunteer on his vacation time as a counselor for the Burn Camp for 10 years. In his earlier years, he volunteered at King School with PTO and later with the GHS Band Booster Club. Tyke also refereed local basketball and football for several years. He enjoyed basketball the most.
Tyke was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church. He loved his family and would help with any projects that needed completed. If Tyke didn’t know how to fix something, he would research the subject until he learned. Tyke and Bev enjoyed car rides on a Sunday afternoon and traveling. You rarely saw one without the other.
He was an avid Chicago Cubs and Bears fan as well as a Notre Dame fan. When he did have some downtime he enjoyed golfing. Tyke never knew a stranger, he could strike up a conversation with anyone about anything at anytime. And once he met you, he remembered you always.
Funeral Services are scheduled for 10:30 am Friday, September 2, 2022, at Hinchliff-Pearson-West Funeral Directors and Cremation Services Galesburg Chapel with Rev. Vince Rohn officiating. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 pm Thursday, September 1, 2022, at the chapel. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, Discovery Depot for the Children’s Fire Exhibit or the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics Caring Fund, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com
