Dr. John W. Eshleman, 69, of Galesburg, IL passed away at 4:35 p.m. surrounded by his beloved wife and family on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at OSF St. Mary Medical Center, Galesburg.
John was born in Willows, CA on October 28, 1955, the son of Dr. Winston Hull and Naomi (Knight) Eshleman. He married Cathy Lynn Vail in Monmouth, IL on July 31, 2004 and she survives.
John graduated from Liberty Township High School, Youngstown, OH in 1973. He graduated from Youngstown State University receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, Summa Cum Laude in 1977, and Master of Science in Education degree in 1979, both under the advisement of Dr. Steve Graf. He went on to work with Drs. Ernie and Julie Vargas, graduating from the University of West Virginia with his doctoral degree in 1988.
John was a true behavioral scientist, a historian, and a pioneer in behavioral approaches to education, instructional design, Precision Teaching, and Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. John’s contributions to Precision Teaching were formally recognized in 2023 when he received the prestigious Ogden R. Lindsley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Standard Celeration Society.
John retired from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2020 where he was well-known, loved, and respected for his dedication to science and teaching, his students, and his colleagues. John’s legacy will persist in the repertoires of the numerous students he taught, mentored, and advised, as well as those of his colleagues with whom he frequently collaborated.
John was sentimental, caring, and compassionate. He enjoyed traveling (especially by train), reading (especially about history), walking, swimming, and spending time with his family, friends, and cats. John’s friends, family, students, and colleagues looked forward to his social media posts and texts where he often shared details about the history of behavior analysis and provided updates on his progress during “summers of swim”. During retirement, John spent time with his beloved wife, sharing winters in sunny Florida, and enjoyed watching their great-granddaughters learn and grow. In younger years, he designed and built model rockets and earned the title of blue belt in karate.
John is survived by his wife Cathy; children, Gary Vail Jr. of Alexis, IL, Rebecca (Scott) Price of Galesburg; grandchildren, Morgan Vail of Monmouth, precious great-granddaughters Maya, and Everly; nephew, Dan (Bethany) Eshleman of Temecula, CA,; cousins, Anne & Mark Rasor of San Jose, CA, and Bob & Pam Johnston of Tucson, AZ.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Douglas.
Graveside services will be 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at Warren County Hope Cemetery. Visitation will Tuesday from 12:30 – 2:00 pm at McGuire & Davies Funeral Home and Crematory, Monmouth, IL. Memorials may be left to Maple City Baptist Church or Western IL Animal Rescue (WIAR). An additional Celebration of Life will be held and announced at a later date. For more information or to leave an online condolence please visit, www.mcguireanddaviesfuneralhome.com.
