Obituaries
Obituary for John R. O'Fallon
John Robert O’Fallon of Peoria, 85, passed away at Lutheran Hillside Village on Friday, April 14, 2023.
Born on August 20th, 1937, in Princeton, Minnesota, John spent his formative years in Litchfield with his close knit family of six. From childhood, John enjoyed sports and the outdoors. His love of football extended from organizing sand lot games in Litchfield to playing on both his high school and college teams. He loved wrestling and was an accomplished athlete at Litchfield High School and St. John’s University. Later in life, he still loved to wrestle, but usually went easy on his kids when he got them in an occasional headlock.
He was devoted to his family and delighted in his children’s academic and professional ambitions. He supported his three children in all their pursuits, even when he didn’t understand why they were pursuing them. He shared his love of the outdoors with them, taking them all over the country camping and exploring National Parks. He also shared his love of science and technology at home – unafraid and able to explain complex scientific topics to his young children. His home served as an audio-visual testing ground, filled with technologically superior but sometimes, commercially unsuccessful equipment (Betamax anyone?).
He loved a good yarn over a hearty meal, sharing many a steak with his siblings, children, and then grandchildren. His chocolate and nut buffets at Christmas were legendary, as were his readings of the birth of Christ before any presents could be opened.
When left to his own devices, he loved to read, especially World War II History and American President Biographies, and had an extensive library. Growing up in his family’s gas station next to the Great Northern train tracks instilled a life-long fascination with steam locomotives. As an adult, he spent many hours planning and developing large-scale model railroad layouts.
John attended St. John’s University and went on the receive a Doctorate in Physics from the University of Illinois in 1965. After Post-Doc, John taught at the University of St. Louis and then went on to work for Argonne National Lab as a researcher and administrator. In 1982, he was appointed Assistant Vice President for Advanced Studies and Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame. Then, in 1987, John began a role on staff at the Department of Energy and a year later became the Director of the Division of High-Energy Physics – a position he would hold for 15 years. In this role, he guided over 90 percent of the research in high-energy physics conducted by US-based physicists. In addition, this role took him all over the world, which he enjoyed tremendously.
He is preceded in death by parents John and LuElla, brother Mike, sister Jeanne and her husband, John. He is survived by brother David and children John (Nancy), Brian (Martha) and Deborah (Ed) as well as grandchildren Kaelan (Jonathan), Francesca, Alistaire (Emelia), Gabriella, and Austin.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10AM on Monday, April 17, 2023 at St. Thomas the Apostle in Peoria Heights. Visitation will begin at 9AM. A graveside burial service will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 10:30 AM at St. Philip Calvary Cemetery in Litchfield, MN.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to So Others Might Eat, 71 O St NW, Washington, DC 20001, some.org.
Friends and family may view full obituary and sign the online guestbook by logging onto www.wrightandsalmon.com
Previous Events
Visitation
Monday
17
Apr
9:00 AM
- 10:00 AM
St. Thomas Catholic Church
904 E Lake Ave
Peoria Heights, IL 61616
Funeral Mass
Monday
17
Apr
10:00 AM
St. Thomas Catholic Church
904 E Lake Ave
Peoria Heights, IL 61616
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