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In Loving Memory of
John Avery Derr, Jr

John Avery Derr, Jr. (73) of Edwardsville, IL passed away at his home on Sunday, January 21, 2024 of complications from pancreatic cancer.  He was surrounded by his wife, daughters, and grandsons.

Born in Buffalo, NY in 1950, he and his family moved to Festus, MO in 1965 and he graduated in 1968 from Festus High School and went on to trade school to became a computer programmer.  He began his career at Falcon Products, where he met the love of his life, Cindy in 1973, helping her jump start her car.  In 1976, they were married and began their story in Overland, MO.  Soon after, they welcomed their first daughter Emily and Sarah joined the party 15 months later.  In 1982 they moved to St. Peters, MO.

John left Falcon Products to work at Tiffany Industries, where he met his longtime friends Greg and Ginny Wolfsberger. Jung and Associates was his next employer until he left to work for Jim’s Formal Wear and the family moved to Trenton, IL.  He left to build his own consulting business, JDSP, LLC. where he served several St. Louis area businesses including Grey Eagle Distributors, GPX/Digital Products International, Forshaw of St. Louis, and the City of St. Charles.  He was an officer of the Gateway400 Group and was a well-known AS400/RPG programmer.

His faith was always an important part of his life.  He was born and raised in the Byzantine Catholic Church.  In 2020, he found his church home and family in the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church.  At Nativity, he sang in the church choir, served on parish council as treasurer, peeled potatoes and pinched pierogis, and helped with various improvement projects.  On January 20, 2024, he was awarded a service and dedication award by the Archbishop of the Diocese of the Midwest of the Orthodox Church in America.

He was proceed in death by his parents John and Irene (Hirko) Derr, Sister Joanne (Derr-Scozzafava) Herriven, and sister-in-law Mary (Adcock) Scherrer.  He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Cynthia (Adcock) Derr, his daughters Emily (Derr) Joellenbeck and Sarah (Derr) Brock, grandsons Benjamin and Samuel Joellenbeck and Avery Brock, brothers Jerry Derr and Alan (Joanne) Derr, sister Mary (Chris) Rea, sister-in-law Terry (Adcock) Lea, and brothers-in-law Dan (Sue) Adcock and Tim (Janet) Adcock, and many family and friends he loved and treasured.

John’s biggest joy in life was kids, especially his own and his grandsons, and he also had a great love for the outdoors.  His hobbies included kayaking, hiking, bicycling, fishing, camping, hunting, and taking his dog, Pickwick for walks.  He also enjoyed singing, Community Theater, woodworking, cooking, and baking.  His biggest hobby was finding joy in the community of others and making people laugh.  He was a shining example of living a Christ-like life through his service to others and the world around him and he will be missed greatly. 

Visitation will be Tuesday, January 30, 2024 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm with a Funeral Service and Eulogy at 6:00 pm at Saksa Funeral Home (210 N Kansas, Edwardsville, IL 62025).

Burial will be 11:00 am on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Cemetery (N Bluff Road, Glen Carbon, IL 62034).

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church or to the Siteman Cancer Center.

Thomas Saksa Funeral Home 2205 Pontoon Rd Granite City IL 62040  618-876-4321
Saksa Mateer Funeral Home  210 N. Kansas Edwardsville IL 62025  618-656-7577

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