John Joseph Kornesczuk passed peacefully, in the home he built, in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin, on the morning of November 3, 2022. John brought love and laughter to all he knew and met throughout his life and his sense of humor was something that pancreatic cancer, that he was diagnosed with one week before, could not take from him. In the short time he battled cancer, John's response to his doctors was "really?", or "well, don't you have any good news?" and he would complement the many care givers through his last days and even said, "I think I am going to get her phone number" after a nurse cared for him.
John was born in the small town of Gilman Wisconsin on November 20, 1945, to his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk. His parents along with his 13 brothers and sisters, and a large extended family, taught John the value of hard work balanced with having a good time. John's father was born in Wiski, Poland, and John was very proud of his Polish heritage playing Chicago is a Polka Town on his concertina and greeting everyone by saying "jak sie masz" (how are you). He graduated from Gilman High School in 1963 despite his many late appearances and arriving smelling like the barn. He excelled at basketball and was thankful his brother Mike could take on his chores on nights that he had basketball practice and games. He attended UW-Madison after high school and worked on the family farm in Gilman. In the fall of 1969, he met the love of his life, Diane, who could not resist his infectious smile and the twinkle in his eye. After a short courtship, they started making wedding plans, taking out an ad in the Gilman paper inviting the whole town for the big celebration on August 29, 1970. Diane and John lived together in Milwaukee and Chicago before moving to Chippewa Falls in 1973.
John was a hard worker, sacrificing sleep and the toll on his body over getting the job done. He was a residential building contractor and established Kornesczuk Construction, Inc. in 1974 building over 600 homes over his 33-year career. His sense of mischief, often at the expense of others, was always prevalent even when he was at work, rolling heavy equipment over a manhole cover when the foreman was in it, nailing an employee's lunch box to the subfloor, or sneaking in someone's pickup truck to set the heat to high on a hot 90-degree day were not uncommon events when working with John. He was a member of the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders, Knights of Columbus, Seymour Lions Club, and St. Olaf's parish.
John loved fishing in Canada with his many fishing buddies, Colorado hunting trips, the annual Bayer-Korn golf event, Princeton Valley golf scrambles, cheering on the Badgers and Packers, and tending to the large garden that Diane and John grew together on the shores of Lake Hallie. He picked countless blueberries and if you happened to stop by during the summer months you would leave with a bag full of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash whether you wanted them or not. His greatest joy was his family, and John had lots of family which made for constant celebrations and gatherings that always got louder when John arrived with his big laugh. He mastered dancing to many polkas and an original dance to Dueling Banjos while strumming a broom handle every 4th of July at the Olynick cabin in Lake Holcombe accompanied by his sister-in-law Cheryl. He loved playing with the kids, watching his grandchildren compete in sports and play in the band but most of all enjoyed sitting around telling stories and jokes making everyone laugh or maybe roll their eyes. John and Diane were snowbirds in Arizona and Florida for 14 years and traveled to many parts of the world once he retired from home building in 2007. His favorite trip was when he visited his father's birthplace in Poland along with Diane and other family members while touring with the Eddie Blazonczyk polka band and drinking lots of Polish vodka along the way.
John is still with us in our hearts but will be greatly missed by those he left behind including his wife of 52 years, Diane, his brother Mike and sisters Gerri Teyssier, Bernadine Ruskin, his children Nadine (Quentin) Poehnelt, David (Nicole) Kornesczuk, Diana Kowalczyk, and his grandchildren Carson, Nolan, Amber, Damian, Tania, and Whitney.
John was preceded in death by his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk, brothers Casey, Tom, Tony, and Eugene, and sisters Frances, Vicki, Amy, Delores, Theresa, and Mary Ann.
- Cremation Society of Wisconsin; Altoona, Wisconsin; 07 Nov 2022
John was born in the small town of Gilman Wisconsin on November 20, 1945, to his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk. His parents along with his 13 brothers and sisters, and a large extended family, taught John the value of hard work balanced with having a good time. John's father was born in Wiski, Poland, and John was very proud of his Polish heritage playing Chicago is a Polka Town on his concertina and greeting everyone by saying "jak sie masz" (how are you). He graduated from Gilman High School in 1963 despite his many late appearances and arriving smelling like the barn. He excelled at basketball and was thankful his brother Mike could take on his chores on nights that he had basketball practice and games. He attended UW-Madison after high school and worked on the family farm in Gilman. In the fall of 1969, he met the love of his life, Diane, who could not resist his infectious smile and the twinkle in his eye. After a short courtship, they started making wedding plans, taking out an ad in the Gilman paper inviting the whole town for the big celebration on August 29, 1970. Diane and John lived together in Milwaukee and Chicago before moving to Chippewa Falls in 1973.
John was a hard worker, sacrificing sleep and the toll on his body over getting the job done. He was a residential building contractor and established Kornesczuk Construction, Inc. in 1974 building over 600 homes over his 33-year career. His sense of mischief, often at the expense of others, was always prevalent even when he was at work, rolling heavy equipment over a manhole cover when the foreman was in it, nailing an employee's lunch box to the subfloor, or sneaking in someone's pickup truck to set the heat to high on a hot 90-degree day were not uncommon events when working with John. He was a member of the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders, Knights of Columbus, Seymour Lions Club, and St. Olaf's parish.
John loved fishing in Canada with his many fishing buddies, Colorado hunting trips, the annual Bayer-Korn golf event, Princeton Valley golf scrambles, cheering on the Badgers and Packers, and tending to the large garden that Diane and John grew together on the shores of Lake Hallie. He picked countless blueberries and if you happened to stop by during the summer months you would leave with a bag full of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash whether you wanted them or not. His greatest joy was his family, and John had lots of family which made for constant celebrations and gatherings that always got louder when John arrived with his big laugh. He mastered dancing to many polkas and an original dance to Dueling Banjos while strumming a broom handle every 4th of July at the Olynick cabin in Lake Holcombe accompanied by his sister-in-law Cheryl. He loved playing with the kids, watching his grandchildren compete in sports and play in the band but most of all enjoyed sitting around telling stories and jokes making everyone laugh or maybe roll their eyes. John and Diane were snowbirds in Arizona and Florida for 14 years and traveled to many parts of the world once he retired from home building in 2007. His favorite trip was when he visited his father's birthplace in Poland along with Diane and other family members while touring with the Eddie Blazonczyk polka band and drinking lots of Polish vodka along the way.
John is still with us in our hearts but will be greatly missed by those he left behind including his wife of 52 years, Diane, his brother Mike and sisters Gerri Teyssier, Bernadine Ruskin, his children Nadine (Quentin) Poehnelt, David (Nicole) Kornesczuk, Diana Kowalczyk, and his grandchildren Carson, Nolan, Amber, Damian, Tania, and Whitney.
John was preceded in death by his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk, brothers Casey, Tom, Tony, and Eugene, and sisters Frances, Vicki, Amy, Delores, Theresa, and Mary Ann.
- Cremation Society of Wisconsin; Altoona, Wisconsin; 07 Nov 2022
John Joseph Kornesczuk passed peacefully, in the home he built, in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin, on the morning of November 3, 2022. John brought love and laughter to all he knew and met throughout his life and his sense of humor was something that pancreatic cancer, that he was diagnosed with one week before, could not take from him. In the short time he battled cancer, John's response to his doctors was "really?", or "well, don't you have any good news?" and he would complement the many care givers through his last days and even said, "I think I am going to get her phone number" after a nurse cared for him.
John was born in the small town of Gilman Wisconsin on November 20, 1945, to his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk. His parents along with his 13 brothers and sisters, and a large extended family, taught John the value of hard work balanced with having a good time. John's father was born in Wiski, Poland, and John was very proud of his Polish heritage playing Chicago is a Polka Town on his concertina and greeting everyone by saying "jak sie masz" (how are you). He graduated from Gilman High School in 1963 despite his many late appearances and arriving smelling like the barn. He excelled at basketball and was thankful his brother Mike could take on his chores on nights that he had basketball practice and games. He attended UW-Madison after high school and worked on the family farm in Gilman. In the fall of 1969, he met the love of his life, Diane, who could not resist his infectious smile and the twinkle in his eye. After a short courtship, they started making wedding plans, taking out an ad in the Gilman paper inviting the whole town for the big celebration on August 29, 1970. Diane and John lived together in Milwaukee and Chicago before moving to Chippewa Falls in 1973.
John was a hard worker, sacrificing sleep and the toll on his body over getting the job done. He was a residential building contractor and established Kornesczuk Construction, Inc. in 1974 building over 600 homes over his 33-year career. His sense of mischief, often at the expense of others, was always prevalent even when he was at work, rolling heavy equipment over a manhole cover when the foreman was in it, nailing an employee's lunch box to the subfloor, or sneaking in someone's pickup truck to set the heat to high on a hot 90-degree day were not uncommon events when working with John. He was a member of the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders, Knights of Columbus, Seymour Lions Club, and St. Olaf's parish.
John loved fishing in Canada with his many fishing buddies, Colorado hunting trips, the annual Bayer-Korn golf event, Princeton Valley golf scrambles, cheering on the Badgers and Packers, and tending to the large garden that Diane and John grew together on the shores of Lake Hallie. He picked countless blueberries and if you happened to stop by during the summer months you would leave with a bag full of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash whether you wanted them or not. His greatest joy was his family, and John had lots of family which made for constant celebrations and gatherings that always got louder when John arrived with his big laugh. He mastered dancing to many polkas and an original dance to Dueling Banjos while strumming a broom handle every 4th of July at the Olynick cabin in Lake Holcombe accompanied by his sister-in-law Cheryl. He loved playing with the kids, watching his grandchildren compete in sports and play in the band but most of all enjoyed sitting around telling stories and jokes making everyone laugh or maybe roll their eyes. John and Diane were snowbirds in Arizona and Florida for 14 years and traveled to many parts of the world once he retired from home building in 2007. His favorite trip was when he visited his father's birthplace in Poland along with Diane and other family members while touring with the Eddie Blazonczyk polka band and drinking lots of Polish vodka along the way.
John is still with us in our hearts but will be greatly missed by those he left behind including his wife of 52 years, Diane, his brother Mike and sisters Gerri Teyssier, Bernadine Ruskin, his children Nadine (Quentin) Poehnelt, David (Nicole) Kornesczuk, Diana Kowalczyk, and his grandchildren Carson, Nolan, Amber, Damian, Tania, and Whitney.
John was preceded in death by his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk, brothers Casey, Tom, Tony, and Eugene, and sisters Frances, Vicki, Amy, Delores, Theresa, and Mary Ann.
- Cremation Society of Wisconsin; Altoona, Wisconsin; 07 Nov 2022
John was born in the small town of Gilman Wisconsin on November 20, 1945, to his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk. His parents along with his 13 brothers and sisters, and a large extended family, taught John the value of hard work balanced with having a good time. John's father was born in Wiski, Poland, and John was very proud of his Polish heritage playing Chicago is a Polka Town on his concertina and greeting everyone by saying "jak sie masz" (how are you). He graduated from Gilman High School in 1963 despite his many late appearances and arriving smelling like the barn. He excelled at basketball and was thankful his brother Mike could take on his chores on nights that he had basketball practice and games. He attended UW-Madison after high school and worked on the family farm in Gilman. In the fall of 1969, he met the love of his life, Diane, who could not resist his infectious smile and the twinkle in his eye. After a short courtship, they started making wedding plans, taking out an ad in the Gilman paper inviting the whole town for the big celebration on August 29, 1970. Diane and John lived together in Milwaukee and Chicago before moving to Chippewa Falls in 1973.
John was a hard worker, sacrificing sleep and the toll on his body over getting the job done. He was a residential building contractor and established Kornesczuk Construction, Inc. in 1974 building over 600 homes over his 33-year career. His sense of mischief, often at the expense of others, was always prevalent even when he was at work, rolling heavy equipment over a manhole cover when the foreman was in it, nailing an employee's lunch box to the subfloor, or sneaking in someone's pickup truck to set the heat to high on a hot 90-degree day were not uncommon events when working with John. He was a member of the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders, Knights of Columbus, Seymour Lions Club, and St. Olaf's parish.
John loved fishing in Canada with his many fishing buddies, Colorado hunting trips, the annual Bayer-Korn golf event, Princeton Valley golf scrambles, cheering on the Badgers and Packers, and tending to the large garden that Diane and John grew together on the shores of Lake Hallie. He picked countless blueberries and if you happened to stop by during the summer months you would leave with a bag full of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash whether you wanted them or not. His greatest joy was his family, and John had lots of family which made for constant celebrations and gatherings that always got louder when John arrived with his big laugh. He mastered dancing to many polkas and an original dance to Dueling Banjos while strumming a broom handle every 4th of July at the Olynick cabin in Lake Holcombe accompanied by his sister-in-law Cheryl. He loved playing with the kids, watching his grandchildren compete in sports and play in the band but most of all enjoyed sitting around telling stories and jokes making everyone laugh or maybe roll their eyes. John and Diane were snowbirds in Arizona and Florida for 14 years and traveled to many parts of the world once he retired from home building in 2007. His favorite trip was when he visited his father's birthplace in Poland along with Diane and other family members while touring with the Eddie Blazonczyk polka band and drinking lots of Polish vodka along the way.
John is still with us in our hearts but will be greatly missed by those he left behind including his wife of 52 years, Diane, his brother Mike and sisters Gerri Teyssier, Bernadine Ruskin, his children Nadine (Quentin) Poehnelt, David (Nicole) Kornesczuk, Diana Kowalczyk, and his grandchildren Carson, Nolan, Amber, Damian, Tania, and Whitney.
John was preceded in death by his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk, brothers Casey, Tom, Tony, and Eugene, and sisters Frances, Vicki, Amy, Delores, Theresa, and Mary Ann.
- Cremation Society of Wisconsin; Altoona, Wisconsin; 07 Nov 2022
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