Jon L. Kallio, 80, passed peacefully into glory with family by his side on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, at the Cottages on Golden Pond in Shawano.
Jon was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Nov. 30, 1940. One of his earliest memories was listening to the radio and hearing the news of World War II, which made a big impression on him. Some of his best childhood stories were about his first dog, Copper, gardening with his father, playing baseball, fishing and exploring nature.
Jon was a three-sport athlete at Westborough High School and graduated with the Class of 1958. He went on to play lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts for the legendary Dick Garber, and he graduated with a degree in physical education.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1963 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, later promoted to the rank of captain in the reserves. He served on the U.S.S. LaSalle in the Mediterranean and also in the Dominican Republic before his honorable discharge in 1966.
Following his service, he earned a Master of Arts in Education at the University of Massachusetts and spent the rest of his career as a physical education teacher and coach in Massachusetts, overseas and at the Menominee Indian School District. He was uniquely gifted at teaching kids on their level and is remembered for his love of sports and playing all kinds of games.
Jesus was Jon’s hope and salvation. He found comfort in the word and did his best to serve and share the Lord with the people around him. His strong faith and sense of humor carried him through many difficult times, especially in the past few years.
Jon loved being outside, his dogs and bird hunting. “Happiness is an alder thicket in October” was a sign in his living room, and it summarizes how he experienced beauty and peace in the woods. He was a gunsmith, a reloader and a tough sporting clays competitor. He relived his hunts by writing them down and loved to recount them in person with his hunting buddies.
He enjoyed working with his hands (painting houses, building a log cabin), swimming in his pool and hearing from his family. He deeply loved and took great joy in his children and grandchildren. Despite the distance, he made many trips to be at important events like weddings, baptisms and graduations. He will be dearly missed.
Jon was preceded in death by his parents, Waino and Marjorie (Perks) Kallio; and his older sister, Shirley Anderson.
He is survived by his older brother, Richard “Dick” (Patricia) Kallio of Massachusetts; his children, Jon Winston (Jera Jamison) Kallio, of Massachusetts, Laura (Bob) Neill, of Massachusetts, and their mother, Diana; Joseph (Patricia) Kallio, of California, Anne (Ron) Kingma, of Indiana, Julie (Scott Robison) Kallio, of Minnesota, and their mother, Ellen; and his grandchildren, Sashi Nair, Thomas Neill, Joshua and Matthew Allen, Aila, Marin and Claire Kingma, Alex, Ethan and Charles Robison.
A memorial service will be held at the Navarino Nature Center on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the family encourages the use of masks when indoors, for the safety of all. A service at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Westborough, Massachusetts, will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, followed by the interment with military honors at Pine Grove Cemetery.
Jon’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at the Cottages, Jenny’s Assisted Living and Heartland Hospice for their compassionate care and to all Jon’s friends for the many visits.
Donations in his memory can be made to the Charlotte C. Spinney Vision Scholarship (www.westboroughvisionscholars.org) or the Wisconsin Parkinson Association (www.wiparkinson.org).
www.swedbergfuneralhome.com
Jon L. Kallio
