John R. Jurek, Sr.Apr. 26, 1932 - Nov. 05, 2016SOUTH BEND - John R. Jurek, Sr., 84, of South Bend, IN, passed away at 7:46 p.m. Saturday, November 5, 2016 at Memorial Hospital, South Bend, IN, as a result of an automobile/pedestrian accident that occurred October 31, 2016.He was born on April 26, 1932 to the late Stanley and Theodora (Zawodny) Jurek in South Bend, IN, and was a lifelong area resident. Along with his parents; he was preceded in death by two daughters, Marie Turnock; an infant daughter, Catherine Jurek; and two sisters, Cecelia Kish and Gertrude “Trudy” Hoffman.John was a 1951 graduate of South Bend Catholic High School and attended Butler University on a football scholarship. He retired in 1994 from Krizman, Inc. in Mishawaka, IN, where he worked as a Warehouse Coordinator for 23 years. Prior to that, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service for 20 years. On May 9, 1953, he married Barbara “Joan” Van Vynckt at St. Monica Catholic Church in Mishawaka, IN.John is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Barbara “Joan” Jurek of South Bend, IN; one daughter, Victoria Chidister of South Bend, IN; five sons, John Jurek, Jr. of Osceola, IN; Dan Jurek of Mishawaka, IN; Michael Jurek of South Bend, IN; David (Dawn) Jurek of South Bend, IN; Steven (Eileen) Jurek of Indianapolis, IN; 10 grandchildren, Jennifer (Chad) Litzman of Texas; Heather (Devon) Mastrin of AZ; John J. (Lisa) Jurek of South Bend, IN; William (Melissa) Jurek of Osceola, IN; Rebecca (Ryan) Noojin of Granger, IN; Jeremy Jurek of Osceola, IN; Trevor Chidister of South Bend, IN; Sarah (Nathan)Rains of South Bend, IN; Veronica Jurek of South Bend, IN; Adam (fiancee Sabrina) Jurek of South Bend, IN; 10 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; three sisters, Evelyn Antonowicz of CA; Pat Palkowski of South Bend, IN; Barbara Jagman of Virginia; two brothers, Stanley (Virginia) Jurek and Eugene (Rosalie) Jurek, both of South Bend, IN; and a son-in-law, Don Turnock. John was a member of Holy Cross Parish, where he served as an usher at the church for many years. He was a Holy Cross Scout Master for 16 years; a member of Knights of Columbus Council #553 and American Legion Post #357. John was a former usher at the University of Notre Dame Football Stadium for 40 years and was currently working as an usher at the Purcell Pavilion for both basketball and volleyball. He was a very dedicated Blood Donor (currently the #1 donor at South Bend Medical Foundation) giving over 700 times to date. John was named the Citizen of the Month for the 1st district in 2004. John bowled in two bowling leagues, The Golden Gang and the Knights of Columbus for many years. He participated in the Senior Olympics for several years, where he won many gold and silver medals. John also volunteered with the Telephone Pioneers, Jerry Lewis Telethon, and many other charities. He was known as the “walker” on Portage Avenue, as he walked 6 miles every morning.John was a U.S. Army Veteran, serving from 1952 - 1954, where he spent 17 months in Korea.Visitation will be from 2-8 p.m. Thursday, November 10, 2016 at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, IN, where a rosary will be recited at 2:00 p.m.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 11, 2016 at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Burial will follow in Highland Cemetery, where Military Services will be conducted by American Legion Post #357. Memorial contributions may be made to: Holy Cross Catholic Church, 920 Wilber Street, South Bend, IN 46628 or please donate blood in John's memory at the South Bend Medical Foundation. To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.