Obituary of John A. Neville

JOHN A. NEVILLE

STERLING- John A. Neville, 81, of Sterling died Sunday February 24, 2019, at Silverado Memory Care in Lake Zurich.  

 John was born November 18, 1937, in Chicago, the son of James B. and Joanne (Ryan) Neville. He attended St. Ignatius High School and Loyola University and served in the United States Marine Corps.  John married Jacqueline A. Banke November 26, 1966, in Chicago.

John joined the coin-operated amusement machine industry in 1962.  He worked at various distributorships along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Chicagoland area, specializing in jukebox sales.  He and his wife Jacqueline purchased Blackhawk Music Co. in Sterling in 1981. He served as its president until retirement in 2012.

 John received many coin-op industry awards, including Play Meter Magazine’s Operator of the Year in 2010 and Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association (ICMOA) Man of the Year in 2013.  John served on the boards of both ICMOA and the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA). He was also active in local service organizations, but he took the greatest pride in leading the Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign for many years.

Survivors include his wife Jacqueline, three daughters, Kathleen N. (Bryan) Smith of South Bend IN, Kristina M. Neville of London, England, and Karoline M. (Frank) Neville-Hamilton of Portland OR; one son, James R. Neville of Louisville CO; one brother, James B. Neville of West Chicago; and four grandchildren, Arrow O. Neville-Hamilton and Peter, Annika, and Harrison Smith.

 He was preceded in death by his parents, and one sister, Mary Jo Miller.

 Visitation is Wednesday, February 27, 2019, from 5PM-7PM at Schilling Funeral Home & Cremation in Sterling, with rosary recited at 6:30 PM. Mass of Christian Burial is 11AM, Thursday, February 28, 2019, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Sterling, with the Reverend James Keenan, officiating. Cremation rites will be accorded after the funeral, and burial will take place at a later date.

 In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Toys for Tots.