John J. Boland Jr., 79, of Palatine and Hobe Sound, Fla., a former 30-year resident of Arlington Heights, retired in 1991 as vice president of sales for Metal Lubricants Co., Harvey, after 41 years of service. Mr. Boland, a Chicago native, died Thursday, Oct. 19, in his home. He received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, in 1943. During World War II, he was a maintenance officer for training planes in the U.S. Navy. In 1988, Mr. Boland founded BallaghEstates subdivision adjacent to South Barrington in unincorporated Cook County. He also was a former lay minister at Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Church in Arlington Heights. “He was a wonderful man; a tough act to follow,” said his son Patrick. “Ever since I was a boy, I wanted to be just like my dad. In business he was tough, but everyone who worked for him said he was a fair man. He was well-loved by everyone who knew him.” Other survivors include his wife, Rosemary; three more sons, Terrence, James and Thomas; a daughter, Mary Olson; two sisters, Adelia Slovieff and Grace Sullivan; and 16 grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday in Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 185 E. Northwest Highway, Palatine. Prayers will be said at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the funeral home, followed by a mass at 10 a.m. in St. Theresa Catholic Church, 467 N. Benton St., Palatine.
