John “Jack” P. Sheehy didn’t let anyone stay a stranger for long. “He was very outgoing and believed the best in people,” said his wife, Eleanor. A resident of Arlington Heights since 1971, Mr. Sheehy, 79, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Northwest Community Healthcare in Arlington Heights. Born in Quincy, Ill., Mr. Sheehy and his family lived in St. Louis before moving to Chicago when he was 12. After his 1942 graduation from Leo High School, Mr. Sheehy was drafted into the Army. A sergeant, he served until 1946, part of a military police unit in Europe and the Pacific. After his military service he went to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where he met his wife, whom he married in 1948. Mr. Sheehy finished college at DePaul University in Chicago, then went to work for Shell Oil Co. Starting out in sales, Mr. Sheehy ended up in real estate development, finding corner properties for Shell gasoline stations. After living in Wisconsin and then Peoria, he settled in 1958 in Bloomington. He left Shell to run his own automatic car washing business there. He sold the business to join a business venture in Arlington Heights called Motor Valet. Until his retirement at 65, Mr. Sheehy worked in scouting out locations for car washes in the area. Active in St. Raymond de Penafort Catholic Church in Mt. Prospect, he volunteered in its ministry of care program, visiting the ill and bereaved in their homes. In addition to his wife, other survivors include four sons, John W., Richard, James and Thomas; two daughters, Ann Taylor and Mari Lynch; and 13 grandchildren. A visitation will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday until a noon mass in St. Raymond de Penafort Church, 300 S. Elmhurst Ave., Mt. Prospect.
