About nine years ago, John McHugh’s legs were amputated because of complications from diabetes. “They told him he would never walk again,” said his sister Nellie Bordes. “He got two prostheses. He walked and he drove a car after that.” That kind of determination was typical of Mr. McHugh, she said. Mr. McHugh, 77, died Tuesday, March 16, at his Jefferson Park home from complications of pancreatic cancer and a recent stroke, his family said. Born in County Mayo, Ireland, Mr. McHugh moved to England and, in 1957, immigrated to the United States to find better work. He quickly found a job as a fireman at the 14-story Monroe Building, 104 S. Michigan Ave. Within a year, he received a stationary engineer certificate. He eventually became the chief engineer at the building, a job he held until the early 1990s. Not long after arriving in America, he went to an Irish dance and met Bridie Halloran, a fellow Irish immigrant. They married in 1960. Every four years, the McHughs took their children to Ireland to visit, said his son John Jr. Mr. McHugh taught his children the importance of work. “He taught me a lot about a good work ethic,” said his son, an airline ground-equipment mechanic. “If you’re going to do something, do it right.” Besides his wife, son and his sister, survivors include two other sons, Martin and Gerard; a brother, Patrick; another sister, Bridget Rowland; and four grandchildren. Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Constance Catholic Church, 5843 W. Strong St., Chicago.
