John C. “Jack” Meade’s years as warden of the former Cook County House of Corrections did not diminish his kindness or sense of service to others, relatives said. He combined the lessons learned working at the misdemeanor correctional facility with those drilled into him by years of playing baseball and basketball and realized that jail was no place for young people. He resolved to help the inmates when they got out, his wife, Miriam, said. Mr. Meade, 71, a retired social worker for the City of Chicago and former administrator who held various positions at Gateway Foundation, a Chicago halfway house for substance abusers, died of complications from lung cancer, Tuesday, Sept. 28, in his Chicago Heights home. The House of Corrections merged with the Cook County Jail in 1969, and in 1970 Mr. Meade became a staff member at Gateway Foundation. Mr. Meade used sports to keep the residents occupied and teach them discipline, said his wife. “He felt that they needed guidance,” she said. Born in Wisconsin, the longtime South Side and south suburban resident was a baseball prospect in the farm system of the Milwaukee Braves in his youth. But his baseball career was cut short by service in the Navy, relatives said. Mr. Meade became a basketball referee and an umpire, officiating high school and college games for many years. He umped at the Little League and Senior League World Series. In addition to his wife, Mr. Meade is survived by four sons, Shawn, Christopher, Adam and Matthew; a daughter, Cara Pastere; his mother, Edith; a sister, Kathleen Wilharber; and three grandchildren. Visitation will be from 1 to 9 p.m. Thursday in Panozzo Bros. Funeral Home, 530 W. 14th St. (also known as U.S. Highway 30), east of Western Avenue, Chicago Heights. Services are set for 9:15 a.m. Friday, from the funeral home to St. Joseph Church, 18015 Dixie Highway, Homewood. Mass will be said at 10 a.m.
