John S. Livaditis OBITUARY

John S. Livaditis OBITUARY

John S. Livaditis, 96, passed away on July 4, 2026. John was born on Nov. 25, 1929 in Argos, Greece to the late Sotirios and Anastasia Livaditis. A graduate of 1st General High School of Argos (“Bousoulion”), John was drafted into the Royal Hellenic Army and rose to an officer rank during the Greek civil war against communist factions. After his army prevailed, John worked for the regional government and patiently waited to emigrate to the United States. John’s immigration slot opened in 1955, and he traveled directly to Chicago, where 48 hours later he began working as a busboy at the Belmont hotel. Within four years of arriving in the U.S., John completed training and opened the John D’or beauty salon at the corner of Foster and Lincoln in Chicago, which ultimately led to a successful chain of beauty salons, followed by investments in real estate, the formation of his company JSL Properties, Inc. and numerous other entrepreneurial ventures. On March 7, 1961 John became a U.S. citizen which was a source of immense pride to him and reflected his love of the United States.

John was preceded in death by his wife Claire S. Livaditis (nee Stellas), whom he met at a fundraiser event for the nascent Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in 1959 and they married in October of 1960. Together, they enjoyed 59 years of devoted marriage and had four children and 10 grandchildren. Claire was instrumental in John’s success – while dating he started reading her business school textbooks from Bradley University and was able to recite modern economic theory back to her. John and Claire initially settled in Morton Grove and in 1973 moved to Glenview, where they were founding members of the new Saints Peter and Paul church along with the subsequent community center and gymnasium building. In addition to his immediate family, John was immensely loyal to his large cadre of extended family, nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends, many of whom called him “Barba Yianni”. He especially had a soft spot for those performing blue-collar work and could relate as easily to a cab driver or laborer as he could to a lawyer or doctor.

John had a never-ending curiosity and was passionate about numerous interests. Not long after getting settled in Chicago, John began flying lessons at Palwaukee airport, and within a few years had purchased a small plane. After the birth of his children, he decided he wanted to learn how to ski and packed his young family into a Buick station wagon, driving to Aspen, Colorado where they all learned to ski – this kicked off a love of the mountains that continues in his children and grandchildren today. John ran a mini-farm on his 4-acre backyard in Glenview, complete with a large antique Ford tractor. He grew a wide variety of vegetables that arrived on the family table at dinner time. In addition, he cultivated a wide variety of orchids in the greenhouse at his Glenview home. John learned to appreciate his wife’s love of animals, and soon after they married a poodle named “Argos” joined the family, followed by a long string of family dogs. John’s home was always open to his numerous friends, many of whom felt comfortable just dropping in unannounced, as well as . The family’s Glenview house was also a destination for scores of relatives and friends during the holidays.

John maintained his wit and intellectual capacity nearly to the end, regaling friends and family with bits of his wisdom. John is survived by his four children: Stephen (Anita), Peter (Valerie ), Stacy and John (Maria ) Livaditis; and his 10 grandchildren, Nick, Caroline, John, Nicholas, Katarina, Bennett, Claire, Virginia, Charlie, and Elizabeth. John was the loving brother of the late Kalliope Giotas, Tom S. Livaditis, Bill S. Livaditis and Louis S. Livaditis. In addition, John had over 50 first cousins throughout the world. Visitation is Friday July 10 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church, 1401 Wagner Rd. (at Lake Ave.), Glenview, IL 60025 with the Funeral Service beginning immediately after at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews officiating. Interment: Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL. By request of family, kindly omit flowers. Memorial donations to the Greek American Rehabilitation & Care Centre, 220 N. First St., Wheeling IL 60090 are welcome. Funeral information 847-998-1020.