John Patrick Palkovic died unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in Punta Gorda, Florida, doing one of his great pleasures in life, working out at a gym.

John was born February 1, 1952 in Erie, Pennsylvania, oldest son of John and DeSales Palkovic.  He graduated from Holy Family Catholic School in 1966, went on to Erie Cathedral Prep and graduated in 1970.  While attending Erie Cathedral Prep, he played football and track all four years.  He was named to the Erie Press All Star Grid Football Offense Team as a Center in 1969, was All City for track and was discus State Champion in 1970.

After his graduation from Erie Cathedral Prep, John went to Hobart College in Geneva, New York, where he continued playing football for three years until a concussion in his senior year sidelined him.  He decided if he couldn’t play, he could do color commentary on the college radio.   One friend recalls him making a comment during a Hobart football game after the quarterback threw a couple of passes that the quarterback was “filling the air with footballs”, a wisecrack because the team never threw passes.  A good example of the sarcastic sense of humor he had and his friends and family enjoyed.

John maintained his friendship with his brothers in the Kappa Sigma fraternity over the years after graduating in 1974 from Hobart and enjoyed Zoom calls with a number of those every Wednesday night for the last several years.  A highlight each summer was John’s trip to DeRuyter Lake where his fraternity brother and great friend, Hart Seely, has cabins.   A number of the “Hobart guys”, as John called them, would congregate for a few days to a week, enjoying stories from the past and deepening their friendships.

In 1978, after a brutal winter in Pennsylvania, John decided to move to Florida to find employment.  In 1980, he interviewed with the Farr Law Firm and obtained a position as a Probate Paralegal, working with Guy Emerich.  The Firm sent him to the Institute for Paralegal Training, then the only school for Paralegals (it was a new profession) in Philadelphia.  His expertise as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant was recognized when he became a member of the Certification Board of the National Association of Legal Assistants (“NALA”) and traveled for a few years to its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma to write exam questions and grade exams for those professionals trying to obtain the national certification.  Over the years, John and Guy shared many hours of running and racing in addition to working together.

In 2002, John’s wife, Judi, obtained employment on the east coast of Florida.  John reluctantly moved but made her promise when retirement time came, they would move back to Punta Gorda.  On the east coast of Florida, he worked for a firm headed by Richard (Dick) Dungey, a student of Professor Guy Emerich at the University of Florida and a classmate of another Farr Firm partner, Bob Sifrit.  Dick and John became good friends, sharing a passion for football, especially Gator football. Judi kept her promise and they moved back to Punta Gorda in 2014, and John went back to the Farr Firm for a few years before retiring.

John is predeceased by his parents, John and DeSales Palkovic, as well as a brother James H. Palkovic.  He is survived his wife, Judi Beaumont, his brothers Michael Palkovic (Evelyn) and Tim Palkovic (Robin), niece Rachael Palkovic (Rory) nephew David Palkovic (Fontaine) and  great nephew Tucker House.

A Tribute to the Life and Times of John Palkovic is scheduled for Sunday, May 21, 2023 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Becky’s Garden Shoppe in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Memorial donations can be made to the public libraries or the Public Radio/TV stations in Punta Gorda or Erie.

Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family. Arrangements by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory Punta Gorda, Florida.