John Nelson Hess

November 12, 1935 - February 11, 2011

John Nelson Hess, 75 of Hammond, passed away on Friday, February 11, 2011. John was the son of the late R. Nelson and Elizabeth Belchik Hess. He is survived by four children: Elizabeth ‚ÄúBeth‚Äù (Terry) Florczak of Orland Park, IL, Gail (R. Steven) Sawyer of Bothell, WA; George (Janet) Hess of Sugar Hill, GA; and John of Hammond. He is survived by three grandchildren: Michael Florczak, Charlotte Sawyer and Evan Hess; sister, Betty (Perry) Reinert of Munster; Many nieces and nephews and cousins;He is also survived by his fianc√©, best friend, and companion Barbara A. Norrick and her children Christy, Robert and Angela.He is preceded in death by his wife Carmen. John was a 1954 graduate of Hammond High School where he participated in track and cross country. He was on state finals teams in cross country in 1951 and 1952. He coached basketball at Scott Middle and Morton Middle Schools in the 1970‚Äôs. He also coached Hessville Little League and Senior League Baseball. He served as President of the Hessville Little League. John was a Navy Veteran. John retired from LTV Steel as a Managers Clerk. Visitation will be on Monday, February 14, 2011 from 3:00-8:00 PM at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Ave. Munster, IN. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10:00 AM at the funeral home with Deacon Thomas Kreidler officiating. Interment will be at St. John Cemetery, Hammond, IN. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Leukemia Research Foundation, the American Cancer Society or Hospice of the Calumet Area.

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Beth, Gail, George and John,Just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciated your Dad. He was a terrific Uncle to me and I always knew he supported me and was on my side. No matter the activity or sport I was involved in he was always a positive influence. He is the reason I became involved with coaching over the years and try to be a positive influence in other young peoples lives as he did. You could see he really cared for the kids he coached and really took things to heart. I truely enjoyed the years he was coaching the Little League All Stars and I traveled around with you guys to watch the games. I was glad he included me. Also, when we went down to Semi State basketball in Lafayette to watch ECW play,was my first time doing that and that is still an awesome memory. We always had a lot of good laughs! Mainly at each others expense, but it was fun.My family and I are thinking of you and we express our deepest sympathies.Love,Cousin John, Laura, Hannah, and Luke.

John was an extraordinary man. Not only was he the perfect companion to my dearest friend Barb, but he also formed the most genuine bond with Barbs three children. It would take an exceptional man to fill the void that Christy, Bobby and Angela sustained after their own father died at a very early age. John achieved that role. Barb, I was most impressed by the way he lit up as he told stories of his time with you all. It was obvious, he was a man of integrity and he was a devoted friend. John was the kind of man who made it a point to etch a piece of himself onto all of your hearts. He will be truly missed. You are in my prayers and I am just a phone call away‚Ä¶. Love, Becky.

I can still picture him in his high school letter sweater, playing baseball with us on the empty lot, and blowing out candles on countless birthday cakes of his and ours. Life.

My deepest sympathies on the loss of your father and grandfather. May you find comfort and peace from family, friends and memories remembered.Cyndi Best

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.