Lake County IL Archives Obituaries.....Blanck, John P. October 21, 1923
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The Libertyville Independent - October 25, 1923
John P. Blanck Victim of Heart Disease Sunday

Editor of Wauconda Leader Found Dead by His Son in Office Sunday Morning

Our village was shocked last Sunday morning at 9:30 o'clock when the sad news
was flashed through the town that John Blanck was dead.

It didn't seem possible that it could be truce, as he was a man of fine physique
and everyone thought him to the picture of health.  The day before he died he
officiated at an auction sale on the Olive Hook farm a mile east of town, and
seemed in the best of spirits.  But he had been subject to rheumatic spells
which affected his heart and this no doubt was the direct cause of his death. 
John was always of a cheerful, light-hearted disposition and always the jolliest
of all at any social gathering.

He had planned to take his family on a trip to Elmhurst Sunday and after eating
a light breakfast said would go down to the office for a few minutes as he had a
little work to look after.  When he did not return, his 14-year old son,
Francis, said he would go and see what was keeping his father.  The boy found
him in an apparent faint.  He rushed home and told his mother, who hurriedly
went to the office and when she saw him feared the worst.  Dr. Ross was summoned
but found that death had called John to his eternal home.

John P. Blanck was born in Wauconda in July 1879 and was 44 years of age at the
time of his death -- just in the prime of his life.    He was the fourth called
in a family of six children.  His father was James Blanck, Wauconda's pioneer
wagon maker, who died when John was only a small boy and left a widowed mother
to care for the family.  He attended school at the Wauconda grammar school, and
when only 16 years old started to learn the printer's trade, being emplo9yed aby
Albert Mullen, who was running the Wauconda Leader at the time.  He continued in
his employ until the plant was purchased by F. L. Carr and continued to work for
Mr. Carr.  When western South Dakota was being thrown open for settlement he
went with a party of Wauconda homesteaders to the west, and took a claim near
Chamberlain, South Dakota.

After completing his homestead residence time on his claim he secured his patent
to 160 acres and returned to Wauconda.

He worked in a Chicago printing plant for about one year, when he purchased the
Leader from Mr. Carr and continued its publication until his death.

About ten years ago he took up the work of auctioneering, at which he became
very efficient and a few years ago formed a partnership with August Froelich of
Lake Zurich and they were very successful every spring and fall having many sales.

On May 4, 1907 he was united in marriage to Miss Delia Hammond.  To this happy
union were born two sons -- Francis, aged 14 and Merrill aged 9.

As an editor, John Blanck was a man who believed in printing the news but never
any scandal and made a fine success of his business.

The Wauconda Leader was the only democratic paper in Lake county and Mr. Blanck
was one of the leading democrats of the county.  He was one of Wauconda's
leading business men, always ready to boost any worthy cause.

During the Wilson administration, he received the appointment of postmaster and
conducted the Wauconda post office for three years, when he resigned finding the
work too much along with his other business.

At the time of his death he was president of the Wauconda Grammar school board,
to which position he was re-elected last spring and was instrumental in pushing
the plans for Wauconda's new grammar school, which is rapidly nearing completion
and which was one of his proud ambitions to see erected.

John will be sadly missed by his wife and sons but he will be almost as greatly
missed by his many friends and the community at large.

The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the Community House,
the edifice being filled to overflowing and the casket was banked with flowers,
tokens of sympathy from his many friends for the bereaved family.  The Rev. Mr.
Riley officiated at the funeral service, delivering a sermon full of consolation
for the bereaved family.  Burial was made in the family lot in the Wauconda
cemetery.

He leaves to mourn his untimely death a wife and two small sons, Francis, age 14
and Merrill, age 9.  His youngest sister, Laura, whos is married and resides in
Chicago; one brother, Andrew, who lives in Dakota; two brother and one sister
have passed to their eternal home in the past few years.

We join with the many friends in extending our most sincere sympathy to the
bereaved family.

Additional Comments:
Buried in Wauconda Cemetery, Wauconda, Lake County, Illinois

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