John Barchard

John Barchard, of McHenry, (Crystal Lake, Cary and Kirkland, IL) passed away on Friday, February 10th at the age of 95 to join his wife Nancy who passed in May.

John was born August 5, 1927 and lived in Kirkland, IL on the family farm with his 10 sisters and one brother.  John had to actually hunt, not for pleasure, but to put food on their table. His parents John and Mary Barchard lived out their lives in that farm house and was the meeting place of the Barchards for many years.

John served our country in the Army (1946-1948) and told stories about having to bivouac in the Aleutian Islands. During his time there, he "borrowed" the address of a girl back in Illinois. He and Nancy got married in 1949.  His first job was on the Wenzel Turkey farm near Kirkland. He then went on to manage the John Plain Farm in Algonquin, IL and then got hired by Foxcroft Meadows to manage their sod farm.

This love of turf lasted the rest of his career and is considered the "Sod Father" for all the things he accomplished in that adventure.  These included growing the business from 20 acres to over 1200 acres at one point.  He co-invented and patented, with H. F. Carroll, the first piggyback forklift (The Spyder) and created a special grass seeder. He was a self-taught engineer.

John had many relatives work on the farm in the summer and they stayed at his house and got to enjoy all that great food Nancy made! Many students from CLCHS also worked there for years after school and after they graduated. The sod farm is now run by his son Mark and a partner.

John was a gentle soul and loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Even though he could not swim, he put in a pool for all to enjoy and party around. Many happy times were had by family over the years around that pool.

John was a very active member of the Crystal Lake Kiwanis for many years. He believed in their mission and made many good friends there.

John enjoyed Chicago sports and watching his grandkids play their games. He was so happy to see the 2016 Cubs win the series. He and Nancy knew the names of all the players on the Bears, Bulls and Cubs.

John loved going down to New Smyrna beach for several years and getting a house on the beach for 3 months. It was another way to connect with family as they always invited friends and relatives to come and see them while they were there.

John is survived by his children, Richard (Debra) Barchard, Mark Barchard, and Tammy (Eric) Hammarstedt; his grandchildren, Michael (Sara) Barchard, Cole (Kristine) Barchard, Leah Hammarstedt, Curry Carty, John (Keri Akkawi) Barchard, Kyla (Eric) Mouroukas, Jake Barchard, and Nicholas Barchard; his great-grandchildren, Stiles, Colton, Emily, Jack, Colin, Quinn, Kaelyn, Raegan, Crosby, Girius, and Kora; his sister, Joyce Littlejohn and many nieces and nephews.

We would like to thank his nurses and caregiver, AJ who loved him and took great care of him.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Donald and sisters; Gladys, Mildred, Helen, Marjorie, Dorthy, Carol, Marian, Betty, and Shirley.

Memorial visitation will be held Sunday, February 19th from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the memorial service at 1:00 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 419 E Terra Cotta Ave (Rt 176) Crystal Lake.