John Christopher Martine

John Christopher Martine, 60, of Maywood, IL, passed away due to a host of maladies, October 27, 2024, at a rehab facility in Elmhurst. John’s early childhood was spent in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in Westchester before attending Morton Junior College, where he mostly wrote history papers for other students. John lived in the San Francisco Bay area for ten years, where he experienced the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. In the early 2000’s he returned to Cicero, Illinois and worked a series of jobs including: tax payment processing at a bank, customer service at a call center for people trying to navigate the Affordable Healthcare Act insurance market, and Holiday Camera in Broadview then Oak Park, selling cameras and processing film. His last and current gig was at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center “UI Health” doing insurance verifications. He was well-regarded by his coworkers, who seemed amused by his diminished hearing leading to loud discussions with insurance companies. His desk, cleaned of crumbs and debris, was reputed to have taken on a shrine-like status proving that John’s impact was enduring. A gifted amateur photographer, John specialized in photo ceramics and gravestones and was a longtime member of the Association for Gravestone Studies. He was very much loved by the global cemetery community, a group of historians, anthropologists, educators, and other enthusiasts. John’s earliest AGS mentor was a prominent advocate for the death and dying community. As a young AGS member, John helped bridge the gap between the two outlooks. John’s mightiest cemetery adventure was a 13-day trip to the U.K. where touring Highgate Cemetery was one of the highlights. Visit John’s Instagram page to see his work: https://www.instagram.com/the_great_martine/ . John is survived by his sister Deborah Martine of Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood, his cousin and Godmother Marie Henley, and a multitude of dear friends including his mentee Walter “Walt” Lang, and more importantly, his childhood best friend and long-suffering roommate David Chabala (and his brother Paul Chabala), to whom he handed over rent checks like an aspiring Jack Benny. John endured many ailments; he was often a walking cloud of Ben-Gay. He could be sloppy, food-stained, cranky, and like an elephant, could hold a grudge to the point of absurdity. But don’t we all have our issues? During one of David’s last visits to John in the rehab center, he said: “You better get better, so I don’t have to clean up your room.” Preceded in death by sister Christine and Roberta Martine and parents Robert and Alice (nee Pinkos) Martine, and his highly regarded cousin, Stevie. Friends and family are gathering to celebrate John’s life on Saturday March 22, at Bohemian National Cemetery Columbarium. Public arrival 11am. Eulogies 12pm, followed by niche placement. Please livestream the event here: https://www.asimplestreaming.com/jcmartine/. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to the Association for Gravestone Studies. https://ags.wildapricot.org/Donate Arrangements by Inclusive Funeral Care, 773-370-2959 or www.InclusiveFuneralCare.com.