John William Bergbower, age 85

September 9, 1940 – January 10, 2026

John William Bergbower, age 85, of Newton, Illinois, passed away at 10:24 AM - Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Helia Healthcare of Newton.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00 PM (Noon) – Thursday, January 15, 2026, at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Newton, Illinois, with Fr Dan Bergbower celebrating mass.   The burial will be in the Old Saint Peter Cemetery east of Newton, Illinois.  A visitation for family and friends will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 AM – Thursday, at the church.  In loving memory of John, memorials may be made to the Saint Peter Cemeteries Fund.  Arrangements are under the care of the Meyer Funeral Home in Newton, Illinois.  The obituary can be viewed and condolences left at www.meyerfh.com.

John William was born on September 9, 1940, on the family farm, east of Newton, Illinois, the son of William John and Veronica (Yager) Bergbower.  He graduated from Newton Community High School with the Class of 1959.  On January 25, 1962, he was united in marriage to Mary Ellen Parker at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Wendelin, Illinois.

John was a lifelong farmer, enjoyed raising Hereford cattle and was a Funk's G Hybrid Dealer for several years.  For over 55 years, John worked in different positions at the Newton IGA Grocery Store.  Throughout his career at the IGA, he gave a lot of kids the opportunity to work their first job.  John and Mary also owned and operated Bergbower Shelter Care Home in Newton for several years.

John was a lifelong member of Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Newton, Moose Lodge, Eagles and was a Knights of Columbus being a 3rd degree member and 4th degree knight.  He enjoyed hunting Indian artifacts and mushrooms.  John loved to "go for a drive" to the farm to check on the crops or to The Knob to see his buddies.  If he wasn't on a drive, you could often see him in the swing on top of hill that he and Mary called home watching over the bottoms and waving at the cars that traveled past.

John was always willing to lend a helping hand to the community.  He was a Wade Township Trustee for many years, had been a member of the Saint Thomas School board serving as president and was the sexton of the New and Old Saint Peter Cemeteries for several years.

John is survived by:

Wife – Mary E. Bergbower of Newton, Illinois

Children – Randy John Bergbower (fiancé Michelle Kessler) of Newton, Illinois; Annette (Gary) Stanciu of Newton, Illinois; Rodney (Stacey) Bergbower of Saint Augustine, Florida; and Chris (Aubrey) Bergbower of Newton, Illinois

Grandchildren - Josh (Ivy) Bergbower, Ashley (Zach) McLeod, Clayton Bergbower (Claire Scheidemantel), Derek Stanciu, Mitch (Kate) Stanciu, Wylie (Danielle) Bergbower, William (Jill) Bergbower, Anna (Matt) Liles, Grady Bergbower (Paige Zumbahlen) and Isaiah Bergbower

Great Grandchildren – Sage, Alana, Aiden, Reagan, Ellie and Jace Bergbower, Maura and Riley McLeod, Mason, Maverick, Harper, and Barrett Stanciu, Sydney and Madison Liles

Brother – Robert (Marilyn) Bergbower of Stillwater, Oklahoma

Brother-in-law – Jerry Skelton of Olney, Illinois

John was preceded in death by his parents, grandson Rodney Bergbower, sister Ruby Skelton, brother and sister-in-law Donald and Donna Bergbower, father and mother-in-law Ben and Viola (Geier) Parker and a sister-in-law Rita Parker.