Obituary of John F. Suwada

 

John Suwada was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 14th, 1939, to the delight of Jennie and Joseph Suwada.  As a child, he loved playing stick ball and baseball with his brother and neighborhood children in the alleys and parks of Chicago. Of course he was a Chicago Cubs fan and grew up watching them play ball at Wrigley Field.

 

 

He received his civil engineering degree in 1962 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  He then drove out west on Route 66 for his first engineering job and arrived at Long Beach, California.  He bought himself a convertible and a boat, and he water skied on the ocean. Soon thereafter he met the love of his life, Janella, sold his toys, married and had three children; Brian, Suzanne and Joseph.

 

 

 

John worked as a civil engineer for 60 years, and his advice was often sought after. John worked for the California Bridge Department as a registered civil engineer designing bridges. One of his proudest work achievements was "The Lilac Road Bridge" located near Escondido, California.

 

 

 

He received an award from the California Department of Transportation for "his creative design and expressive use of concrete" in designing this bridge. John later worked for the Department of Forestry and finished his engineering career at Monterey County. He enjoyed playing tennis at Carmel Valley Ranch, spending time with his children and vacationing with his grandsons, Johnny and Jimmy. He took his grandsons to watch the Cubs play baseball in Arizona for spring training.

 

 

 

John died suddenly on August 30, 2022. He is survived by his loving wife Janella; son Brian (Mark); daughter Suzanne (Felix); son Joseph (Andrea); grandsons Johnny, Jimmy and Alex Parini, and many nieces and nephews.

 

 

A Private Memorial Service will be held at a later date.

 

 

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