John "Jack" A. Rafaj

John “Jack” A. Rafaj, age 72, of LaPorte, Indiana and formerly of Chicago Heights, Illinois passed away peacefully Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Beloved husband of Jeanne Rafaj. Loving step-father of Kate (Tim) McLennan, Kristine Wise and Robert Wise. Cherished “Bubba” to his grandchildren Brandon (Kristina) Bautista, Stephanie (Nate) Burchell, Robert Wise Jr., Taylor (Jordan) Dixon, Wesley Russel and Lizzy Wise and his grandchildren Lucas Burchell, Logan Burchell, Aurora Bautista and Anastatia Bautista. Dear brother of Shirley (late Lawrence) Nussbaum and the late Dennis (late Nancy) Rafaj. Fond uncle of many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his parents Anne and John Rafaj. John will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Jack was a delivery driver for Ice Mountain for over 25 years and before that he worked in the factory for General Electric in the appliance division. He was a talented musician as a drummer and his band Cartune which eventually took on the persona of Teenage Radiation with Steve Dahl. He had a love for dogs, especially Cocker Spaniels, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Cubs and his sweets. Jack had a passion for historic preservation and had two private homes registered as Local Historic Landmarks.

Visitation to be held Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Smits - Steger Memorial Chapel 3045 Chicago Rd. Steger, Illinois. Prayer Service to be held Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 9:15 a.m. at Smits - Steger Memorial Chapel with a procession to follow to Our Lady of the Heights – St. Kieran Site for Mass at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Assumption Cemetery – Glenwood, Illinois. In Lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the family, Tunnels to Tower or the ASPCA. For further information, please contact 708-755-6100 or visit our online guestbook and obituary at WWW.SMITSFH.COM.