John Henry Pertner, PHD

John Henry Pertner, PhD, 65, most recently of St. Petersburg Beach, FL, passed away Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 at NorthShore Hospice in Evanston, IL.

John was born July 10, 1952 at Fremont Memorial Hospital to Geraldine and the late Henry Pertner, and a 1970 graduate of Gibsonburg High School. John went on to graduate in 1974 from of Defiance College with a Bachelor of Science where he was a member of the football team, lacrosse team, a member of Theta Xi fraternity, and President of his Class. John graduated from the University of Saint Francis with a Masters of Science in 1977 and graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1994 with his Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Organization Development.

John spent over 35 years in the public school system, and was committed to education. He loved the social aspect of being in the communities he served, building friendships in those communities, assistant football coach, supporting all school affiliated sports and extracurriculars, and above all, he loved the kids. John began his career as a third grade teacher at Grover Hill Elementary School in Wayne Trace Public Schools where after three years he started his career as an administrator and became the principal of Grover Hill Elementary. From there he was a principal at the former Allen Elementary in Genoa Public Schools. John then returned to his hometown of Gibsonburg, OH as the Principal of Hilfiker Elementary School. John went on to be the principal at Toth Elementary School in Perrysburg Public Schools followed by principal of Perrysburg High School. In 2005 John retired from Ohio schools as the Chief Technology Officer and Assistant superintendent for Dublin City Schools in Dublin, Ohio. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, John moved to Florida upon his retirement in 2005 but couldn’t stay away from the communities for long. He soon became the Principal at Coral Shores High School in the Florida Keys.

Committed to a life of learning, John received certification from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and became a Municipal Advisor, aiding Sponsors of Public Pension Plans to design sustainable Public Funds nationwide.

John was an avid reader, loved SCUBA diving, fishing, boating, and music (particularly Eric Clapton).  He also loved The Ohio State Buckeyes and Northwestern Wildcats Football, but truly loved any sporting event that he could attend. John most recently had been teaching himself to play the guitar.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Henry John and Geraldine Catherine(Custer)Pertner. John is survived by his brother Paul (Janet), daughters Katie (John) Costantini and Mary Churchill, stepchildren Gary (Jana) Olson and Nicole (Nicholas) Vescio, grandchildren Alice and Harrison Churchill, Jack and Sam Costantini, step grandchildren Zach and Hailey Olson and Collin Vescio; and his companion Debra Rekiel. He is also survived by nephews and nieces: Brian Pertner, Aaron (Kristen) Pertner, Kristen (Ilian) Pertner and great nieces and nephews: Theo Pertner, Azlyn and Elyn Pertner, Henry and Nathaniel Pertner.

The family will receive visitors from 4 - 8 pm on Thursday, Nov. 16 at Herman-Veh Funeral Home, 319 W. Madison St., Gibsonburg, OH. Friends and Family are encouraged to wear beach attire to visitation in honor of John’s tremendous love for the beach and water.

Friends and Family will be received beginning at 9:30 am on Friday, Nov. 17 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 500 S. Brentwood Dr. Gibsonburg, OH. A Celebration of John’s Life will begin at 10:30 am.