John Sturmanis

John Sturmanis, born in Riga, Latvia, passed away on February 27, 1936, in Illinois on March 17, 2024. He was a beloved husband to Barb L. Sturmanis (Huddleston), a devoted father to his two sons, John M. Sturmanis (Lisa) and Mark Sturmanis, and a grandfather to Lija S. Sturmanis.    He was preceded in death by his parents, Martins and Olga Sturmanis, his brother Martins Sturmanis, and his wife, Barb Sturmanis (August 25th, 1941-October 1st, 2012)    

Early Years

John spent his earliest years in the pastoral tranquility of the Sturmanis farm in Latvia.    The stark contrast and harrowing experiences of wartime Europe soon marked this bucolic life.   Fearing for their lives during Stalin's great purge, the Sturmanis family fled by ship in the night.   John vividly recalled the ship violently rocking at night despite calm water.    The next day, the ship captain told the passengers about the emergency maneuvers necessary to avoid a torpedo.   The family embarked to Southern Germany, where they remained until after World War II.     As a young boy, John watched fighter planes falling out of the sky and foreign soldiers marching through the nearby town.    While he saw many atrocities, he fondly remembered the German forests, mountains, and clear streams.   Eventually, the Sturmanis family cobbled together enough for passage to Ellis Island, New York, where they arrived as political refugees and became US citizens.   The Sturmanis family moved to Central Iowa and resumed farming.    There, John and his older brother Martins graduated high school.    John’s classmates uniformly described him as the smartest and shyest of their class.   

Career and Family

After high school, John enlisted in the Army and served until 1963.    He then attended Milwaukee School of Engineering, and after graduating, he accepted a job at Sangamo Electric in Springfield, Illinois.    As a young man, John stood 6’2’’, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a farm hand build. Speaking with an unusual Latvian / German accent, John soon caught the eye of a pretty, redhead Sangamo secretary named Barb Huddleston.   John was immediately smitten with Barb, but the prospect of dating scared him more than the atrocities of war.     No one ever called Barb a shrinking violet, and she took the initiative by asking John to fix her refrigerator.   They soon married in 1966 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Springfield.   Their first son, John M. Sturmanis, was born in 1967, and Mark, their second son, was born in 1969.   The Sturmanis family moved to the village of Jerome in West Springfield and spent twenty happy years at 1565 Reed Ave.    In 2002, John retired from Soyland Power and spent the next decade caring for his beloved wife, Barb, who began to show signs of dementia. After Barb’s passing in 2012, John provided even greater love and support to his sons.  

A Man of Strength and Character

John's life was woven with threads of both adversity and hope.  He will be remembered for his quiet strength, kindness, and selflessness.   His legacy is one of unspoken love, resilience, and unwavering devotion to his family. His memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew him, especially his sons, who cherished him deeply.

Services

A visitation for John Sturmanis and his wife, Barb, will be held at Owens Funeral Home in Champaign on April 11th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. He will be laid to rest at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield on April 12th at 1:00 p.m., where Barb’s ashes will also be interred with him. Friends and family are welcome to join us for lunch following the graveside funeral service. We hope you can join us in celebrating the lives of a beloved husband and wife, father, and mother.

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