John C. Gravert

John Christopher Gravert, 45, of Omaha, died Saturday February 11, 2023. Funeral Mass is set for 10:30 a.m. Friday, February 17, 2023, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. A visitation will be on Thursday, February 16, 2023, at John A. Gentleman Mortuaries & Crematory. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you send donations to the Millard North Booster Club.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 20 years, Erika; his children: Jackson, Alexandra, and Nicole; his mother Sharon Gravert of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; his Parents-in-law Kirk and Nickie Lukehart of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota; his siblings: Jennifer Henderson of Tipton, Iowa, Jacqueline (Scott) Stuhr of Omaha, Nebraska, Juliet (Theodore) Tenley of Anamosa, Iowa, Joyce (Mathew) Saur of Marion, Iowa, Joanna (Kyle) Fries of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jolene (Christopher) Snyder of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Joseph (Jacqueline) Gravert of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Erika’s siblings: Erin (Kurtis) Bonstead of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, Alex (Anna) Lukehart of Bennington, Nebraska; his nieces and nephews: Jacob, Veronica, Vanessa, Monica, Courtney, Gabrielle, Rachael, Tyler, Lily, Kayla, Rozlin, Finnegan, Leopold, Bailey, Carley, Grace, Quinnlyn, Ayse, Henrik, and Emilia. He was preceded in death by his father John Bernard Gravert and his brother-in-law, William Henderson.

From an early age, John had an adventurous and outgoing spirit. Worried about his performance on the mean streets of the Tipton school playground, John wore shorts throughout the winter, because pants would slow him down when he played football at recess. His optimistic and vibrant personality continued into high school, as John was well loved by his classmates with his boisterous laugh and easy sense of humor. To this day, if you listen closely, you can still hear the hallways and gym rafters of Tipton High School ringing the chants of “Yoda! Yoda! Yoda!”

At home, John was the apple of his mother’s eye and had the ability of simultaneously pestering his siblings and being an incredible source of maturity and guidance. Growing up in a house that needed its fair share of repairs, John developed into a skillful handyman replacing sinks, fixing cabinets, and patching up holes in walls where his little brother fell through. John was also known for assisting/doing many of their school projects and chasing them around the block playing ghost in the graveyard or throwing passes outside the house during almost every tv timeout. Practically nothing could stop John from attending their sporting events, either. So much so, he even dragged his future wife on their third date to his brother’s Friday night, fresh/soph, football game. John definitely would do just about anything for his family and he was always willing to help out wherever and whenever he could.

John’s adventurous spirit continued after high school, as he and his closest friends became quite the outdoors men; traveling to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and just about every trout stream the state of Iowa had to offer. With each trip, John diligently planned and prepared, and you could see the love in his eyes that he had for this world and all the beauty it had to offer.

Even though John probably preferred the beauty and the peacefulness of the great West, he loved his family and friends (and the Hawkeyes) in Iowa so much that he stayed. All the better because John, never to stay at home on a Friday when there was so much fun to be had, stumbled into a birthday party and his future wife, Erika.

After Erika graduated and no longer could get student tickets for Iowa football games, John showed the utmost love and loyalty by marrying her on June 7th, 2003. Although he was no longer able to cut loose and travel the wide open West, he was now able to share his love of the world with Erika and their three kids Jackson, Alexandra, and Nicole.

John not only welcomed but thrived as a family man. As their kids grew, weekdays and weekends became filled with softball, basketball, golf, soccer, Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, Casey’s Diet Coke fill-ups, and Holiday Inns. What would have driven a normal person crazy, John relished this lifestyle. He became a regular coach, referee, scorekeeper, and cheerleader, for all the school and his kid’s events. And, as he had done throughout his life, John was a source of optimism and exuberance amongst the other parents and his loving and outgoing personality quickly made him a fixture at all of his kid’s activities.

Unfortunately, the vibrant, optimistic, fun-loving John left us too soon after a long illness. We are all so heartbroken that we will never get to hear his beautiful, boisterous laugh or see him shred the dance floor again. You were always so strong, so resilient, but so warm, so kind, and so gentle. You never expected anything from anyone that you were not willing to give yourself, and that was honesty and love. You have left a huge void in so many hearts and we will all miss you forever, our sweet, sweet Johnny boy. As you would often say when you told us goodbye, “Love you! Go Hawks!”