John Kornesczuk

John Joseph Kornesczuk passed peacefully, in the home he built, in Lake Hallie,
Wisconsin, on the morning of November 3, 2022. John brought love and laughter to all he knew
and met throughout his life and his sense of humor was something that pancreatic cancer, that he
was diagnosed with one week before, could not take from him. In the short time he battled
cancer, John’s response to his doctors was “really?”, or “well, don’t you have any good news?”
and he would complement the many care givers through his last days and even said, “I think I am
going to get her phone number” after a nurse cared for him.
John was born in the small town of Gilman Wisconsin on November 20, 1945, to his
parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk. His parents along with his 13 brothers and sisters, and a
large extended family, taught John the value of hard work balanced with having a good time.
John’s father was born in Wiski, Poland, and John was very proud of his Polish heritage playing
Chicago is a Polka Town on his concertina and greeting everyone by saying “jak sie masz” (how
are you). He graduated from Gilman High School in 1963 despite his many late appearances and
arriving smelling like the barn. He excelled at basketball and was thankful his brother Mike
could take on his chores on nights that he had basketball practice and games. He attended UW-
Madison after high school and worked on the family farm in Gilman. In the fall of 1969, he met
the love of his life, Diane, who could not resist his infectious smile and the twinkle in his eye.
After a short courtship, they started making wedding plans, taking out an ad in the Gilman paper
inviting the whole town for the big celebration on August 29, 1970. Diane and John lived
together in Milwaukee and Chicago before moving to Chippewa Falls in 1973.
John was a hard worker, sacrificing sleep and the toll on his body over getting the job
done. He was a residential building contractor and established Kornesczuk Construction, Inc. in
1974 building over 600 homes over his 33-year career. His sense of mischief, often at the
expense of others, was always prevalent even when he was at work, rolling heavy equipment
over a manhole cover when the foreman was in it, nailing an employee’s lunch box to the
subfloor, or sneaking in someone’s pickup truck to set the heat to high on a hot 90-degree day
were not uncommon events when working with John. He was a member of the Chippewa Valley
Homebuilders, Knights of Columbus, Seymour Lions Club, and St. Olaf’s parish.
John loved fishing in Canada with his many fishing buddies, Colorado hunting trips, the
annual Bayer-Korn golf event, Princeton Valley golf scrambles, cheering on the Badgers and
Packers, and tending to the large garden that Diane and John grew together on the shores of Lake
Hallie. He picked countless blueberries and if you happened to stop by during the summer
months you would leave with a bag full of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash whether
you wanted them or not. His greatest joy was his family, and John had lots of family which
made for constant celebrations and gatherings that always got louder when John arrived with his
big laugh. He mastered dancing to many polkas and an original dance to Dueling Banjos while
strumming a broom handle every 4 th of July at the Olynick cabin in Lake Holcombe accompanied
by his sister-in-law Cheryl. He loved playing with the kids, watching his grandchildren compete
in sports and play in the band but most of all enjoyed sitting around telling stories and jokes
making everyone laugh or maybe roll their eyes. John and Diane were snowbirds in Arizona and
Florida for 14 years and traveled to many parts of the world once he retired from home building
in 2007. His favorite trip was when he visited his father’s birthplace in Poland along with Diane

and other family members while touring with the Eddie Blazonczyk polka band and drinking lots
of Polish vodka along the way.
John is still with us in our hearts but will be greatly missed by those he left behind
including his wife of 52 years, Diane, his brother Mike and sisters Gerri Teyssier, Bernadine
Ruskin, his children Nadine (Quentin) Poehnelt, David (Nicole) Kornesczuk, Diana Kowalczyk,
and his grandchildren Carson, Nolan, Amber, Damian, Tania, and Whitney. John was preceded
in death by his parents Tom and Mary Kornesczuk, brothers Casey, Tom, Tony, and Eugene, and
sisters Frances, Vicki, Amy, Delores, Theresa, and Mary Ann.
The Cremation Society of Wisconsin, Altoona is assisting the family in arrangements which will
be held on November 16 th at St. Olaf’s Parish with visitation at 9:00 and mass at 11:00 followed
by a Celebration of Life at Wild Ridge Golf Course, 3905 Kane Road, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Everyone has a ‘John’ story, and we would love to hear them all. Memories can also be shared
online at www.cremationsociety-wi.com . In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Pancreatic
Cancer Action Network at pancan.org/donate.