Obituaries

John Milton Canty, known to his friends as Jack, passed away at the age of eighty-nine on July 1, 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin. John was born on January 8, 1935, to Opal Ayres and William Kotelman. John grew up in Chicago, where he married and raised his family before moving to California. After retirement and later in life, John moved to Omaha, Nebraska and then settled in Madison, Wisconsin.

John served in the military with the United States Army. After his service, John went on to work at The Chicago Beauty Shop Equipment Company with his beloved stepdad, Danny Brown. John then began a long-time career as a bus driver and a bus driver instructor. He was highly regarded for his skill at teaching the new bus drivers and he continued to do so for many years even after his formal retirement. John always had countless stories about the interesting people he would meet and conversations that he would have on his bus routes.

John married Judy Hay and together they raised their family. After Judy’s passing in 1990, John married Patricia Spears. John was a devoted father, known for always fiercely protecting his kids and providing for his family. John loved spending time during summer vacations with ‘The Group’; he enjoyed participating in (and he won many) bus rodeos; and he loved to tell a story about how he knew seven ways to sneak into Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play. If he was asked about his birthday, he would first answer that he was born on the very same day as Elvis before giving you the actual date. Whenever he came across a situation or a person that seemed unusual to him, he would simply raise his one very expressive eyebrow and respond with ‘what a dipstick.’ He was always a comedian.

John was pre-deceased by his parents, Judy, and Patricia, as well as his siblings Herb and Colleen. His memory will be held in the hearts of his surviving family: daughter Sherrie (Robbie), son John (Ellie), daughter Cathy (Kelly), his grandchildren Judy (Nic), Corey, Caitlynn, Jamie, Renee, Jacob (Malakih) and his great-grandchildren Nevaeh, Bentley, Silas, and Ryder.

John will be laid to rest as he wished at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside California in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest a donation to either the Alzheimer's Association https://act.alz.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=892198 or to the Madison-Wm S Middleton VA Hospital at https://www.cdceportal.va.gov/donate_online/

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

2418 N Sherman Ave

608-249-8257