John Hass was a man lovingly dedicated to his family, friends and community.  Born on February 8, 1941, in Rock Island, where he grew up to serve as a business and community leader and raise the family he meant so much to.  His family-run business helped build the city he loved and the community of Rock Island became part of his essence.  John died on March 25, 2018.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Friday, March 30th at the Heritage Church located at 4801 44th St. in Rock Island.  Visitation will be from 3 to 7 pm, Thursday, March 29th at the Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, 3030 7th Ave., Rock Island.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Pregnancy Resources, the Handicapped Development Center or a charity of your choice.

John attended Rock Island High School where he was a member of numerous all-state football teams.  He graduated in 1959, and is a founding member of the Rock Island High School Athletic Hall of Fame and a member of the Rock Island High School Foundation Hall of Fame.  John attended the University of Illinois, where he played football, and St. Ambrose University.

He spent his career in the construction industry.  As president and then chairman of Valley Construction Company, an award winning firm in which he worked for over 50 years, he helped lead a company that has been responsible for building a meaningful portion of the Quad Cities' infrastructure and landmarks.  At Valley he cherished and loved the opportunity to work alongside his two brothers, his younger son and thousands of company employees through the years.  He is a past president of the Associated Contractors of the Quad Cities and a past vice president and board member of the Associated General Contractors of Illinois.

John was committed to the community.  He was a passionate supporter of first responders, serving as a Rock Island Fire and Police Commissioner for 40 years.  John served as a past president of both the Rock Island Chamber of Commerce and the Development Association of Rock Island and received the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce Volunteer Recognition Award.  He was a bank board member for many decades beginning with the First National Bank of Rock Island and its successors and, more recently, the Blackhawk Bank and Trust, where he looked forward to meeting weekly with his fellow directors.  He was also a board member of the TaxSlayer Center.  His contributions to the community were recognized in 1995 when he was named Rock Island Citizen of the Year, through his selection in 2006 as Junior Board Mardi Gras King and later to the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame.

He was an avid sportsman, enjoying hunting, fishing, boating and, earlier in life, golf.  A perfect day was shooting clay birds and enjoying a steak with his Windy Point shooting group, or fishing anywhere from a local farm pond to the Gulf of Mexico.  He was a past president of the Arsenal Golf Club.

He was a devoted husband and father of three.  John married Sandra Perkins on June 15, 1963. John and Sandy loved to spend time with friends and family.  He was a proud father and is now reunited with his deceased loving daughter Elizabeth.  Grandfather of five, he rarely missed the chance to watch his grandchildren's sporting events.

Those left to cherish John's memory include his wife Sandra; his sons, John (Mary Frances Budig) and Greg (Melinda); son-in-law, Brant Carius; grandchildren, William, Caleb and Anna Carius, and Alexander and Georgia Hass; and brothers, James (Rose Ann) and William (Nancy). Along with several nieces and nephews.  John was preceded in death by his father, Arthur and his mother, Mary and his beloved daughter, Elizabeth Carius.

The Hass family would like to thank the Rock Island Fire Department and the UnityPoint Health – Trinity Rock Island staff for their care of John in his time of need.

Online condolences may be left at wheelanpressly.com