JOHN 'JACK' H. PONTIUS, 82 FREEPORT - John "Jack" H. Pontius, 82, of Freeport, died surrounded by his family, Thursday, August 27, 2015, at Stephenson Nursing Center. He was born January 11, 1933, in Freeport, IL, the son of Raphael and Agnes (Knauff) Pontius. He married Mary Ann Pfeiffer June 9, 1956, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Freeport. They enjoyed 59 years of marriage. Jack served in the US Army in Germany during the Korean Conflict. He retired as Captain of 35 years from the Freeport Fire Department. He was a member of Illinois Association of Retired Firefighters, National Association of Retired Firefighters, Illinois Professional Firefighters Association, Honorary Member of IAFF, a proud member of the Firefighters Local 441, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, the Germania Club, and the VFW. He was a 1951 graduate of Aquin High School. He was a die hard Chicago Bears and Cubs fan. Jack enjoyed his children and grandchildren, especially watching their sporting events and school activities. He was an avid WWII history buff and a collector of fire memorabilia. Jack is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Pontius of Freeport, IL; two sons, Michael (Dawn) Pontius of Freeport, IL and James Pontius of Mainville, OH; his daughter, Linda (Scott) Stykel of Freeport, IL; eight grandchildren, Katie (Kevin) Buckley of Cincinnati, OH, Kelly Pontius of Cincinnati, OH, Joshua, Jordan, Jerek, and Kirsten Pontius, all of Freeport, IL, and Alex and Katherine Stykel, both of Freeport, IL; one great-grandchild, Charlotte Buckley; brother-in-law, Karl Pfeiffer of Freeport, IL; sister-in-law, Barb Zielinski of Woodstock, IL; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Raphael "Punchy" and (Pauline) Pontius, James and Hedy Pontius; brother-in-law, Robert Zielinski; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Linda and David Manns. The visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, August 31, 2015, at Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home in Freeport, with a rosary service beginning at 4:30 p.m. There will also be a visitation from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 1, 2015, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, with Rev. Kenneth Anderson officiating. Entombment will be in Oakland Mausoleum. A memorial has been established in his memory. Please visit burketubbs.com to sign his online guestbook and to share memories.