Naperville remembers 'legendary sergeant' for decades of service
John W. Schuetz was born in Lithuania, lived some of his childhood on a farm in Wisconsin and some of it on the South Side of Chicago, but found a true home on the Naperville police force.
Schuetz, a longtime sergeant in the Naperville department who also served as deputy chief and chief of the Naperville Park District police force, died Friday. He was 76.
John's career with the Naperville department began shortly after his marriage to Marian Richter in 1963 in Chicago.
Marian said she and her husband were living in Clarendon Hills when John applied to join the police force in Naperville or the sheriff's office in DuPage County. Naperville got to him first, and he ended up working there for 30 years before his retirement. He later led the Naperville Park District police from 2000 to 2008.
Schuetz worked in patrol and traffic investigations and also became the department's liaison for special events, helping preserve safety and crowd control during major festivals such as Ribfest.
His work and his presence eventually made Schuetz a "legendary sergeant" in the words of David Dial, a former Naperville police chief who now is an associate professor and chairman of criminal justice at Aurora University.
Schuetz's wife said his desire to work in public safety and law enforcement came from a calling to serve.
"He loved helping people and training police officers," she said.
Some of his on-the-job stories involved the time he found a gun hidden under a newspaper in a vehicle another officer had stopped along Ogden Avenue, or the time his European heritage and trilingual skills came in handy with a driver who could speak German and Lithuanian, but not English.
Schuetz made a positive impression on his colleagues, including now-Naperville Park District Executive Director Ray McGury, whose early career was in law enforcement.
"Some people would be intimidated because John was a big man and he had a deep voice," McGury said. "And yet he was the kindest, nicest guy you'd ever meet in your life, not only to his fellow officers, but also to the public he served. It's a big loss."
In his spare time, Schuetz enjoyed fishing, golfing and working on projects around his home of 48 years in an unincorporated area near Naperville.
His three daughters, who helped write his obituary, recognized Schuetz for the "secret handshakes, Bears training camps, Cubs spring training games, trips to museums, pranks, games and many other adventures" that formed lasting memories in the lives of his six grandchildren.
Schuetz's wife said one of his traditions was an "invisible ball" trick involving a paper lunch bag, which he would snap as if he was catching a ball no one else could see.
"The kids couldn't wait until they figured out how to do it," his wife said.
Relatives and friends will remember Schuetz during a visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Home & Crematory, 516 S. Washington St. A memorial service will follow at 7 p.m. at the funeral home.