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John E. Stears
John E. Stears passed away peacefully on Friday, June 16, 2023, in his home in San Antonio, Texas. John was born Oct. 4, 1938, in Burlington, Iowa.
He graduated from St. Pius Catholic High School in Lincoln, Neb., in 1956. He joined the U.S. Army in 1958 and served for eight years before retiring. After his service, he attended West Texas State University in Canyon, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science degree. He also earned his Masters of Science degree from East Texas State University in Commerce.
After college, he went to work for General Motors in Detroit, Mich., and was employed there for 15 years as a reliability engineer. John then moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and went to work in the construction industry as a project superintendent for a commercial general contractor building Quiznos sandwich shops. In 2001 he relocated to San Antonio and was a project manager on the build-out of the first in the area, Five Guys Burgers & Fries fast food chain store that opened near the Quarry Market. John later entered into the residential construction sector and spent several years as a project manager building homes.
John and Annette met at Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio, and two years later got married in Maui, Hawaii. They were married for 21 years. After John’s retirement, they enjoyed vacationing in Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, California, and Seattle, Washington. John’s hobbies and interests included golfing, woodworking, fishing, dancing, and working on his 1967 Camaro.
He was preceded in death by his parents, U.S. Air Force Ret. Lt. Col. Paul A. and Betty Stears; and his brothers, Danny and Jimmy.
John is survived by his wife of 21 years, Annette Kolodziej; his sister, Mary Beth Owens (husband Mickey); his brother, Larry (wife Mavis); his daughters, Melissa Bloom and Stephanie Stears; two grandchildren, Ethan and Caroline Bloom; and two stepsons, Dustin Franckowiak (wife Katie) and Cody Franckowiak.
Visitation and rosary were held on Saturday, June 24, at 10 a.m. in the Vinyard Funeral Home in Floresville.
Burial followed in the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cemetery in Cestohowa.
The family would like to thank and extend their appreciation to VITAS Healthcare team No. 560 for their dedication and excellent care which they provided John.
