John L. Cleveland, age 68, of Fairview Heights, IL, died Friday, August 31, 2018 at Memorial East Hospital in Shiloh.
He was born December 2, 1949 in St. Louis, MO, the son of the late Eldon Lee and Marcella (Hutmacher) Cleveland. Besides his parents, John was preceded in death by a sister, Katherine Cleveland, and the mother of his children and former wife, Nina Cleveland.
John is survived by two children: Emily (Joel) Sydow of Trenton and Justin Cleveland (Significant Other, Robin) of St. Louis; a grandchild, Violet Sydow; and four siblings: Janine (Stanley) Blythe of Columbia, IL, Susan (Richard) Haas of Smithton, IL, Jeff (Lisa) Cleveland of St. Jacob, IL and Lori (John) Grawitch of Mascoutah, IL.
As a secular humanist, John will be remembered for his compassion for others, his quirky romantic perspective of the world, his sense of ethics, strong liberal political beliefs, love of learning, and passion for science.
According to his wishes, his remains will be cremated and a private family gathering will be held in his honor. The remains of his physical being will be returned to earth and continue their journey through the cosmos. In loving memory of John, the family wishes for people to show more kindness and compassion for all living things, and recognize and appreciate all the beauty in the universe.