In response to my op-ed piece in Sunday’s Tribune, I received a number of questions about Johnny Lindquist’s parents.

Here’s what I have found out:

  • His biological father Jimmy Lindquist, 57, died in Peoria on March 16, 1999. It appears that he and Johnny’s mother were divorced.
  • His foster father Robert Karvanek, 72, died in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, on February 8, 2003. He and Johnny’s foster mother Florence Karvanek were divorced.
  • His biological mother Irene Lindquist, 60, died in Peoria on January 20, 2007.
  • Robert Karvanek Jr., the other foster son of the Karvaneks, died in Panama City, Florida, on January 27, 2010.

Patrick T. Reardon

5.22.17

Written by : Patrick T. Reardon

For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.

2 Comments

  1. Barrett Marlar July 20, 2017 at 2:01 pm - Reply

    I didn’t read your recent story…however I was in my early teens when Johnny passed away however I recall a lot of it in the news at the time very sad. Its good that you did do a story on this it shows he was not forgotten, thank you for that.

    feel free to contact me …….

  2. Sara March 9, 2024 at 6:29 pm - Reply

    My dad and Bob were best friends. He was my uncle Bob and spent lots of time at his house in Tigerton

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