John Donald Cahill

John (Jack) Cahill passed away peacefully on October 2nd at the age of 83 after surviving many years of various health issues thanks to the amazing care of his wife of almost 61 years, Ann. John was born on June 11, 1931 in St. Peter, Minnesota to Frank and Esther (Hansen) Cahill. He went to John Ireland School and graduated from St. Peter High School in 1949. While growing up in the surrounding area, his life took him on many adventures after joining the Navy at the age of 18 and serving our country for over 20 years. During these years he traveled the world including Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cuba, Europe, Alaska, and various other locations. In his early years he became well known for his boxing abilities as he was the Golden Gloves featherweight champion numerous times. His Navy career led him to pursue deep sea salvage operations where he became an accomplished diver and an early member of teams that used diving bells to reach depths of over 400 feet. John retired in 1969 with the rank of Warrant Officer 2. His life took him full circle when after retirement he returned to the family farm in Kasota, Minnesota, that he had grown up on. It's here where he continued to raise his family and show them the values of hard work, high integrity, working with the land, and family. He pursued various careers after retiring focused on mechanics with the majority of his years with Katolite Corporation. John is preceded in death by his parents and many siblings including Ray, Lorraine, Jim, Patrick, and Michael. He has two surviving sisters, Janet and Colleen. His family who will miss him dearly include his wife Ann (Dressen), and his children and their families - Teresa (Steve) Knudson of Rochester, Jean (Doug) Trangsrud of Rochester, John (Lori) Cahill of St. Michael, and Jim (Ann) Cahill of Minnetonka. He was blessed with 11 grandchildren - Kristi, Jessica, Jordan, Michael, Katie, Meghan, Ryan, Connor, Eric, John, and Ellie. Visitation services for John will he held on Sunday, October 12 beginning at 12:00 noon followed by a brief ceremony at 1:30 at St. Peter Funeral Home - Klein Chapel. John will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery with full military honors.