John David Keshock Ph.D.

John David Keshock Ph.D., age 87, passed away peacefully on September 2, 2020, due to lung failure in Avon, Ohio. He was born April 2, 1933, in Campbell, Ohio, to Michael and Sophia (Backus) Keshock. After graduating from college and military service in the United States Army, he returned home to Youngstown, Ohio, to court and marry (January 31, 1959) his hometown sweetheart and loving wife of over 61 years, Katherine Evelyn Keshock (Korchnak).

A family first-centered patriarch and devout catholic, he pursued his passion for serving God via external channels through assisting others in academia at three levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary), the sports industry, and the psychology profession counseling troubled children and adolescents.

Dr. John D. Keshock attended Campbell Memorial High School and played basketball, football, and baseball earning All-Ohio honors garnering the attention of college coaches from around the country such as Paul Bear Bryant while he headed the University of Kentucky football program and Major League scouts for baseball. Deciding to forgo the other sports he played intercollegiate basketball at John Carroll University (1952-1955)-a NCAA DI at the timeprogram near Cleveland, Ohio. He excelled on the hardwood serving as captain for the Blue Streaks averaging a double/double in points per game and rebounds per game his junior and senior seasons and broke the school record for rebounds in a season. After earning his undergraduate degree from John Carroll University he later played for the first professional basketball team in Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Pipers), and was a member of the Dante All-Stars while multiLavelli tasking responsibilities teaching and coaching high school sports at Youngstown Ursuline and Cardinal Mooney high schools.

He served his country in the United States Army after college reaching the rank of First Lieutenant, Company Commander, and recognized sharpshooter status at Forts Story and Eustis, Virginia while being named to the 1957 All-Army Basketball team. After his contributions in military duty, professional sports career, and high school teaching/ coaching, his calling beckoned a return to John Carroll University where he moved to South Euclid, Ohio with his wife Katherine and baby daughter Jan Citro (Keshock) commencing on a life-long commitment to the factions of a Jesuit institution. His 43 years as a coach, scholar, and administrator began as the Head Men’s Basketball coach (1960-1969), where his teams amassed the most team victories in school history at that time. In his role as an intercollegiate coach, he conducted hundreds of basketball clinics, seminars, and youth camps to benefit national and local Cleveland area coaches and participants. Then serving as the Director of Athletics (1969-1978) he integrated the school’s first women’s athletic programs, spearheaded the construction of the Johnson Natatorium to begin Men’s and Women’s swimming programs, the establishment of the university as an NCAA and AAU tournament site, and recruited and hired 5 sports coaches who were inducted into the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame, after his own induction in October of 1979. He was elected to the executive board for the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) tasked with formulating intercollegiate athletic policies and practices at the national level while providing a forum for administrators from various levels of competition. He served as Commissioner of the Presidents Athletic Conference which involved liaison work with the NCAA at national conventions and regional tournaments.

While leading JCU athletics and representing them on a national level he enrolled in and received his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in psychology and clinical counseling at Case Western Reserve University earning certification as a licensed psychologist while fathering four more children, daughter, Dr. Carol Ellen Keshock, sons, John Peter Keshock, J.D. and Dr. Christopher Michael Keshock, and daughter, Dr. Katherine Gail Keshock with his lifetime partner and wife, Katherine Keshock (Korchnak) and moved residence to Highland Heights, Ohio in 1976.

Not one to shy away from new challenges, he transitioned into a faculty role teaching in the Psychology department at the institution for the next 22 years till his retirement, duteous serving as department chair, undergraduate and graduate program director; creator of the counseling and human services outreach and clinical experiential learning placement programs while collaborating with internal faculty and external international colleagues presenting academic research papers all around the world. For his years of exceptional contributions in academic leadership and dedicated achievement in clinical psychology, he was awarded Professor Emeritus status. Furthering his motive to set up programs to serve others he started the Cleveland Association of School Psychologists and conducted clinical counseling at Beaumont School for Girls, Mayfield High School, Marycrest Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Parmadale, and the Cleveland Inner City school system.

In his retirement, after altruistically helping thousands of athletes, students, and troubled teenagers he exercised every opportunity to write about life challenges and those surrounding immigrant families looking to pave their way in the United States Midwestern Coal-mining and Steel Mill cities and tracing his Slovak heritage being a second-generation U.S. citizen. Well, read he enjoyed learning about Ancient Rome, Civil War battles, and the works of Hans Selye, the famous psychology theorist. Also in retirement, he rekindled previous neighborhood relationships with the Wallingford Road crew, Branson 10, and many former coaches, players, and students. Often reminiscing of his fond childhood memories being from a large family of playground stickball in a nearby vacant lot, seeing relatives at family gatherings, and growing up in a house of seven siblings on Courtland Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio- this albeit and despite troubling times after the Great Depression. But most important to him was spending time with his wife and their many visits with sons and daughters, their spouses, and eight grandchildren. His often-repeated sentiment, “I am blessed to be able to see my children’s children” of which he took every opportunity to attend a grandchild’s religious celebration, school or music function, or athletic competitions, always giving the credit for family achievements to the Blessed Lord, his compassionate wife Katherine, and the strong work ethic instilled in him as a boy growing up in a blue-collar town which he forever attempted to pass on to offspring and their children to, “Take the Bull by its Horns” no matter the situation.

John D. Keshock is survived by his wife, Katherine Evelyn Keshock (Korchank); daughter, Jan Susan Citro (Keshock) of Pickerington, Ohio, husband, Mark Citro (deceased), grandson, Evan Michael Citro; daughter, Dr. Carol Ellen Keshock of Avon, Ohio, grandson, Ian Christopher Keshock; son, John Peter Keshock, J.D, of Avon, Ohio, wife, Dr. Maureen Keshock (Boehm), granddaughters, Nicole Marie Keshock and Elise Katherine Keshock, son, Dr. Christopher Michael Keshock of Mobile, Alabama, wife, Nicole Lynn Keshock (Mudrak), granddaughter, Kayla Joy Keshock, grandsons, Cameron Michael Keshock and Corbin John Keshock; and daughter, Dr. Katherine Gail Knight (Keshock) of Sandusky, Ohio, husband, Kris Jon Knight, and granddaughter, Grace Katherine Knight; brother, Charles Elias Keshock of Garfield Heights, Ohio, and his wife, Joanne Keshock (Yarkounis). He was preceded in passing by father, Michael Keshock; and mother, Sophie Keshock (Backus); sister, Alice Kuzmac (Keshock) and husband, George Kuzmac; sister, Mary Louis Keshock; brother, Robert Keshock and wife, Kay Keshock (Vansuch); sister, Florence Keshock; and brother, Edward Keshock and wife, Mary Joe Keshock; father-in-law, Peter Korchnak and mother-in-law, Helen Korchnak (Kolesar), brother-in-law, Dan Korchnak; sister-in-law, Helen Volovar (Korchnak) and husband, Mike Volovar: brother-in-law, George Korchnak, and wife, Mary Korchnak (Divincent); Peter Korchnak and wife, Dorothy Korchnak (Fabis). Sharing his love for animals he is also preceded in death by his childhood dog, Ginger and family dogs, Princess Greta, Twinkie and leaves behind his surviving grandchildren’s pets, Max, Hailey, Sweety, Talia, Cocoa, Jingles, and Mimi.

A kind and gentle renaissance man as a husband, father, teacher, and grandfather who understood when one should awaken the competitive spirit in sports competition and leading others has passed; but his legacy lives on through the many lives he has touched in his enduring life pursuits to assist others especially his family, students, faculty, athletes and young adolescents through the Grace of God. He is in heaven now so rest in peace Dr. John D. Keshock, Faithful Husband, Loving Dad, Caring Pop-pop, Successful Coach, Understanding Professor, and Selfless Human being.

The family will receive friends on Monday, September 7, 2020, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Misencik Funeral Home, 36363 Detroit Rd., Avon. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 10:15 a.m. (Please meet at Church), 33601 Detroit Rd., Avon. Interment will be on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, 10175 Rawiga Rd., Sevile, OH 44273 (Please meet at front gate at 9:30 a.m. for interment at 10:00 a.m.).