John Peter von Lackum III
John Peter von Lackum III, 82, died peacefully Thursday, March 13, 2025, of Alzheimer’s at Hospice House in Sun City Center, FL. He is survived by his loving wife, Sandy, of 31 years; daughter, Cindy Wolford, and granddaughters, Becca Wolford and Claire Wolford, of Cincinnati, Ohio; daughter, Kate von Lackum, and her husband, Jarred Paull, and daughter, Ava, of Lexington, KY. Also surviving are siblings, Sue von Lackum, of Atlanta, GA, Nan Horstman, of Traverse City, MI, Tom von Lackum, of Gilroy, CA, Marilyn Crocker, of Evanston, IL, Jim Crocker, of Titusville, FL, and Phyllis Crocker, of Detroit, MI.
John was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and spent his early childhood there and in Iowa City, Iowa. After the death of his father, his mom, Becky, married widower Bob Crocker, and the blended family of eight moved to the greater Chicago area. Bob Crocker was a minister in the Methodist church and the family moved often. They spent every August at Kahshe Lake. John graduated from Yale University Divinity School and became a minister in the United Church of Christ church with his first wife, Nancy Jo Kemper. After their divorce, he owned a business repairing and building furniture in Oak Park, IL.
John and Sandy have been active in the recovery community for over 30 years. They met in AA and were married in 1993. John returned to the ministry and served churches in Prospect Heights, IL, and South Bend, IN. They moved to Sun City Center, FL, in 2013 after his retirement.
John was an Ironman. He took up running in his late 40s and completed many marathons before transitioning to triathlons. He finished several Ironman competitions and countless other triathlons. He was still competing until Dec. 2020 when he broke his first hip. He especially loved being part of the various biking and triathlon communities and enjoyed keeping fit all his life.
He loved going to the family cabin on Kahshe Lake in Canada. He and Sandy went almost every summer, most recently in 2022 and 2023.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 26, at 1 p.m. at the Methodist Church in Sun City Center with visitation immediately preceding. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to LifePath Hospice House in Sun City Center, FL, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.