John H. “Jack” Vanhorn, Jr.

John H. "Jack" VanHorn, Jr. Our father, Jack VanHorn, died peacefully in his sleep on June 15, 2019. Jack was born April 28, 1932 in Canton, Ohio, to the late Dr. John H. and Mabel VanHorn. Jack attended Canton McKinley High School, where he was a state champion swimmer, winning first place in both the 100 Breaststroke and the Freestyle Relay in 1951. Coach Ted Branin at the time called the relay team "the fastest all-around aggregation ever assembled in the history of Ohio schoolboy swimming." He was one of six members of the McKinley team to receive All-American honors. Jack graduated from The Ohio State University where he was a varsity letterman in swimming. He was a member of Alpha Tau Omega and Varsity "O". He was a founding member and first president of O*H*I*O Masters Swim Club. He was inducted into the Greater Canton Aquatics Association Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Nick Kakos Master Swimmer of the year in 1998. Other affiliations include Canton Aquatics Association, McKinley High School Alumni Association, North Canton YMCA, and the Woodchoppers. Jack served as a pilot in the United States Air Force. He retired from the Timken Company, with 25 years of service. He was a member of the Timken/VanHorn Family Relay Team which successfully swam the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France in 2000. Jack and his wife traveled thousands of miles on their motorcycle, riding to 49 states as well as in Switzerland, France, Italy, Monaco and Canada. Jack was preceded in death by his wife, Vera, to whom he was married for 49 years, as well as his parents, Dr. John H. and Mabel VanHorn. He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Kristine (Dr. Greggory) Elefterin, and Deborah (J. Scott) McGhee; grandchildren, Dr. Adam V. Downs (Marcie) of Albuquerque, NM, Ariane and Zoe Elefterin, both of Brooklyn, NY, Meghan McGhee of Akron, OH and Rachel McGhee of Denver, CO; and brothers Dr. Joseph D. VanHorn of Canton and William G. VanHorn of San Francisco. Friends may call on Thursday, June 20th, from 6-8 p.m. at Lamiell Funeral Home. There will be a brief prayer by Pastor Tom at 8 p.m. Cremation will occur, per Jack's wishes. A grave side service and burial at North Lawn Cemetery will follow one month later, on Saturday, July 20th at 1 p.m., with family and friends invited to a gathering immediately after. We wish to thank Compassionate Care Hospice for caring for Dad. Thank you to Erica, Anne, Nikki, Christine, Sean and Pastor Tom Heil. Contributions may be made to Compassionate Care Hospice, 300 N. Cleveland Massillon Rd., Akron, OH 44333, or The Ohio State University.