John Florio

John is survived by his beloved wife of over 60 years, Karen, his daughters, Christine Kirk and her husband Bob, Kimberly and her wife Nicole, Kerry and her husband Jake, grandchildren Cason (Laughton), Molly, Ellie and Tyler, his sister JoAnne Feustel, and nephews Christopher and David (Lauren).

A native New Yorker and son of immigrants, Nicolas and Elizabeth, John graduated in 1965 from Bethany College, where he met his wife, Karen. Just seven days after graduation, John was drafted to the Army. After basic training, he married Karen in 1966, and they were stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, where their first daughter was born.

After proudly serving his country, he began his long career in healthcare administration. He worked for over 25 years at the Cleveland Clinic, including as Chief Operating Officer for their Cardiology Department. In the late 1980’s, John assisted the Cleveland Clinic in opening their new hospital in South Florida, which was the start of his professional calling, assisting various heart hospitals and groups around the country and world. In the late 1990’s, John and Karen relocated to Egypt, where he collaborated with the Cleveland Clinic to open the Dar El Fouad Hospital in Cairo, where he served as General Manager. He then proudly finished his career at the University of Kansas Heart Center, where he worked as the Executive Director of Cardiovascular Services until he retired in August, 2012.

John loved working to advance healthcare systems and created a network of friends and colleagues around the world through his work and consulting. He was a problem-solver, strategic-thinker and a dependable, people-first leader. His dedication to heart care and his legacy continues through his daughter, Kim, who found her own calling (clearly influenced by him) in cardiology and proudly follows in his path. Some of the lessons he taught she still uses today.

During retirement, Karen and John moved to be closer to their daughter, Christine and her family, and they found their own community of friends in Atlantic Beach and Nocatee. Whether trivia nights, birthday parties or dog walk/dog park chats, they enjoyed many laughter-filled moments with these friends. He also enjoyed living so close to his sister, JoAnne, who routinely joined them on Sundays to cheer on the Jags. His favorite moments were enjoyed hanging out with all the Kirks for backyard oyster roasts and family meals. He always brought the wine.

In the summers, they would join Kerry, Jake, Ellie and Tyler at Windsor Mountain Summer Camp in New Hampshire. While John did not have an official title at camp, he served as Dad and Grandpa to many staff and campers. He could often be found taking photos, playfully teasing campers (especially his grandkids), walking his dogs and joyfully cutting the grass on the riding mower. A consultant by nature and a camp dad at heart, John kept a careful eye on camp operations. He would offer gentle notes to Kerry and Jake, which were always on-point and appreciated. He will be missed at camp by all, but none more than his daughter, who cherished the chats on the deck each morning while the dogs played together.

The most cherished role he had was being a girl Dad to his three daughters. We are unclear if his quiet steadiness was a result of living in a house full of women or pre-dated it. Although he may have struggled at times to get a word in, when he spoke and gave advice, everyone listened. To those that knew him, he was immensely funny. Always quick with a funny quip or a light-hearted joke. He was never one to shy away from a good costume or wig, whether the event called for one or not. He taught his girls many things to help raise them as the strong independent women they are today - from the everyday things like driving manual cars and motor boats to the less visible, like our strong work ethic.

He would take girls anywhere - whether to his office at the Cleveland Clinic or the coveted plus-one on a business trip, the grocery store every Saturday morning or the race track, he loved to bring us along. He really nailed being a Dad to teenage girls by ensuring that we both get sufficient vitamin D (maybe the tanning beds were not a good idea but we really appreciated it) and also good skin care products (thanks for all the Clinique over the years). Importantly, he instilled in us a love of shopping, travel (thanks for all the airline loyalty and points tips), good food and Sauvignon Blanc. As adults, we all cherished his wisdom and advice.

Without missing a beat, he stepped into the role of father-in-law to Bob, Jake and Nicole, who loved being in his presence and shared with him knowing glances when any one of the spouses would revert back to their classic childhood roles. As was his nature, John welcomed them to the family fully.

He was blessed to live near his grandchildren, Cason (Leighton) and Molly for most of the year, and spend the summers with Ellie and Tyler, creating memories with them they will hold tight.

If a great way to judge a person’s character is how much animals love them, John was perfection. Throughout his life, John created deep connections with his dogs, who loved being fed by him under the table, taking naps with him and going on canine-friendly adventures.

However, in terms of adventures, he enjoyed nothing more than the human ones he had with his life-companion, Karen (and often many friends). Anyone who enters their home in Florida steps into the world of expeditions they have enjoyed together for over 60 years. From Africa to Mongolia and over 110 countries in between, there were few places they did not get to share together and few modes of transportation not taken, including RV trips across the US to visit Kim and Nicole in New Mexico. Just as fun as all the adventures together was the time they spent planning. There was rarely a time where a big adverture was not on the horizon. During his travels he always had a camera ready to snap photos of their experiences, especially unique doors from around the world. The best trips were the two recent ones where his girls and their families were able to join them in Spain to celebrate his 80th and then Karen’s 80th.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to know John, experienced how he loved fully, counseled with humility, and heartened those around him with his kindness. Leaving nothing on the table, John lived well and will be missed dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be held on June 11 at 5:00 p.m. at the Anastasia Club in Nocatee. For those of you who cannot join us, raise a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (or pet a dog!) in his honor. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Mosaic Saves (https://tinyurl.com/y9tm6jcb) or the National Parks Conservation Association.