John Tarpey

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 3, 1943, to John and Marie Tarpey, John lived a whole and meaningful life. He loved his family deeply, cherished time with friends, worked diligently throughout his career, pursued knowledge with curiosity, and lived with profound faith.

John was the devoted husband of Mary (Barton) Tarpey for fifty-seven years and the proud father of three sons: Michael, James, and Jeffrey. He was the loving father-in-law to Emmie, Kristin, and Moriah, and the joyful grandfather of thirteen grandchildren — Elisabeth, Brendan, Catherine, Caroline, Cameron, Clare, Liam, John, Cecelia, Sean, Bernadette, Finn, and Anneliese — and great-grandfather of two: Maire and Edmund. He was also the older brother of Donna (Tarpey) Profita and Neal Tarpey and uncle of numerous nieces and nephews.

John grew up in the Chicago area, graduated from John Carroll University, earned a graduate degree at the University of Chicago, and served in the Illinois Air National Guard. He enjoyed a distinguished thirty-seven-year career with IBM, selling large-scale computer systems to solve complex problems. A lifelong enthusiast of innovation, he was always eager to explore new technologies.

In his community, John helped start and then led a neighborhood swim team and volunteered actively at his parish — serving as head of the Liturgical Life Commission, spearheading retreats, participating in Cursillo groups, practicing centering prayer, and helping with St. Vincent de Paul. He also took part in small faith groups and the parish car donation ministry.

John loved spending time with family, especially his grandchildren, enjoyed watching football and college basketball, was always enthusiastic about camping and travel, participated in Indian Guides, and he was never happier than off-roading with his family on harrowing trails in the Colorado mountains.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Sarasota on December 6, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.

Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to:

• St. Vincent de Paul Society (St. Thomas More Conference), 2506 Gulf Gate Drive, Sarasota, FL 34231

• All Faiths Food Bank, 8171 Blaikie Court, Sarasota, FL 34240

• Or to any charity of choice.