John Richard Kuchar

John Richard Kuchar, age 93, passed away from pneumonia in a Round Rock hospital on December 22, 2025, surrounded by the love of family and friends. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, sibling, and friend. He was married to Carol Lynn Kuchar for 53 years, before she passed away in March of 2025.

Joseph Kuchar, John’s father, was born in Bohemia, located in modern-day Czechia, and immigrated to the US in 1904. He met and married Mary Jurcago in Ohio, and on September 9, 1932, John was born in Maple Heights, Ohio. John, who also went by “Jack” when he was younger, grew up there and attended Maple Heights High School. His favorite sports were track and football. For three years he ran track as a cinderman and also ran in the mile events. He was a member of Hi-Y and played intramural basketball. He graduated in June of 1950 and then joined the Merchant Marines. Later, John attended both Kent State University and The University of Texas at Austin.

John met his first wife, Sally Ann Sackman, while he was still in high school. John was two years older, and he sat across from her in study hall. After he graduated, they saw each other at a football game and reconnected. On September 25, 1952, John joined the US Army. He served in the Quartermaster Corp. at Fort Lee, Virginia, as a Unit Supply Specialist and then as an instructor. During his enlistment, John and Sally married in 1953 and had their first child, a son, in 1954. When John completed his Army service, the family moved back to Ohio, before moving down to Austin, Texas, in 1956. Shortly after moving to Austin, John bought a small plane, which was immediately damaged by a hailstorm. He and Sally worked together to repair the damage and flew in it a few times, before eventually selling it. After John and Sally bought their first home, they had their first daughter in 1959 and their second in 1960.

While living in Austin and raising his family, John worked as a car salesman, life insurance salesman, and furniture salesman, before finding his calling in interior design. In 1967 John and Sally divorced, and he returned to Ohio. John got an interior design job at Higbee’s (now known as Dillard’s), where he met Carol Lynn Gilbert. They married in 1971. After Higbee’s, John worked at Revman International selling designer-brand home furnishing products. He later co-owned Mid-Tex in Illinois, where he continued to sell designer-brand linens and towels to department stores.

Throughout their marriage, John and Carol owned three sailboats (Carrie Two I, Carrie Two II, and Carrie Two III) and one cruiser (Carrie On). Carrie was Carol’s nickname, so she was “Carrie One.” John and Carol sailed throughout the Great Lakes area, enjoying time with friends and family. It was not uncommon for other friends to join them with their own boats on overnight trips. They were members of Port Washington Yacht Club, where John served as a Commodore. When John and Carol moved to Houston, Texas, they relocated the Carrie Two III to Lake Travis, near Austin, where they often spent weekends with their family and a growing circle of friends. After their boating days, John reignited his love for riding motorcycles and owned several Harley Davidsons. He and Carol took many cross-country trips with friends and attended the famous Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota. In Wisconsin, John was a Road Captain with the West Bend Harley Owners Group, and in Austin, John and Carol became charter members of the Central Texas HOG Chapter. During the winter months, they enjoyed snow skiing in Vail, Colorado. When his grandkids were young, he signed them up for ski lessons and skied with them in Wisconsin and Colorado. John and Carol also went to their Vail house in the summer to get away from the Texas heat.

John and Carol owned several houses during their marriage. They loved designing and furnishing their homes together and hosting friends and family, always making them feel special during their stay. Two of their favorite places were a home they built in Port Washington, Wisconsin, overlooking Lake Michigan, and a home they remodeled in Vail, Colorado. John had a talent for building and fixing things, skills he picked up from his father, who was a carpenter. Not only did John do a lot of woodwork during the Vail remodel (including the addition of a two-story luggage lift), he also rebuilt multiple decks, built a patio cover onto his son’s house, made wooden blocks for his grandsons, and made a staircase that went down the cliff at the Port Washington house. He bought his great-grandson his first toolset for Christmas one year, and they played with it together all morning.

Later in life, John and Carol moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to family. Always keeping busy, they volunteered with Honor Flight Austin as chaperones for WWII veterans who were flying to Washington, D.C., to visit veteran memorials. In 2018, they bought their final home in Sun City, Texas, where they made new friends in different clubs and found a church home.

Although he wasn’t always a man of many words, John loved to share a laugh, a drink, and a good meal with friends and family. We will always remember the times we shared together.

John Richard Kuchar was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Joseph Kuchar; brother, Joseph K. Kuchar; sister, Carol Ann Pezak; wife, Carol Lynn Kuchar; daughter, Lori McAllister; son-in-law, Ray McAllister; and daughter-in-law, Beverly Kuchar. John is survived by his sister, Mary Catherine Koscinski; his son, John R. Kuchar Jr; daughter, Sheri Furley; grandson Jason Kuchar; grandson Jonathan Kuchar and his wife, Kimberly; great-grandsons Daniel Kuchar and Ryan McAllister; and several nieces and nephews.

The memorial service will be held at 10:30 am on February 13, 2026, at The Worship Place in Sun City in Georgetown, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to one of the following charities:

Honor Flight Austin

https://honorflightaustin.org/donate/

Assistance League of Georgetown

https://www.assistanceleague.org/georgetown-area/