John Michael Zemlicka

John Michael Zemlicka, age 82, of Monticello, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at his home on March 25, 2026.

He was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota on April 2, 1943 to Alphonse and Mae Zemlicka. He attended Aberdeen Central High School, Marquette University, and graduated from Northern State College. He also served the South Dakota National Guard in a M115 towed field howitzer unit.

John married Jenny Zemlicka, and they made Monticello their home. Their family had four sons, Kevin, Mark, Kyle and Matthew. John worked with building supply companies as a manager of various stores and as a product buyer. He eventually had the opportunity to run his own business as an independent manufacturer representative, operating John Z and Associates for almost 4 decades.

He served his community in the Aberdeen Jaycees and in the Monticello Lions. He served the Lions as Secretary, President from 1995-96, and helped to publish their newsletter, the Fish Wrapper. He was awarded Lion of the Year for 1993-94, as well as the Melvin Jones Fellow. He enjoyed cars, boating, travel, pets, his family, and all things South Dakota.

John is survived by his sons, Kevin (Miriam) Michael, Mark Michael, Kyle (Lisa) Zemlicka, and Matthew (Cynthia) Zemlicka; grandchildren, Brandon, Andrea (Chris), Kristine (Lucas), Luke, Jon, Zoe, Erick, and Ethan; great grandchildren, Greyson and Mila; and his sister, Barbara.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jenny, his parents and his sister, Phyllis.

The family would like to thank all the friends and family that have reached out during this time, Moments Hospice for the care support provided, and Neptune Society for their care and services.

An informal celebration of John’s life will be held on Saturday, June 20th from 4:00-8:00pm at Kyle & Lisa’s home, 4783 Farmstead Drive in Monticello. We invite friends and family to stop in, share stories, and raise a glass in memory of our dad.

In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory to St. Francis of Assisi Animal Rescue (www.stfrananimal.org) would be appreciated.