Obituary of Bartolome Jordan

On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, Bartolome S. Jordan Jr. - a loving husband, father, brother, and friend - passed away surrounded by loved ones at the age of 64. Bart was born on August 28, 1954 in Cotobato City, Philippines to Bartolome Jordan Sr. and Modesta (Samatra Jordan) Bercero. He received his degree in marine engineering from the Cebu School of Arts and Trade in Cebu City in 1974, and he worked as a marine engineer for over 20 years. He sailed all over the world, even once saving the crew of a ship hit by missiles in the Persian Gulf. On June 25, 1983, Bart married Rene Arevalo de Lara, who according to his stories forced him to say, "I do" with a shotgun and who fought hard with him until the end. They raised two sons, Wyeth and Pfizer, one daughter, Love, and three pets, Honeylamb, Chance, and Lucky. 

Bart was renowned for his lack of patience, his love of food, and his jokes that never really had a punchline but had you laughing along with him anyway; and which he would repeat over and over with the same vivacity each time. A lover of history and music but a graduate from the school of hard knocks - walking miles for water as a child, sleeping on benches to get through college, working his way up as an immigrant, surviving every death scene rehearsal he ever had - he was a fighter through-and-through and took every opportunity to tell you about it. Bart worked incredibly hard to put as many siblings and cousins as he could through school and he was incredibly proud of each of them. He was compassionate and fair, strict and kind, and he was actually quite sensitive. He would cry out of pride for his children, even more so for his grandchildren, and quote poems and sing love songs on guitar to his wife. He was a proud Filipino and a patriotic American. Bart was a jack-of-all-trades, and his children aren't quite sure how to fix their plumbing without him. Through everything, complaints and all, he never gave up, always saying, "Fight, fight pa rin!" (fight, fight still!) until the end. He will be remembered as he often was, shirtless, laughing, and wearing his signature gold chain. 

Bart was preceded in death by his father, Bartolome Sr., his mother, Modesta, and his step-father, Francisco, all of whom he is happy to be reuniting with in heaven. He is survived by his wife Rene, his three children, Wyeth, Pfizer, and Love, his daughter-in-law Emily, his two grandchildren, Annelise and Aiden, his brother Jonathan, his sisters, Clarissa, Divinae, and Stella, his grandpet Rosie, countless cousins, nieces, nephews, and relatives, and his close personal friends, he swore, Barack Obama and Pope Francis. He will be dearly, dearly missed. 

A visitation service will be held on Friday, February 1, 2019  at the Congdon Funeral Home at 3012 Sheridan Road in Zion, IL from 4PM to 7PM. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at Our Lady of Humility Catholic Church at 10655 W. Wadsworth Rd. in Beach Park, IL at 10AM. An hour-long visitation, starting at 9AM, will occur at the church prior to the funeral service.