1959
John
2015
John M Hamarik
March 31, 1959 — April 4, 2015
Boardman- John M. Hamarik died peacefully in his sleep, of natural causes, on Saturday, April 4, 2015 in his home in Boardman. He was 56. Born John Michael Hamarik on March 31, 1959, he was the only child of John (Jan) and Mary Plesh Hamarik of Youngstown. John's Father was a welder in the steel mills in Youngstown. It was the lifelong dream of John and his Parents that he would become a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. His Father's blue collar work ethic became imprinted in John's DNA; that work ethic allowed John to develop into an incredibly fierce competitor.
A graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, John is one of the most decorated golfers to hail from the Mahoning Valley area. He is a two-time OHSAA Golf champion; at the time, the only previous golfer to accomplish this was the great Jack Nicklaus. John was inducted into the Cardinal Mooney Hall of Fame in 1994.
John went on to have an outstanding collegiate Golf career at the University of Tennessee. As Captain, John led the Volunteer golfers from the basement of the Southeastern Conference to a SEC Championship in 1980, and a 7th Place finish in the NCAA. In his Senior year, the team was SEC runner-up and finished 6th at Nationals. John earned All-SEC and Honorable Mention All-American honors that year.
John turned Professional after leaving UT in 1981; but not before he claimed the Ohio State Amateur Championship. Later that year, playing the PGA Latin America tour, he notched his first professional victory in the Chile Open; in so doing, he finished birdie-eagle-birdie to catch leader (and future Hall of Famer) Johnny Miller, and then beat Miller in a playoff.
John spent two years playing the Latin America and Asian tours before earning his U.S. PGA Tour Card at the end of 1983. During those two years, as he once wrote to one of his former college teammates, John was very touched by the poor standards of living in the countries he visited, and he lamented about Americans not recognizing how fortunate they were. Those life experiences were not lost on John; they would be formative later in his life.
John's life long dream was realized when he earned his full time status on the U.S. PGA Tour at the end of 1983. He played in the USGA Men's Open Championship at Winged Foot Country Club in 1984. Sadly, later that year, John's dream was dashed, when he was diagnosed with arthritis. In 1985, John alternated his Professional tournament schedule with regular visits to the Cleveland Clinic to receive treatments for his arthritis. Ultimately, by the end of 1985, he could not retain his PGA Tour status.
John returned to Mahoning Valley and opened a Driving Range and Golf Instruction facility in Boardman. Not one to allow his illness to hold him back, John's passion for Professional golf transformed to a passion for giving back and growing the game in his home town. He was an integral part of the Annual Chili Open Golf Classic for years, and also participated in the MASCO Workshops for the mentally handicapped. And long before The First Tee programs began to dot the American golf landscape, John founded Clubs for Kids, Inc., a non-profit to benefit local underprivileged and inner-city children. Under this program, children would arrive by the busload at John's teaching facility for week-long golf day camps. At the end of each Camp, every child left with a set of clubs - custom made for them by John - and a newfound love for the game of Golf. More important, they left with life lessons from a man whose heart was even bigger than his golf game.
John is survived by his son, Jonathan (27), his former wife - and still life-long friend - Christy Fordyce Hamarik. A Memorial Service celebrating John's life will be Monday at 12:00pm at the Davis-Becker Funeral Home, 8536 Market St. Boardman. Friends will be received prior to the service from 11:00-11:45am at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Cardinal Mooney High School Golf Program, 2545 Erie St. Youngstown, OH 44507.
Visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.
A graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, John is one of the most decorated golfers to hail from the Mahoning Valley area. He is a two-time OHSAA Golf champion; at the time, the only previous golfer to accomplish this was the great Jack Nicklaus. John was inducted into the Cardinal Mooney Hall of Fame in 1994.
John went on to have an outstanding collegiate Golf career at the University of Tennessee. As Captain, John led the Volunteer golfers from the basement of the Southeastern Conference to a SEC Championship in 1980, and a 7th Place finish in the NCAA. In his Senior year, the team was SEC runner-up and finished 6th at Nationals. John earned All-SEC and Honorable Mention All-American honors that year.
John turned Professional after leaving UT in 1981; but not before he claimed the Ohio State Amateur Championship. Later that year, playing the PGA Latin America tour, he notched his first professional victory in the Chile Open; in so doing, he finished birdie-eagle-birdie to catch leader (and future Hall of Famer) Johnny Miller, and then beat Miller in a playoff.
John spent two years playing the Latin America and Asian tours before earning his U.S. PGA Tour Card at the end of 1983. During those two years, as he once wrote to one of his former college teammates, John was very touched by the poor standards of living in the countries he visited, and he lamented about Americans not recognizing how fortunate they were. Those life experiences were not lost on John; they would be formative later in his life.
John's life long dream was realized when he earned his full time status on the U.S. PGA Tour at the end of 1983. He played in the USGA Men's Open Championship at Winged Foot Country Club in 1984. Sadly, later that year, John's dream was dashed, when he was diagnosed with arthritis. In 1985, John alternated his Professional tournament schedule with regular visits to the Cleveland Clinic to receive treatments for his arthritis. Ultimately, by the end of 1985, he could not retain his PGA Tour status.
John returned to Mahoning Valley and opened a Driving Range and Golf Instruction facility in Boardman. Not one to allow his illness to hold him back, John's passion for Professional golf transformed to a passion for giving back and growing the game in his home town. He was an integral part of the Annual Chili Open Golf Classic for years, and also participated in the MASCO Workshops for the mentally handicapped. And long before The First Tee programs began to dot the American golf landscape, John founded Clubs for Kids, Inc., a non-profit to benefit local underprivileged and inner-city children. Under this program, children would arrive by the busload at John's teaching facility for week-long golf day camps. At the end of each Camp, every child left with a set of clubs - custom made for them by John - and a newfound love for the game of Golf. More important, they left with life lessons from a man whose heart was even bigger than his golf game.
John is survived by his son, Jonathan (27), his former wife - and still life-long friend - Christy Fordyce Hamarik. A Memorial Service celebrating John's life will be Monday at 12:00pm at the Davis-Becker Funeral Home, 8536 Market St. Boardman. Friends will be received prior to the service from 11:00-11:45am at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Cardinal Mooney High School Golf Program, 2545 Erie St. Youngstown, OH 44507.
Visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.
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