John Cornelius Versnel, IV

John Cornelius Versnel, IV, son of John and Suzanne, brother of Margaret and Anne, passed away Saturday September 15, 2012. He was 21 and had lived a very good life. John will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him. John attended St. Monica Parish School on Mercer Island from kindergarten through eighth grade and graduated from Seattle Preparatory School. He started playing lacrosse in seventh grade and was a proud member of Prep’s undefeated season in 2008. At Prep, John was active in the theatre program and received the Excellence in Drama award. He loved the Jesuits and everything Ignatius stood for. His only criteria when choosing a college was that it be in a “city” and it be Jesuit. Loyola University in Chicago turned out to be the perfect place for him. At Loyola, John quickly developed a large, diverse and close knit group of friends. He was a math major with an economics minor and on the Dean’s list. At the time of his death, John was a Senior conducting research with two of his professors for a paper that will be published next year. He had also just secured an internship with Merrill Lynch working with analysts. Days before his untimely death, John related that he had “never been happier.”John will be remembered for his smile, larger than life personality and love of practical jokes. His friends describe him as “goofy,” in a very good and loving way. They will miss his roaring laughter and the hugs he gave with all his heart. John loved, and thoroughly enjoyed, his family, animals (especially his dog Scout), his friends, lacrosse, photography, The Art Institute, Seattle’s weather and life itself. Weeks before he passed, John took in a foster dog, Bentley, and had planned to adopt him. His family asks that remembrances be sent in John’s name to Paws Chicago. (www.pawschicago.org)John is survived by his maternal grandmother, his parents, two sisters, six aunts, eight uncles, 13 cousins, Kelly and countless friends.