Emerald Isle- John Joseph Szarek, 70, passed away Monday, July 20, 2026, at Carteret Healthcare in Morehead City. He was born November 28, 1955, in Washington, DC, son of the late Vladimir John and Charlotte Ann Nordman Szarek. 

A Funeral Mass will be held Friday, July 31, 2026, at 11:00 AM, at St. Mildred Catholic Church with Father Mike Coveyou officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the church. He can be viewed that morning, July 31, from 8:00 AM to 9:45 AM at Jones Funeral Home-Swansboro.

John was a graduate of the University of Florida with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a graduate of North Carolina State University with a MS in Electrical Engineering. John worked at IBM for 30 years as an electrical engineer in memory and hard drives for PCs and servers. After their retirement John and Vickie moved to the beach where he enjoyed time in and on the water fishing and spending time with his family and friends. John loved to travel with his wife enjoying their cruising trips and their National Park explorations. He was a wonderful husband, father, and friend. He always had a smile and kind words for those around him. John was living his best life with a zest and zeal that was contagious. He never met a stranger and loved our neighborhood family.

He is survived by his wife of 46 ½ years, Vickie Odum Szarek; children, Kathryn Szarek and her husband, Richard Wood of Durham and Joseph Szarek and his wife, Blanca Menjivar of Greensboro; siblings, Patty Szarek of VA, Margaret Oehrli of MD, Elizabeth Nordman of CO, and Joan Mahr of MD; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Catholic Relief Services, National Parks Foundation, Habitat for Humanity or to the charity of your choice.