Jack was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 17, 1930, to Jack and Albie Amato, and was raised by his father and stepmother Rose Amato. He served two years in the U.S. Army earning a Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He married Madeline Vignola on September 25, 1954. They had four children.

The family moved to Sycamore in 1966, where he was a manager at Duplex Products Inc. and the owner of Amato's Junque Shoppe and Hobbies. Jack and Madeline moved to Florida in 1986, but not to retire. Jack built a house in Loxahatchee with an 1,800 square-foot workshop that was larger than the house itself. Jack could fix anything. He took a job as a maintenance engineer at Fountainview, a multi-tower senior living community in West Palm Beach. Within a few years, he was promoted to manager of maintenance, housekeeping, and security.

Jack loved to go on the fishing boats in Florida when family was visiting. He would then turn the catch into a delicious meal enjoyed by all. He took pleasure in eating and was a great cook who was happy to share his ideas and recipes with family and friends. Always creative, Jack painted, made drawings, wrote poetry, and completed an unpublished book.

After 31 years in the Sunshine State, Jack and Madeline returned to Sycamore to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Loving husband to Madeline (nee Vignola) and loving father to sons Donald (Reggie) and Jack (Sue) and daughters Tina Weiss (Werner) and Debbie Paul (Brett). Proud grandfather to Brandon, Aaron, Karen, Amanda, Hannah, Laura, and Tiffany. Great-grandfather to Ezra and Quentin. Companion to his beloved dog Adama. Jack was deeply loved and will be missed by many.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his stepmother Rose, his stepfather Robert Sodt, his sister Ramona Borror, his half-sisters Laurel Rosenbaum and Jeannie Amato, and his half-brother Ralph Sodt.

His memorial mass will be on October 16th at 10:30am at the Church of Saint Mary, 322 Waterman Street, Sycamore, IL. The visitation will be one hour before the mass from 9:30am-10:30am. Burial will follow the mass at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 1100 West State Street, Sycamore. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, there is limited seating, but the memorial mass will be live streamed from the Church of Saint Mary Sycamore.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org

To sign the online guest book or share a special memory, go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com