Patrick John "PJ" English

Patrick John “P.J.” English, of Chicago, died peacefully at home on December 26, 2024. 

He is survived by his wife, Kathleen “Kay” and daughters, Bridget and Colleen; his in-laws James Peters, Maureen Soldat, and Daniel Peters (Gail). 

Patrick is preceded in death by his sister Joan, brother-in-law Jack and their son, John Janis; his parents Robert Emmett and Julia Mary English; and his in-laws, Robert “Bob” Soldat and Marlene Peters. 

He grew up on the Southside of Chicago in St. Sabina Parish. An avid reader, Patrick attended Leo High School before going on to pursue a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Notre Dame. After graduating, P.J. went on to complete an M.S.J. in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. He then had a colorful and successful career as an options trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. 

P.J. loved spending time with Kay and his daughters in New Buffalo, Michigan. There, he enjoyed swimming, going on walks, eating out at local restaurants with friends and family, and sitting on the deck in his sunhat, observing the lake. P.J. was intellectually curious and had an active life of the mind. He was a humorous storyteller and loved a good debate. Some of his favorite authors were F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Evelyn Waugh, and poets T.S. Eliot, John Keats, Dylan Thomas, and William Wordsworth. Up until his very last moments of life he enjoyed reading and reciting poetry with his daughters, especially Eliot's “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

Patrick was lucky to have such a wonderful extended family and, despite being a self-declared loner, benefited greatly from the friendship of many. In the later years of his life he was also very fortunate to be cared for by brilliant and compassionate doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and caretakers. 

Visitation on Saturday, January 4, 2025, at Old St. Patrick’s Church, 700 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60661 from 9:00 am until the time of mass at 11:30 am. Internment at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Patrick’s memory to the UIC Sweiss/Sarcoidosis Translational Advanced Research (STAR) Fund https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/48534/donations/new? Or you may honor Patrick by planting a tree via the Arbor Day Foundation https://shop.arborday.org/commemorative-trees-for-others?producttype=TIM

Arrangements entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options of Schiller Park, IL