John E. Ahern Jr. passed away on Feb. 12. He was born on July 22, 1935, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1957. He also earned honorary doctorate degrees from Marian University and the University of Wisconsin Madison. Ahern was preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Susan (O’Leary) Ahern, as well as his parents John E. “Don” Ahern and Kathleen.

Ahern spent the early part of his career working in banking in Chicago and then returned to Fond du Lac to work at Peerless Milling. Upon the sale of the feed mill, he began his career at J. F. Ahern Co., where he most recently held the role of chairman emeritus. Ahern devoted a great deal of his time to numerous industry, nonprofit, and educational organizations. He served as president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). In a release from the MCAA, the association noted that, in addition to his service to the HVAC industry, Ahern was passionate about giving back to his community. He served in leadership roles for several community organizations as well as his church.