Obituary
John J. “Jack” Setnicka
Jack Setnicka, 89, passed away in Daytona Beach on November 10, 2022. A longtime resident of the Pelican Bay community in Daytona Beach, Jack was born in Chicago and attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. It was there that he met and married his wife Mary Jo, a marriage that lasted 67 years and bore six children.
Jack worked for the Eveready Battery Company for 32 years, starting as a salesman in Chicago and finishing as a Vice-President and Chairman of their Latin America Division. He had postings in Hong Kong and Indonesia and traveled throughout Southeast Asia before returning to the U.S. and living in St. Louis.
After retiring in 1992, he and Mary Jo moved to New Smyrna Beach, FL before moving to Pelican Bay.
He proudly stated that he “failed at retirement” and formed Excel Int’l Advisors, Inc., an export consulting business, traveling throughout Latin America. He taught the Dale Carnegie course, and was President of “Speak Up”, a presentation skills company. He was a board member of ThermoLyte Corp. of Boston, Treasurer of the Volusia Council on Aging, and President of its Advisory Council; also, President of Allset Properties, Inc., which consisted of a bar and bistro in Orlando, FL. He was an Adjunct Instructor at Daytona State College and a Board member of the Center for International Business Education there, conducting seminars on the exporting business. Jack served on the Board of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) in Daytona.
Active in volunteer work, he was a long-time narrator at the Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library. He loved children and enjoyed reading stories to them at Day Care centers in the area through the Child Care Resource Network. As a volunteer, he did the same at East Volusia Education Center (Head Start). He was a Patient Advocate at Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach.
Jack was a member of the Daytona Beach Rotary Club, a member of the United Nations Association, and served on several committees of the Pelican Bay Homeowners Association, including the Security, Waterways, and Citizens Oversight Committees.
He loved performing and acted in several plays at the Little Theater of New Smyrna Beach, including singing and dancing in the Fantastiks. He was also a member of “Murder on the Menu”, a touring dinner-theater company. He did a bit of modeling for Sears, Disney World and Nordictrack. He enjoyed golf as a member of the Pelican Bay Country Club (describing himself as a “C+ golfer, at best”).
He is predeceased by his daughter Cindy. He is survived by Mary Jo and 5 children: Leslie, Angela, Wendy, Jay and Tim. Ten grandchildren complete the Jack Setnicka Family.
Funeral arrangements are under the careful direction of Lohman Funeral Home Port Orange. A funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, November 30th, 8:30 AM at Our Lady of Hope Church. Reception will follow at Pelican Bay Tennis Clubhouse.