John Michael Hobyan, Jr.

John M. Hobyan, age 60 of Minneapolis died on February 9th, 2021. John was born on November 28th, 1960 in Eveleth, MN to John and Anne (Krantz) Hobyan. John attended and graduated from Eveleth school system. Approximately 30 years ago he moved to Minneapolis where he lived until his death. Starting with adolescence, John lived with mental illness. The most recent diagnosis of his condition was Autism Spectrum Disorder. Because of this illness, John was unable to attend college and, until five years ago, was unable to work. John was able to get a part-time job for a national firm and worked as an inventory clerk for nearly 5 years. He liked his job and was a very good employee, never missing a day and sometimes called by his employer to come in and do extra work. His daily schedule changed, but he never complained and was just very glad to be working. When COVID-19 arrived, the store was closed and he was out of work. John’s mental illness caused many disorders; social anxiety was his biggest problem. John never did have a friend. He was extremely shy and felt very uneasy in large groups or meeting new people. The tragedy with John’s life is that he never did enjoy good normal health. He did not have a chance to enjoy being a young man, he never had a chance to be married or have children. He never had a chance to have a career, own a home or just be normal. John was a good person. He did not complain about his situation and he did not say anything negative about other people (even if it was warranted). John was brave, honest, sincere, and punctual. In other words, he was a very good son and brother. John took his life, which was totally unexpected. His siblings are grieving for their brother. John is survived by his brother, Bob (Minneapolis); sisters, Judy McNulty (Cottage Grove) and Sue Flannigan (Eveleth). His brothers-in-law Patrick McNulty and Tim Flannigan died within the last 7 years. John had two nieces and three nephews. His father died in 2001 and his mother died in 2003. John’s body has been cremated. A memorial service will be held for his family this summer at Eveleth Cemetery.