Arthur "Art" J. Giovannoni Jr.

Arthur “Art” “Butch” Giovannoni, beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, and friend, passed away peacefully on Sunday September 28, 2025 at his home at Arbor Village in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, surrounded by his family.

Art was born in Chicago to Art Sr. And Lena Giovannoni. He grew up in Chicago and Cary, Illinois and attended Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Cary, and Crystal Lake High School. As a kid in Cary, he enjoyed riding his bike to go fishing in local ponds, cruising the Fox River with friends, working on the mink ranch across the road, and hanging out at his parents’ tavern, River Bend.

After school, he began an apprenticeship at Kenmode Tool and Die* in Algonquin Illinois. He was a die repair specialist. He worked tirelessly for Kenmode, and retired after 41 years. Many of the pieces made at Kenmode were used in radio and communications equipment, considered “essential,” for defense, therefore he was not called up for the draft.

On September 18, 1964, he married Nancy Hanson. They were married for 18 years and had 2 children: John (1967-2013) and Heidi. He was a devoted father and treasured his daughter-in-law Chris, and son-in-law, Bob - along with Heidi and Bob’s two boys, Cole and Robert, and Cole’s wife Kirsten.

After he and Nancy divorced, he met the love of his life, Barbara. They married July 7, 1984 And were happily and lovingly wedded until his death. With his second marriage, Art became a second father to Jean (Rock), Michael (Corinne), and Ed (Heidi) and instant grandfather to Nick, Heather, April, and Danny. He cherished his role as grandpa and great-grandpa and never differentiated between his inherited grandkids and his natural grandkids. They were all equal in his eyes.

He was a man of faith, and raised his family going to church every Sunday, and loved singing in the choir (and in the car!)

An avid fisherman and outdoors enthusiast, Art could be found most weekends and vacations on a boat in Wisconsin fishing for walleye and bass, or northern Pike on his many trips to Canada. He was a true patriot and loved America. After retirement, he and Barb traveled across the western US, visiting his brother’s family, friends, and as many national parks as they could. Other memorable trips were taking his grandkids, and his elderly mother and aunt to Disney World in Florida where he also visited his sister Nadine (D. 2009) and her family.

Art had a passion for airplane modeling and had a strong brotherhood with his friends in three different regional clubs in modeling community. His forte was WWII aircraft and He could tell you the name of the aircraft, the model, the side it fought for, the battles it was in, and sometimes even the pilot. He had unwavering admiration for his buddies in the modeling clubs - Walt, Phil, Clark and Steve, he learned from them and they from him.

He earned many awards for his craftsmanship and skill, and showed his models nationally. He did accept a few commissions here and there, but his favorite thing was gifting a model to someone who truly appreciated it. Art’s activity in the three clubs he belonged to helped spread the word about the hobby and he encouraged new people join as often as he could.

Art will be remembered for his yin/yang qualities of being equally tenderhearted and gruff. One minute he could be swearing under his breath at whatever task was at hand; the next minute he’d be crying during his favorite John Wayne movie. He cared deeply about his family and friends and was so good at staying in touch with people. He loved driving and sight seeing and was one of those friends who would just “drop by” if he was in the neighborhood. He had a soft spot for Andy and the staff at Arbor Village, and they lovingly cared for him until the end. He called them all angels, and they are. Our family cannot express how grateful we are for the level of empathy and caring that they all have shown.

He is survived by his wife, Barb, his brother Marc (Diane), brother-in-law Tom (Becky), daughter-in-law Chris (John D.2013), daughter Heidi (Bob D.2024), 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, with his soon-to-be namesake, Arthur due in February 2026.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

To post an online condolence please proceed to the bottom of the page under Guest Book and submit your post.

Derrick Funeral Home of Lake Geneva is honored to be assisting Arthur's family.