Racine – John V. Dyess, 75, passed away at Wheaton Franciscan All Saints on Thursday, March 7, 2013. John was born in West Enterprise, Mississippi on May 18, 1937 to Johnny Van and Alberta (nee, Williams) Dyess. In the 1940's, John and his family relocated to Racine. On December 29, 1977, John married Judith Joy Voll at St. John's Lutheran Church.In 1956, John graduated from Washington Park High School, following which he joined the U.S. Marine Corp, serving in Japan, the Philippines and Hawaii until his discharge in 1958. In 1963, John joined the Racine Police Department and held many positions throughout his career. He retired after more than thirty years, attaining the rank of Inspector of Police. John graduated from the FBI Academy at Quantico, VA in 1977 and from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 1984. In John's retirement he spent many years working with the youth at the Cesar Chavez Center.John is survived by his wife, Judy; children, Johrie Dyess, Wendee (Kelvin) Bolton, Elberta (Jody) Hoffmann, Mary Bigalk, Katherine (Monique Guy) Dyess, Jenny (Jason) Dyess-Sheeder; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; brother and sisters, Edward Dyess, Annie (Rama) Chew and Gloria Jean Walker; sisters-in-law, Louise Dyess and Jackie Dyess; brothers-in-law, Ken (Kay) Voll and Jerry (Debbie) Voll; and special family, Donna Lathrop and the Lathrop-Laabs family. John is also survived by a host of dear relatives and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James Dyess and William Dyess; sisters, Alma Dyess, Edna Freeman and Lillie Mae Dyess; sister-in-law, Joan Dyess; and special niece, Sandra Carol Light.Funeral services for John will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church, Erie & Kewaunee Streets, on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the Purath-Strand Funeral Home on Friday evening from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and at the church on Saturday morning from 10:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations will be divided among several of John's favorite charities.The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Doctor's and staff's in the Wheaton Franciscan All Saints Emergency Department and the I.C.U. for their care of John. A special heartfelt thanks to Dr. Joel Niebuhr for his care during John's final days, and to Dr. Thomas Goodrich for his many years of kind understanding care.