John Hoke Liston

John Hoke Liston, age 65, passed away suddenly on September 1, 2022. John grew up on Lake Erie alongside his mother (Nancy Ward Liston), father (Nelson Hoke Liston), and two brothers (Michael and Tim Liston). He graduated from Vermilion High School, and then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Journalism from The Ohio State University. John eventually abandoned his fleeting dream of running a small-town newspaper and instead helped his older brother, Michael, start a mortgage loan origination company, Associated Software Consultants. For the next 43 years, John worked as software architect, earning recognition from Freddie Mac in 1997 and Mortgage Banking in 2013. John married Sharon Yarnell 34 years ago, and they had a lovely daughter, Julia Liston, who was the light of John’s life. John, Sharon, and Julia settled in Medina Township, but once Julia went off to college, John and Sharon moved back to their first neighborhood: Cleveland’s University Circle. For the past 10 years, John could be seen walking the “Circle” and taking in all that it offered, including movies at the Cinematheque and eating his beloved Denny’s breakfast. His family regrets his untimely death as he was unable to complete his lifelong mission of reading the entire internet. John is survived by his wife and daughter (Joe Walsh); his brother, Tim (Dawn) Liston; sister-in- law, Carol Liston; mother-in-law, Nina Yarnell; brothers-in-law, Stanley Yarnell (Victor Rowley) and Scott Yarnell (Shelly Babbs); sister-in-law, Sandy (Dick) Beery; and his nieces and nephews, Jonathan Liston, Chris Liston, Steve Liston, Jessica Liston, Mattie Liston, Katie Liston, Laura (John) Ballou, Brant Lemley, and grandnephew and grandnieces. He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and brother, Michael. John loved his family, enjoyed his work, and was a proud Clevelander. He will be missed by many. If you would like to make a contribution in John’s name, please consider donating to the Cinematheque online at https://www.cia.edu/cinematheque/give, and make sure you are registered to vote in upcoming elections. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, September 9, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Lake View Cemetery’s Community Mausoleum, 12316 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (Mayfield Gate).