Watch Missing Ex-Oak Lawn Resident's Vigil: 'We Want Him Home'

TINLEY PARK, IL — Family and friends, as well as former co-workers and students, turned out Saturday night to share stories about retired Andrew High School teacher Dan Jarski who has been missing for more than a month. The candlelight vigil at the high school was part of continued efforts to locate Jarski, a former Oak Lawn resident who disappeared in early September from his rural Grant Park home.

"Thank you for all coming and loving him as much as we do," Janace Jarski, Dan's wife, said through tears Saturday. "I know his sisters and his mom and his family are devastated. We just want to wake up and be back to normal. We just want him home, because that's where he needs to be. He needs to be home."

Close friends took turns telling anecdotes during the vigil, with many touching on a love of music that included Jethro Tull, the Rolling Stones, the Ramones and Ministry. Past students conveyed their deep affection for Jarski, who retired in 2017, and at the end of the school year, the missing teacher had given some of them compasses so "they would never be lost."

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"He was one of those teachers who taught us about life," said one of his students, and her group of friends during his class dubbed themselves "Jarski's Angels."

"It was heartbreaking to hear about him going missing, but we just hope he'll come home," she added.

Jarski, 62, was last seen by his family Sept. 8, and he was reported missing Sep. 9. He had left the house without his smart phone and wallet, taking only his driver's license and auto insurance card, which was not uncommon, Janace Jarski told The Vanished, a missing persons podcast.

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Authorities discovered Jarski's unlocked, red Chevrolet City Express van in a hunting area parking lot at Kankakee State Park on Sept. 11. The ID cards he had taken were not inside, and there was no indication that there had been any activity around the van. A spare key hidden in spare tire underneath the van had not been removed.

Drones, tracking dogs and volunteers canvassed the area where Jarski's van was found, but no leads on his whereabouts have been uncovered. Family members hope Saturday's vigil — as well as fliers distributed during the event — will keep raising awareness about Jarski's disappearance.

Jarski grew up in Oak Lawn and attended Oak Lawn High School. His mother, who was at Saturday's vigil, still lives in the community.

Jarski is described as 6-feet-2 and around 300 pounds with blue eyes and gray hair. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact Kankakee County Sheriff's Det. Brady Bertrand at 815-802-715. The family also has created a Finding Dan Jarski Facebook page.

Janace Jarski, the wife of missing retired Andrew High School teacher Dan Jarski, talks during a candlelight vigil at the school Saturday, Oct. 20. (Screen shot from video by Joe Vince | Patch)