Medical Examiner: Longtime Geneva Resident Found Dead on Golf Course Died From Heart Attack, Drowning

A medical examiner’s report has found that a 74-year-old Geneva man who was found dead in a creek near the sixth hole of the Geneva Golf Club in December suffered a heart attack before drowning, according to the Kane County Chronicle.

John A. Gaines, who was a longtime resident of Geneva and the husband of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce president Jean Gaines, had previously undergone heart surgery, the newspaper reports.

Medical examiner Mitra Kalelkar performed the autopsy on Gaines who was found face down in a creek by another golfer at about 1:50 p.m. on Dec. 26. 

“Dr. Kalelkar advised [Geneva police] John had excessive amounts of water and fluid in his lungs,”according to the report, which the Kane County Chronicle obtained through a Freedom of Information Act . “Dr. Kalelkar advised [Geneva police] John had suffered a heart attack before he drowned. Dr. Kalelkar ruled the cause of death to be drowning, with a heart attack as a contributory cause to John’s death.”

John’s daughter, Kristine Holtz, said his father had intended to visit the gym on Dec. 26 but decided it was too nice outside. He grabbed a golf club and headed to the Geneva Golf Club instead, according to the Daily Herald.

“He was healthy and happy when he left the house,” Holtz told the Daily Herald.

Gaines owned Corporate Design, an office construction and remodeling business, buthad retired from the business. He was an avid golfer and outdoorsman, the Daily Herald reports.