John F. Exnicios Sr.

In the grace of God and surrounded by family members, John Ferrand Exnicios passed away peacefully at the age of 96 on July 25, 2024. Born on January 4, 1928, John was a lifelong resident of the City of New Orleans, who loved the City and the people of the City. He was predeceased by his parents, Joseph B. Exnicios and Anna Ferrand Exnicios; his stepmother, Josephine Curry Exnicios; and his siblings, Robert B. Exnicios, Joseph B. Exnicios, Jr. and Mary Elise Moore. A loving husband and father, John was predeceased by his wife, Carolyn Steib Exnicios (November 12, 1976) and his wife, Joycelyn DiVincent Exnicios (May 19, 2021). John is survived by his six children with Carolyn: namely, John F. Exnicios Jr. (Jane), Joseph S. Exnicios (Debbie), Joanne Exnicios Dudley (Harry), James C. Exnicios (Donna), Jay R. Exnicios (Pam), and Jeanne “Susie” Exnicios Childress (Ricky); as well as the three children he shared with Joycelyn: namely, Gail G. Varuso, Derrick J. Gunn, and Gina G. Rhodes. John is survived by twenty grandchildren, seventeen great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

John was a 1945 graduate of Jesuit High School. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1949, and was awarded a graduate certificate in Highway Transportation from the Bureau of Highway Traffic, Yale University in 1952. His 1952 Yale graduate thesis establishing the standard walking speed of 1.2 m/s for pedestrian crossings in downtown New Haven, Connecticut was adopted by the National Committee on Uniform Control Devices (NCUTCD) and has been cited in transportation technical papers as recently as 2020. He often confided that his most rigorous academic challenge was the Honor Class at Jesuit High School.

John loved the Traffic Engineering profession and it loved him back. After graduating from Yale he returned home and served as the Traffic Engineer of the City of New Orleans from 1952 until his retirement in 1982. After retirement from the City, John practiced traffic engineering first with Urban Systems Associates, Inc. and then with Krebs, LaSalle, Lemieux Consultants, Inc. He served as a member of the NCUTCD, the Board of Direction of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and a board member of AAA (Missouri). During his career as a traffic engineer, he contributed to the traffic design of the interstate system, streets, intersections and venues throughout the City, including the Louisiana Superdome and the pedestrian mall in the French Quarter. He served as the Transportation Director of the 1984 World’s Fair and coordinated the transportation for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the City of New Orleans in 1987. Throughout his career he mentored numerous traffic engineers. In 1982 the ITE recognized John’s contribution to their profession by bestowing upon him their highest honor, the Theodore M. Matson Award. In 2006, the Southern District ITE further honored John’s contribution to transportation engineering by establishing the John F. Exnicios award to recognize a recipient’s outstanding contributions to their community and transportation engineering in the public sector.

John was committed to a Catholic life. He served as the chair of the St. Frances Cabrini Parish Pastoral Council and a board member of Closer Walk Ministries. He was a long term member of Group #44 Manresa House of Retreats, and the Serra Club of New Orleans. John received the Order of St. Louis Medal from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which is bestowed upon lay members of the church in recognition of their outstanding contributions of time and talent to the church.

John was a member of the New Orleans Council of the U.S. Navy League, and a board member of the New Orleans Metropolitan Safety Council (Green Cross). He was a member of the Krewe of Carrollton, Krewe of Hermes and the Le Moyne de Bienville Club.

A private burial Mass and interment ceremony will take place at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery at a later date.