John R. Meneghetti

John was born in Monahans, Texas to Johnny and Retia Meneghetti. Their family, including older sister Marie, lived in a railway boxcar alongside the railroad tracks. Johnny was a locomotive steam engine mechanic for the Texas-Pacific Railroad, and his work took the family to Marshall, Texas, where John grew up. Nicknamed “Buddy” by his friends and family, he was a Boy Scout and an altar boy. Six of the altar boys joined together to form a “finance club” that did yardwork, chores, and deliveries for the local community to earn pocket money. His younger brother Leo was born when Buddy was around 10 years old. When Buddy was in the ninth grade, an eraser fight broke out in the classroom. He was unjustly blamed for starting the fight and was immediately expelled by the nuns for the brazen way he defended his innocence. He was transferred to the Subiaco Academy boarding school in Arkansas; to avoid being bullied, he retreated to the school’s library. Thus began his life-long love of reading.

After a brief and unsuccessful start at East Texas Baptist College, John and his friends decided to join the Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army during the Korean War. He served as an engine machinist’s mate on the U.S.S. Andromeda, a supply ship. When his fellow sailors left for shore leave to enjoy port towns, John remained aboard ship—he always seemed to lose his money at gambling and had nothing to spend on land. So, he stayed behind and read books, deepening his appreciation for reading.

After his naval service, his Aunt Elsa and Uncle Bob encouraged him to take advantage of the GI Bill and get a college education. Having no specific course of study in mind, the dean at St. Mary’s in San Antonio recommended that he study business. Likewise, he had no particular plans for himself after graduation. However, his senior thesis was about the philosophy of finance valuation. The thesis caught the eye of a Frost Bank employee, who saw that John’s ideas could be applied to stocks. He was offered a job as a portfolio manager, and John completed his master’s degree while working at the bank.

John met the love of his life at a young adults group dinner dance at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. Martha Ann “Marty” Vacek, an operating room nurse from Smithville, Texas overheard John arguing in the kitchen about how spaghetti sauce should be made. After dating for a while, Marty reluctantly agreed to accept his proposal of marriage. The couple was married on September 5th, 1959 in her hometown, then they honeymooned in Mexico City. In 1960, the couple welcomed the first of six children.

John developed a dream of being a Wall Street analyst, so he took and passed his Chartered Financial Analyst exams. Yet, no one offered him a role on Wall Street—he got as far north as Dallas, Texas. Republic National Bank offered him a job as a research analyst. The move was a risky one. As luck would have it, John had purchased a single share of Frost Bank stock, financed through a loan. Once Frost went public, John profited enough money to make a downpayment on a larger house in Dallas. John became active in the Chartered Financial Analyst Association activities and progressed to Financial Security Analyst at the bank. Having grown up in the Depression Era, John worked hard and took nothing for granted. He emphasized responsibility and accountability, and he taught his children that “Work is life.”

John and Marty were very active at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, where John taught CCD religious education classes to young people. The couple attended their children’s school and extracurricular activity events. All six were encouraged to participate in sports, scouting, and music lessons, so they were very busy! Against Marty’s wishes—and despite his own lack of success at gambling while in the Navy—John taught his children how to play poker. He felt it taught his children good life lessons. He also made them take typing classes, after seeing how typing skills saved his younger brother Leo from front-line duties in the military. It turned out that typing would come in very handy for the next generation. John encouraged reading and education, and he supported his children through university and graduate degrees. The Meneghetti’s took road trip vacations in the family station wagon and spent lots of time at Marty’s family’s farm homestead in Smithville, Texas.

John was delighted to see his children starting families of their own, and he and Marty loved spending time with their 11 grandchildren. As his grandchildren grew older, John encouraged them to learn how to invest in their own financial futures. He very much desired that his children and their children would enjoy the blessings of growing in faith through religion.

After retiring from Republic National Bank, John volunteered at a suicide crisis center. He also tutored young people in mathematics—even though he barely scraped through the subject when he was in school. In his youth, a slide rule was used for calculation, so he gifted his most promising students with calculator. He also supported his son’s car wash business, donning coveralls with “John” embroidered on them, serving as a mechanic, handyman, and coin counter. While his managerial skills were not always the most modern, he was well-intentioned in his attempts to support his son’s business.

When Marty began to decline from Alzheimer’s in her 80s, John stayed by her side. In her last year, he welcomed the support of in-home helpers as a way to care for the woman who had cared for him for over half a century. Marty passed in the summer of 2018. John attributed the success of his 59-year marriage to his luck in marrying a farm girl who was selfless, respectful, caring, responsible, and loving.

Thereafter, John moved to San Antonio to live at The Village, a Catholic retirement community on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word. It turned out to be a great decision. There he made many new friends, attended daily Mass and rosary, prayed, and studied the Bible. He discovered meditation as a pathway to a peaceful mind. John loved the food served at the Village; he liked his coffee very hot, his bread freshly baked, and his desserts very sweet. He looked forward to playing penny poker every week with priests, nuns, and other retirees. And he loved it when the Dallas Cowboys won a game!

During his final days, John enjoyed the company of his children, grandchildren, and many friends who came to be at his bedside. He relished sipping hot coffee and tres leches cake as his last meal and listening to his favorite songs. John’s last prayer, voiced the day before he died, was that God would take care of all the poor people. He took his last breath peacefully in his sleep on October 13, 2023, surrounded by loved ones, with a gentle smile on his lips.

John is survived by his children Tony, Anne, Carole Elledge, Louis, Frank, and Susan; daughters-in-law Shelli, Erika, and Karen; son-in-law Richard Elledge; grandchildren Julia Wedel, Robert, Jorden, Paul, Ali, Michael, Zoe, Emma, Elle, Avery Elledge, and Lily; grandson-in-law Brent Wedel, and twin great-grandsons Thomas and Oliver Wedel.

A Rosary will be held at Saint Joseph’s chapel in The Village at Incarnate Word on Friday, October 27th at 11 am CT, followed by Mass at 11:30 am CT. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 28th at 11 am CT at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church at 310 Stolle Lane (Country Road 112) in Kovar, Texas followed by interment at the adjacent Barton’s Creek cemetery, next to his dear wife Marty.

A luncheon reception will follow at the Saint Paul Catholic Church Parish Hall at 204 Mills Street in Smithville, Texas. Another celebration of life is being planned for late November in Dallas, Texas.

Although John famously did not appreciate flowers, he did value charitable giving. A wonderful way to honor his life and his final prayer would be to donate time or funds to a charity of your choice, in your own name—especially a charity dedicated to serving those in need. It would bring him lots of joy to know that his life inspired acts of charity.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 1 pm CT at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 9643 Ferndale Rd. in Dallas, Texas, with reception to follow.

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