John Albert Pittman passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Longhorn Village on June 5, 2019 at the age of 85. John was born on August 13, 1933 in South Bend, Indiana to Clare and Genevieve Welches Pittman. After graduating from Central Catholic High School in South Bend, John enlisted in the Navy. While stationed at Naval Station Grosse Ile, Michigan, he worked on aircraft and developed an interest in engineering. John met his future wife and the love of his life at a mixer dance for sailers and nurses at nearby Wyandotte General Hospital. Upon completing his naval service, John and Marguerite were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Grosse Ile on December 29, 1955. The newlyweds moved to Angola, Indiana, where John enrolled in Tri-State University (now Trine University) on the GI Bill and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. John was proud of his alma mater and remained active in the Trine community, serving on the board of trustees from 1997 to 2015. John went on to earn an MBA from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, in 1982 and was awarded an honorary PhD from Trine University. In 2004, John was awarded the Albert F. Sperry Founder Award by the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society for outstanding technical and educational contributions to the advancement of digital communications technology in the fields of instrumentation, systems and automation.
John’s career spanned more than forty years working for General Electric, Babcock & Wilcox and Computer Products in the fields of marketing, management and sales for control systems and automation. He moved to the Austin area in 1994 to serve as the President and CEO of the Fieldbus Foundation and retired in 2001. His successful career saw the family moving around the United States and oversees to Wales. He and Marguerite shared a love for travel. Adventures included wine tasting in New Zealand, exploring the culture of Russia, cruising around the South American continent to celebrate the millennium, hiking in the Swiss Alps and celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with a family cruise along the Danube River. John was close to his in-laws and enjoyed family vacations at the Lehman cottage in North Bay, Ontario.
John enjoyed participating in many sports including table tennis, tennis, racquetball, and golf. In high school, he played center on the varsity football team. As an avid golfer, John was particularly proud of his hole in one at The Hills of Lakeway Country Club. He walked daily and practiced yoga until age 80.
John was a parishioner at Emmaus Catholic Church where he served as a greeter and was active with Knights of Columbus.
John was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Marguerite, and his brother, Richard. He is survived by son John, daughters Cate Crane and Celia Staperfene and son-in-law Adam Staperfene, sisters-in-law Marion McIntyre, Florence “Skip” Warner, and Lynda Harrison, two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the many wonderful nurses, CNAs and staff at Longhorn Village, especially Sue Hoyland and Success Kuchawo for the compassionate care that they provided to both John and Marguerite; and Marc Pulver and Randy Duvalle of Elite Senior Fitness for the friendship and encouragement shown towards John.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to The John and Marguerite Pittman Endowed Scholarship at Trine University, Angola, Indiana.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10am on Friday, July 12, 2019 at Emmaus Catholic Church in Lakeway.
