John Hugh Van House

John grew up in Atlanta as the third of eight children. He was a member of one of the first graduating classes of St. Pius X Catholic High School, going on to receive undergraduate and graduate degrees in business from Georgia State University. During the Vietnam war he served as an Army officer on a US surface-to-air missile base in West Germany, helping to deter broader escalation of the war. Following the war, John began a long and fruitful career at Federal National Mortgage (Fannie Mae) in Atlanta, serving in numerous capacities over 37 years. He put great energy into his work, and identified strongly with the company’s mission of promoting American homeownership.

John was a devoted husband and father. His wife of 40 years, the former Patricia Elliott, was the love of his life.

Their relationship began when they were both teenagers, and they married after his return from Germany. He was extremely proud of their children, Father Joseph Matthew Van House and Jennifer Van House Hutcheson, who credit his Catholic faith and his big and welcoming personality as crucial in molding them into the people they are today.

John was extremely active. He was a tennis enthusiast, playing for over 50 years, organizing rosters as captain of his neighborhood ALTA Team as late as the fall of 2017. Throughout his adult life his July 4th celebrations included running the Peachtree Road Race, in which he loved being joined by family. His other athletic activities included snow and water skiing, boating, whitewater rafting, hiking, ping-pong, mountain biking, and, in younger years, dirt bike (motorcycle) racing. He also loved table games, including chess and poker. According to legend, a late night of poker with friends left him so sleep-deprived as to impair him from coaching Pat at the birth of their first child.

John was also a man of great curiosity and intellectual interests. He loved fiction (especially sci-fi), biography, history, religion, and faith. The public library’s introduction of “books on tape” revolutionized his daily commute; after that he almost never drove alone without listening to an audiobook, and even in his last weeks one of his preferred activities was listening to his caregivers read. He could play digital chess without end, and treated finance and investment projects as a personal recreation. At the same time, he loved interacting with people, and could always be relied on for a joke or a story or a thoughtful (if perhaps excessively direct) question. Friends, family, and colleagues alike regarded him as a steady, cheerful, kind spirit.

John’s physical and intellectual adventurousness took special shape in his lifelong love of travel. Travel was high on his and Pat’s priority list from their early marriage, and they gladly shared this enthusiasm with their children on many family vacations. Ever the consummate trip planner and organizer, Pat and the children always knew they never needed to worry about even the smallest detail of the trip -- and yet, in perfect complement to his skill in planning, John was almost always a relaxed, joyful, and adaptable traveller. For the past 20 years he and Pat have especially enjoyed exploring U.S. National parks; they made their last trip to Yellowstone, his favorite, this past May.

Humility, patience, and forgiveness were key values for John’s temperament, and as an adult “revert” to the Catholic faith, Christ and the Church became the core light and strength of his journey. Over the years he was an active parishioner at Holy Cross, Mary Our Queen, and St. Brigid, through which he and his family found great blessing. He was especially joyful to be the father of a priest. In retirement, he volunteered for several years on a weekly shift as a crisis hotline operator for Birthright International, helping provide resources for the unborn, their moms, and newborns.

In 2012 John began treatment for Multiple Myeloma, resulting in intense chemotherapy and illness through the summer of 2017, when he was also diagnosed with ALS. He bore all these sufferings and deprivations in Christ with remarkable courage and love. He was most grateful for the many provisions God made for him, especially in Pat, his loving wife and most extraordinary caregiver. He and Pat were also blessed by Dr. Leslie Norman, his internist of almost 30 years, and Lynn Lane of Mindful Transitions, his end-of-life counsellor, as well as by Weinstein Hospice, the ALS Association, the Winship Cancer Center, and many loved ones. Without these people John and Pat can’t imagine how they could have managed.

In addition to Pat and their children, Father Joseph Matthew Van House and Jennifer (Brian) Hutcheson, John leaves behind three grandchildren: Lucy, Stella, and Quentin Hutcheson. He is also survived by five sisters: Marian (Richard) Adamson of Vinings, Barbara (Brendan) Fraher of Glastonbury, CT, Nancy (Tim) Holbach of Charleston, SC, Terri (Alan) Thornton of Decatur, and Donna (Tim) Van House of Decatur.

Charities that were especially important to John include the ALS Association GA Chapter, Weinstein Hospice, and Birthright International.

St. Brigid Catholic Church in Johns Creek will celebrate the funeral Mass on Monday, February 26 at 11 am, with Father Joseph Matthew Van House presiding and Father Neil Herlihy and Father Tri John-Bosco Nguyen concelebrating.