Church in the Highlands in Garrison, New York on Saturday, May 26, 2018. He
passed away on Friday evening, May 18, 2018 in Rhinebeck, New York. As a
native of Brooklet, Georgia, he lived there for much of his life before becoming an
official resident of New York state in 2014.
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Dr. DeNitto was a graduate of Georgia Southern University, and The University of
Georgia, having earned four degrees. He served in the army in the 1950’s, after
which he taught school in Macon and Savannah, Georgia and later Lake Arthur,
New Mexico.
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In 1969 he was appointed to the faculty of the College of Education at Georgia
Southern University, and during his tenure there received an award for Excellence
in Teaching. Upon his retirement, he was named Professor Emeritus as well as
Alumnus of the Year by Georgia Southern University’s College of Education.
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Dr. DeNitto was an accomplished pianist and while serving at Georgia Southern
University presented a series of ten benefit recitals for the GSU Foundation. He
also composed The Gaeta Suite for piano in honor of his father, who was originally
from Gaeta, Italy.
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He was from a family of French-Italian immigrants who left Algeria for New York
City in the 1920’s. After first settling in Jamestown, New York the family ventured
down to Georgia in the 1930’s in order to escape the harsh northern winters. They
were able to settle upon a vast farmland estate where John was born in their home
on November 30, 1933. Of his three siblings, he was the only one not to have been
born in New York or Algeria--- while also, he is the only one not to have passed
away in Georgia.
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He was preceded in death by his wife, Merlyn DeNitto, and is survived by a
daughter, Madeleine DeNitto, a son-in-law, Clayton Scales, step-children, Robert
Jenkins, Ben Jenkins and Laurie Jenkins, grandchildren, Meghanne D’Agostino
and Speare Hodges, several step-grandchildren/great grandchildren and most
recently, a great grandchild, Elise D’Agostino.
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Memorials may be made to Hudson Valley Hospice of Dutchess County.
www.hvhospice.org/foundation/donate
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