John Paul Basilotto

He was born to John and Marianna Basilotto in Clifton, NJ, on November 26, 1946, and was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Fred Basilotto.

John is survived by his wife of 43 years, Pat; son, Stephen Basilotto, and wife Kieana of San Antonio; daughter, Tammy Miller, and husband Troy of Clarksville, TN; son, Chris Basilotto and his girlfriend, Whitney Sterling of Austin; grandsons, Justin Miller, JT Miller, Christian Basilotto, and step-granddaughter, Alexus Alex.

While growing up in Clifton, New Jersey, John attended Sacred Heart grammar school, and, to this day, is extremely close to his classmates from his eighth grade class. He then attended Don Bosco Preparatory Academy in Ramsey, NJ, graduating in 1964. In 1968, John received a BA in economics from the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH, and an MBA from that same institution in 1972.

John served his country for 26 years as an officer in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. During his military career, he commanded both combat and construction units, serving in Vietnam, Germany and Panama. His last assignment for the military was to command the Engineer District in Galveston, TX, from 1992 to 1994. Upon his retirement from the United States Army, John directed the Research Center for Ports and Waterways, Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M Galveston and College Station. After moving to Austin in 2000 and retiring from the Texas Transportation Institute, John helped establish Catholic radio in Central Texas by serving as a Field and Audio engineer for Radio Station KMHF, a precursor to Relevant Radio. He operated his own business-GI Enterprises- a business specializing in facilities engineering, organizational effectiveness consulting, and communications and electronics design. John also taught business and management courses at DeVry University in Austin. In 1998 he was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

Since he was eleven years old, John has had a passion for amateur radio; consequently, his final employment as, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Flex Radio Systems in Austin was like a dream come true….getting paid to play with radios! John retired from Flex Radio for health reasons in late 2009.

Besides loving amateur radio, John had a passion for sports cars. Over the years, he owned several Corvettes, a BMW, and Porsches, not to mention a myriad of other vehicles. He was once asked by his insurance company if he needed fleet insurance. In true fashion, he bought a Porsche on the day he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

John shared the challenges and graces of his battle with this disease on his blog at CaringBridge. So many of you kept vigil through that blog and offered him words of encouragement. He was often overwhelmed by your support.

John packed a lot of life in his 64 years. With family, radio, cars, and friends, there were never enough hours in a day. Without the restraint of a compromised earthly body, God only knows what his spirit is capable of—heaven will never be the same.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be said at Emmaus Catholic Church on Monday, January 17, at 10:00 am preceded by a Rosary at 9:30 am. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Austin (or hospice of your choice), Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and/or CaringBridge.