John Robert Titone

John Robert Titone, 98, a quiet World War II aviator who left behind a large loving family, died on December 28, 2021, at Carriage Crossing in Rochester, Illinois. He will be remembered as a man who helped friends and strangers, took pride in his work, and always picked up the check.

John was born on May 31, 1923, in Toluca, Illinois, to Italian immigrants. His father, Andrew, was a coal miner. His mother, Amelia (Antonacci), was a homemaker and seamstress. The family later moved to Springfield, where John settled for life. After graduation from Springfield High School in 1940, he went to work at a government printing office in Washington, D.C. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, training 18 months to be a pilot. In November 1944, he married his sweetheart, Lea Schuh, they met in her father’s neighborhood grocery store, and three weeks later 2nd Lt. Titone received his orders for England. As co-pilot on a B-17 bomber, he flew an extraordinary 35 missions over Germany near the end of WWII.

After the war, John owned a photography shop in Lincoln, then landed an apprentice printer’s job with the Springfield newspapers. He eventually represented fellow printers as the local Typographical Union President. Then he entered company management, rising from composing room foreman to production manager to general manager. Over 42 years, during which the Journal and the Register merged to become the State Journal-Register, he helped guide a revolution in technology: from hand-set type to laser printers to fully automated printing; from black and white to color photographs to nationally recognized photo reproduction. A new offset press, a new building, improvements in recycling and waste reduction, John was a key player in every change. But he deflected praise, saying, "I had some great foremen...they made it easy for me."

When he retired in 1995, a colleague said, “If you can’t work for John Titone, you can’t work for anyone.”

John was an active member of St. Aloysius Parish and put his faith into action. His charitable work included donating many gallons of blood to the Red Cross; volunteering weekly with the Knights of Columbus No. 4175 to keep its fund-raising bingo operation going; delivering care packages during the newspaper’s annual Friend in Need drive; and supporting the YMCA. He was a role model to his buddies at the downtown Y, where he went for morning exercise until he was 96. He also supported the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, and he visited the Washington, DC monuments in 2019 with a group of army veterans and their families.

John was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Dominic.

Near the end of his life, John said of Lea, “She’s as pretty as ever, and just as sweet.” He is survived by Lea, and their nine children, David (Patsy) Titone, Jeanne Veenstra and Marilyn (Jim) Schaefer, all of Springfield, Drew (Karen) Titone of Springfield, Ohio, Julie Titone of Everett, Washington, Robert Titone (Ann Klose) of Lincoln, Angela Titone (Wendell Turner) of Washington, D.C., Tony (Maura) Titone of Denville, N.J., and Maureen (Albert) Ramirez of Grapevine, Texas. Other survivors include his sister, Vickie Bredemeyer, of Springfield; 14 grandchildren, Jake Myers, Tom, P.J., Paul and John Titone, Garrick, Matt, and Phil Veenstra, Melissa Schaefer Coultas, Maggie Schaefer Gilpin, Mickey Schaefer, and Emily, Grant, and Ross Ramirez; and 18 great-grandchildren.

Private family services were held with burial at Calvary Cemetery.

Those who wish to view the Funeral Mass may do so by clicking HERE at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 7, 2022.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friend in Deed, P.O. Box 142, Springfield, IL 62705-0142.

The family is being served by Butler Funeral Home – Springfield, 900 S. Sixth St., Springfield.