IN MEMORY

John Vitale, beloved husband of Diane for 56 years passed away peacefully at home on October 24, 2018 after a short two month bout with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Johnny as he was known to family and close friends was a loving father to son Todd and daughter Robin. He was the spirited grandfather to three and the adored great grandfather to two. He is missed by all every day. His friends remember his robust laughter and love of life. The room became alive when he entered it.

Johnny joined the US Navy to see the world. He was stationed on an aircraft carrier that he met up with in Japan. That started his lifelong love to travel which he did with Diane as often as possible. They were always grateful for the opportunity they had to see so many wonderful countries and meet such fascinating people.

Johnny didn’t always know what he wanted to do with his life but he did know that he wanted to love what he was doing. He went to work for the Oakland School District after he was discharged from the US. Navy. He eventually moved out to the suburbs and got involved in Jaycees and other community activities. When he volunteered to lead a motivational class for the management in his department at the Oakland School District and didn’t get the wildly enthusiastic reaction he wanted, he decided it was time to find a career that he could put his heart into. He became an entrepreneur for the next 30 plus

years of his working life. He and Diane worked in each of the businesses together and he loved what he was doing. He joined Rotary early on in his business career and was a proud Paul Harris Fellow. In his spare time, he loved to garden. His garden was always the envy of the neighborhood. He coached numerous sports teams while his children were growing up and he started a basketball league when his son was at the age to play but the city had no league. The league continued on many years after Johnny had moved on to other places. It was a great source of pride for him over the years.

Johnny was a family man first and foremost. He is survived by his loving family and his older brother Paul and five sisters-in law who adored him. He was taken far too soon as he had much more to contribute.