John Joseph Dilts, Sr. passed away in the early morning of September 14, 2022, at the age of 92. His family was at his side after hitting his head during a fall on Sunday afternoon. He passed peacefully in the palliative care unit at Strong Memorial Hospital. We are grateful to the nurses and staff that looked in on us during his short stay.
John is predeceased by his wife of 45 years, Marie, and parents Emerson & Alice Dilts. John leaves behind his legacy of faith in God, his children, grandchildren, and many more extended family members he loved to dote on. He is survived by his son John Dilts Jr., daughters Catherine Best, Patricia (Jay) Bowen and bonus daughter Dawn Price of Atlanta; ten grandchildren; Mary (Christopher) DeCosmo, Devin Barnard, Ross (Eric) Barnard-Herndon, Jacob (Kayla) Barnard, Samantha (Jimmy) Cipolla, Allison (Blaine) VanLiew, Clarise (Joshua) Edmonds, Ryan Dilts, David Bowen, and Patrick Bowen; and six great-grandchildren; Lillian Cipolla, Lucas DeCosmo, Nora DeCosmo, Bryce Barnard, and the newest additions Matilda Mae & Annabelle Patricia VanLiew born 08/24/22; as well as countless friends that he has been blessed with over the years. These friends have always held a special place in his heart and refers to them fondly as extended family. This extended family is internationally encompassing, including India, Canada, and Italy.
John was born in Blairsville, PA on November 14, 1929. He graduated high school and entered the US Air Force in 1951 as a Basic Training Instructor. He served four years at Sampson Air Force Base on Seneca Lake. During his time at Sampson AFB, he often went to USO dances in Rochester. It was at one of these dances, in 1952, when he heard the voice of an angel he just had to meet. This turned out to be the meeting of a lifetime – his future wife, Marie J. Denton. She was from Elizabethtown, NY in Essex County. She was a student at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and living at the YWCA. The Eastman School of Music provided the entertainment at the USO dances. John and Marie loved to tell their story of long walks, talking, and visiting on the streets of Rochester. They married June 14, 1954, in Elizabethtown and chose to stay in the Rochester Area to build their life together.
John was honorably discharged from the US Air Force in 1955. He attended college where he studied accounting and started his work life at Community Savings Bank. In 1967, Xerox was looking for people to work in the Data Center. This was the beginning of a successful 22-year career at Xerox, until his retirement in 1989. The friendships he made during his time at Xerox and the bank have lasted his lifetime.
John and Marie were not only our parents, but inspirational to us as a family. Their love of God and family has always been the foundation of their actions. They were both very active in the church at St John of Rochester and, in fact, were founding members. They both sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and were very involved with marriage encounter. John was the first leader of the Eucharistic Ministry and went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia) with Father Bradshaw. That trip flavored the rest of their lives together. Marie was John’s strength and he never stopped talking about her or wishing she was back with him, or he with her.
Friends and family are welcome to pay their respects to John for Calling hours, Monday September 19th 2-6PM at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home (Egypt Location) 7501 Pittsford Palmyra Road, Fairport. Funeral Mass at St John of Rochester Church, 8 Wickford Way, Fairport on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 10AM. The Mass will also be livestreamed at https://www.stjohnfairport.org/live-stream-mass John’s burial will take place after mass.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to one of the following:
Roswell Park Cancer Center
Roswell Park Alliance Foundation PO Box 631 Buffalo, NY 14240
https://www.roswellpark.org/giving/donate/honor-memorial-gifts
Ronald McDonald House
RMHC of the Philadelphia Region 3925 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104
Knights of Columbus
K Of C St. John of Rochester Church 8 Wickford Way Fairport, NY 14450
Comments
8 responses to “Dilts Sr. , John J.”
I love you, Papops.
We love you and will miss you so much!
We love you Papops. ❤️❤️ You were one of the great ones.
So sorry to hear of John’s passing he was quite a guy. I so enjoyed working with John at Xerox. Rest in Peace my friend.
My deepest sympathy on the loss of your father/grandfather.
John was such a great man. He was always ready to volunteer. He helped at the St. John of Rochester office for many years. He loved his family and was a friend to many. I loved him!
With sadness, I am also fortunate to have been able to spend time with the man as a friend. RIP my friend.
We will miss John. May his loving family find comfort knowing that he is now with his beloved Marie. We know how he missed her. John, rest in peace.