John Vitt

Tucson, AZ — John Joseph Vitt, 88, of Tucson, AZ, formerly of O'Neill, died peacefully on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 after a long struggle with health issues.

Visitation will be from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 at Bring's Broadway Chapel in Tucson, AZ.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, beginning with a rosary at 10:30 a.m. at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church in Tucson, AZ.

Burial will be in the All Faiths Cemetery, Our Lady of the Desert, in Tucson, AZ.

Memorials may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul or Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church and School in Tucson, AZ.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, John was born in December 1933. John was born and raised in O'Neill. 

Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country proudly as a military policeman at Fort Carson, CO. 

He met Evelyn Tracy, an LPN at Fitzsimons Army Hospital, in Aurora, CO, where they were married in 1955. 

John and Evelyn set up house in O'Neill and John began his lifelong career as a lineman, working for Consumers Public Power. 

In 1962, they moved to Arizona, living in Tucson, Flagstaff, Seligman and returning to Tucson in 2003, after his retirement from Arizona Public Service. 

John and Evelyn were married for over 49 years when Evelyn passed away in December 2004. 

John loved airplanes, flying his Cessna and taking joy rides with anyone who wanted to go. He also enjoyed technology from computers to smart phones. 

A one-time Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus and Seligman School Board member, John remained active in his community, as HOA president, treasurer, secretary and resident electrician. John was an active member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church until the pandemic and his health prevented his attendance.

John is survived by his nine children John C. (Roxanne), Dorothy (Ronald) Dillenburg, Jeanne (Jeffrey) Roberts, Steven, Timothy, Louis, Paula Kite, Mary Henckel and Joseph; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; four sisters Mary Frances Parish, Helen Martha (Max) Kunz, Dorothea (Alan) Crosby, Catherine Addison; and 22 nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his wife Evelyn, parents John V. Vitt and Helen E. Vitt and one sister Margaret Trujillo.