John Piecoro

PIECORO Dr. John J, Jr., 80, of Lexington, KY died on April 3, 2019. John was born and raised in Columbus, OH and attended St. Charles Preparatory School, The Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky where he received his BS and MS degrees in Pharmacy, and PharmD, respectively. He completed an Internship at the United States Public Health Service hospital in Seattle and a Residency at The Ohio State University Hospital. He also completed the Command and General Staff College, US Army, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Dr. Piecoro retired as Professor Emeritus at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy after serving nearly 40 years. He formerly served in a number of positions in the Department of Pharmacy Services for UK HealthCare. His initial position was as Assistant Director for Pediatric Pharmacy Services where he pioneered Pediatric Clinical Pharmacy Services and trained Residents interested in Pediatrics. He formerly was Director of Clinical Services for the Pharmacy Department as well as Acting Director of the Department. In the College of Pharmacy he was Director of Experiential Education Programs. Prior to coming to UK, he was the Associate Director of the New Orleans Poison Control Center while he was in the United Sates Public Health Service. After coming to Kentucky, he continued his uniformed service as the Chief Pharmacist in the Kentucky Army National Guard and retired as a Colonel after 28 years of service. Dr. Piecoro's academic accomplishments were many. He authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters and presented at many professional meetings. His contributions involved his research interests of antibiotics in pediatric infections, intravenous nutrition formulae for infants and medical-surgical supplies and devices. He was a consultant to a number of pharmaceutical companies and to professional organizations. He was an Officer, Board Member, and Committee Chair for multiple local, state, regional and national organizations and was selected as the Hospital Pharmacist of the Year on two occasions by the Kentucky Society of Hospital Pharmacists. The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy selected him for the Distinguished Alumni Award. Within the University of Kentucky, Dr. Piecoro held several Prominent and significant positions. He was Chair of the Senate Council and later served as Assistant to the President for Administrative Affairs. He also directed the University's Self-Study for Accreditation which resulted in reaffirmation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Piecoro was the University's Faculty Athletics Representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference and was secretary of the University's Athletic Board. He was elected to the Executive Committee of the Southeastern Conference. John was preceded in death by his parents John and Lola Piecoro, brother Stephen Piecoro, nephew Gregory Fester, and grandson Joshua Piecoro. John is survived by his wife of 59 years Mary (Sue) Piecoro (Popovich); sister Virginia (Ginger) Piecoro, four children Jeff Piecoro, Mark Piecoro, Lance (Dava) Piecoro, and Sheila (Moses) Naedele; seven grandchildren Nicholas Piecoro, Adam Piecoro, Olivia Piecoro, Anna Piecoro, Alisandra Piecoro, Vincent (Aidan) Piecoro, and Susannah Piecoro; nieces Dena Hare (Popovich), Lisa Popovich, Mindy DuBois (Fester); and nephews Victor Popovich and Eric Fester. John was an avid sports fan and loved baseball, he played catcher and was a letterman while at Ohio State and coached the "dog gone" Cubs of Southeastern Little League to the Lexington Little League City Champions. John's greatest pride was the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren and the numerous Pharmacy students and residents that he mentored and was a role model to over the years. Visitation will be held Sunday April 8, 2019 at Kerr Brothers Funeral home 463 East Main St., Lexington, KY 40507 from 5:00 8:00PM. A Mass will be held on Monday April 9, 2019 at 10 AM at Christ the King Cathedral, 299 Colony BLVD, Lexington, KY 40502, a reception will immediately follow with burial at 1:30 at Calvary Cemetery in Lexington, KY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Ken Anderson Alliance, 11260 Chester Road, Suite 530, Cincinnati, OH 45246 and the Greater KY and Southern IN Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Kaden Tower, 100 Dutchmans Lane, Suite 401, Louisville, KY 40205.