John Lawrence Pasciutti

1937 - 2003

John Lawrence Pasciutti, 65, died Wednesday, April 2, 2003.

Funeral: noon Monday at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, Southlake. Burial: Military honors will be at 2 p.m. Monday in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. Visitation: The family will receive friends 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Memorials: The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials are made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, N.Y. 10605.

At age 21, John left college to pursue his dream of joining the U.S. Air Force to serve his nation as a fighter pilot. Three years later, he met the love of his life, Joan, and her daughter Karen. Together, the "Three P's" as they called themselves, shared the joys and sacrifices of serving our nation.

As a young first lieutenant, John was a leading member of the famed Sooner Boomers squadron which racked up repeated sonic booms above Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma to test community and structural damage from fast-flying aircraft.

As a captain, he served as a flying instructor and later fought in Vietnam, where his plane was once shot down behind enemy lines.

He retired as a major in 1981 after 22 years and continued to pursue his love of flying by becoming a corporate flight department manager and chief pilot. In this job he was able to continue flying the most modern airplanes around the world.

In the grand tradition of a fighter pilot, he always lit up a room with his personality, gentlemanly ways and sense of humor. A proud citizen of Keller, John was always a delight to his many lifelong friends.

Several months ago, he finally received his belated welcome home party as a Vietnam veteran at a Veterans Day celebration in Colleyville. At the event, he stood and led more than 300 participants in a toast to their fallen comrades.

Now he joins them.

Survivors: John leaves behind his loving family, wife, Joan Pasciutti of Keller; daughter, Karen Lieber and husband, David; grandchildren, Desiree, Jonathan and Austin, all of Fort Worth; sister-in-law, Irene Roberts and husband, George; nephew, Wayne Roberts; and mother-in-law, Ann Richards, all of Nottingham, England.