John Vincent Fulginiti

Tucson, Arizona - John Vincent Fulginiti was born to Vincent and Shirley Fulginiti (nee Van Gorden) in Philadelphia, PA, on March 27, 1959, and passed away on May 16, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona. As the head of our family, John was larger than life. His persona, physical, and social presence were like no other. His superior gift giving skills will be remembered as fondly as his thunderous laughter. John was a devoted family man. He enjoyed soccer dad life and teaching his sons the skills they would need to navigate life. Always true to himself, every time he was asked as a young boy in Denver what he wanted to be when he grew up (firefighter, police officer, doctor, etc), his response was always "dad". The first born of his generation, John took his family responsibilities seriously. He helped raise his three younger siblings and assisted and advised his parents in old age. In his youth, John fished high lakes, skied diamond slopes, hiked the Rocky Mountains and hunted Arizona's forests. John was proud of the prize pin in his ankle from jumping off a pavilion at a summertime music festival in Aspen. As an outdoorsman in the Catalinas, Rincons, and points beyond, John's mapping skills and navigational expertise became legendary, more so his passion for photography. He spent time planning four-wheeling hunting and camping trips to photograph for later sharing with family and friends. While attending Tucson High School, John was on honor roll, played football, worked for the school newspaper, drove a Firebird, hiked Seven Falls, and journeyed to Nicaragua with Amigos de las Americas. At UCLA, John cared for those in need and worked as a police dispatcher, developing lifelong friendships. At home in Tucson, John earned his Ph.D. (Educational Psychology) at the University of Arizona where he met the love of his life, a fellow graduate student named Susan. John's career spanned the University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson, Pima Community College, Northcentral University, and United States University. He specialized as a psychometrician, serving multiple leadership roles in post-secondary education. A natural born educator, he could teach statistics to anyone. John is survived by wife Susan Ellis, sons Alexander and Lucas, mother Shirley, sister Laura (Dan Martin) and brother Paul (Lisa Fulginiti). He was predeceased by his father Vincent and brother Jeffrey. John will be missed by all who love him. Memorial donations can be made to charity in John's name.