John Michael Piech

John Michael Piech
October 26, 1943 - January 28, 2023
John Michael Piech, 79, passed away suddenly on Saturday morning, January 28th, 2023, at his vacation home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
John, known to most as Jack, was born and raised in Coaldale, Pennsylvania, and was an immensely proud graduate of Penn State University, majoring in Chemical Engineering, Class of 1965. He worked for Shell Oil, Merck and Celanese before buying and operating an Elizabeth, NJ-based business specialized in truck tire repairs and sales. A dozen years later he sold that business and worked at a variety of small petroleum and specialty chemical businesses in sales and technical service until his retirement.
In 1979 Jack married Catherine Mary Tak at Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers University and soon after moved to Brookline, Massachusetts, to support Catherine in her graduate studies at Boston University. The couple returned to New Jersey and bought their first home together in Summit, NJ, where their first two sons were born. In 1993 the family moved to New Providence, NJ, later welcomed a third son, and continued to raise their family there for nearly 30 years. Following his wife's retirement, and as empty nesters, they recently moved back to Summit and bought their vacation home in Hilton Head Island.
Jack's proudest accomplishments were his loving and devoted 43-year marriage to Catherine and the wonderful three sons they shared. He was a lifelong Catholic, and an avid fan of professional baseball, football and golf. His passion for all things Penn State was matched by few, and he definitely enjoyed his scotch and an occasional opera.
His parents were the late John Piech and Mary Taptich. In addition to his widow he leaves behind beloved sons Dr Gregory M Piech (Dr Tanuka Datta Piech) of Philadelphia, Veteran USAF Captain Jonathan B Piech (Lorena Quintero) of Las Vegas, and attorney Zachary J Piech (Abigail L Dalton) of Chicago, and cherished grandson Ryan Datta Piech. His extended family includes his brother David P Piech (Renee Spring), brother-in-law Peter F Tak, and sister-in-law Pat Tak Brown (Charles J Brown), as well as nieces Maureen, Hilary, Colleen, Nicole and Samantha and nephews Derek and Josef and their families plus cousins Joe, Mary Louise and Lisa and their families.
The family requests that anyone wishing to make a donation to honor John's memory do so at Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross, or Penn State Athletic Association.