John Robert Viegas

John Robert Viegas (1935-2024) was a student of life, who learned more than most, and used that knowledge to help those around him. John Viegas, age 88 of Cupertino, passed away on August 21, 2024, in Santa Clara from complications arising from a blood infection.

He was born in Dartmouth, MA in 1935 to Laura and Joaquin Viegas who instilled in John the fortitude to work hard and the understanding that education is a great tool for success. John used these attributes to help him succeed in many different endeavors including success on the playing field, pursuit of a Ph. D., and a storied career that included teaching, research and coaching. John graduated from San Jose High School before attending Stanford University where he obtained a B.S. in aeronautical engineering, a MS in nuclear engineering and a Ph. D. in Plasma Physics. John's military service was concurrent with his tenure at NASA Ames Research Center. John worked at Ames for more than 30 years answering questions that had never been answered before, and quenching his thirst for knowledge. John retired on his own accord when he decided the government was putting too many constraints on his research and decided to pursue more leisurely activities such as travel and golf.

John met the love of his life, Celest, while a student at Stanford University. He had purchased two tickets to the Stanford basketball game and called the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma to see if he could find a date. The girl who picked up the phone asked him how tall he was, when he responded 5'11" tall, she said he was too short, and passed the phone to her roommate Celest. Celest was able to look John up in a yearbook, decided he was handsome, and went to the game with him. When asked who won the game, the answer was always "John". Excited to start their new lives together, John proposed to Celest 3 times before she finally gave in and said yes. They were married in 1960.

John and Celest expanded their family in 1963 with the birth of Wayne, and again in 1969 when Steven arrived. Their boys meant the world to them and brought special joy when playing sports, especially soccer which John coached.

Although John loved golfing, tennis and travel, one of his favorite roles was that of grandparent to Landon, Kayleigh and Apollo. He treasured time with his grandchildren and never failed to impart the value of hard work and a good education. Whether getting his grandchildren to help with yardwork (where chores seemed to be way more highly valued then they were with his own kids chores) or providing assistance with homework (when his son couldn't remember how to properly execute the calculus chain rule) grandpa was always happy to spend time with is grandchildren.

John and his father built the house that he and Celest lived in together for almost 60 years. Only in recent years did John start contracting out to have others help with the house's maintenance. In fact, as recently as 10 years ago John had a problem with tree roots pushing the 'casita' out of square and lifting one corner. John tried to contact contractors to solve the problem, but no one would help. John took it upon himself to raise the house, using car jacks and he re-poured the concrete to level out the little house with its new found position caused by the tree roots… That tree has since been removed.

John was always happy to spend time with friends. He could often be found playing golf and tennis, trying to play bridge, or simply tailgating at Stanford football games. While professional sports was not necessarily a passion, if it was Cardinal, John was happy to follow it.

John was passionate about his role as a research scientist for NASA. He started working there while obtaining his graduate degrees, he continued there through his military service and retired from NASA Ames Research Center after more than 30 years. Valuing education and wanting to give back, John also taught at Santa Clara University and San Jose State University for many years.

John will always be remembered for his keen intellect, his sense of humor, and his inability to cook anything more complicated than a TV dinner. His family will always remember him leaving out the letter 'R' when pronouncing different words due to his present, but diminished east coast accent. Celest could not have asked for a better partner through life and Wayne and Steven could not have had a better role model growing up. We will all miss him everyday. His memory will live on in the hearts of those who loved him.

John was preceded in death by both his mother and father, Laura and Joquin, his oldest sister Jacqueline, and his brother George and is survived by his wife Celest, sons Wayne and Steven, grandchildren Landon, Kayleigh, and Apollo, and younger sister Burnadette.

A service will be held for John at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos on Wednesday September 4 at 11:00 a.m. followed immediately by a Celebration of Life.