John Peter Volpi

John Peter Volpi passed away on December 12, 2025, at the age of 80. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, John was known for his infectious smile, silly sense of humor, and dedication to always making those around him feel special. He was a beacon of light in this world, and his presence will be deeply missed.

On April 8th, 1945, John was born to the late Julius and Marie Volpi at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago. John spent his childhood in Chicago, and to his grandchildren would often recount the experience of walking over a mile to Foreman High School daily, sometimes through a foot or more of snow. John took every challenge in stride, though, and finished high school as Valedictorian of the class of 1963 when it was a frigid -22 degrees outside. He went on to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, attaining his Bachelor of Science in Physics in 1967. He then went to graduate school at Michigan State University from 1967-1968, where he received a Master of Science in Physics.

Dad met mom, then Joan Marie Courtney, an Irish girl, on a blind date. On March 8, 1969, they got married. He loved her so much and enthusiastically devoted himself to her for 56 years. They had three children, two boys and a girl, and raised them in Garland, TX where he was so happy he did not have to endure Chicago winters. His five grandchildren brought him the most joy. He loved eating ice cream with them, decorating pumpkins, and attending their school events.

In 1969, John started working at Texas Instruments, where he remained until May of 2000. During his time there he contributed incredible pioneering work to many technologies we still use today, including RADAR, cellular telephones, and GPS. Marine radio was his first patent in 1979, and he had 3 patents on GPS Receivers and led the team that made the very first all-digital GPS. In total, John had over 45 patents awarded or pending, a testament to his brilliance, creativity, and leadership.

After leaving TI, he with his partners Steve Roemeran and Matthew Bowers founded the company Incucomm. The techniques and advanced math that John contributed were the foundation of the company's flagship predictive analytics, helping clients answer impossibly complex questions with uncanny accuracy. The company spun off Lone Star Aerospace in 2004, and John served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of both Incucomm and Lone Star until 2019 when he retired and continued as CTO Emeritus and a member of the Board of Directors.

John is survived by his devoted wife of fifty-six years, Joan Volpi; his children, Mark Volpi, John J. Volpi, and Debra Volpi Frantom; his two daughters-in-law, Valerie Volpi and Alisa Volpi, and son-in-law, Ronald Frantom; and his grandchildren Jack, Maggie, Lina, James, and John Sebastian, who knew him lovingly as 'Bumpa'.

His legacy also lives on through all those whose lives he touched from working together at Lonestar, where he led with integrity and compassion. In addition to his achievements within the company, John was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for over 30 years, an organization dedicated to "fostering technological innovation for the benefit of humanity," and was named a Senior Member for his work in wireless technologies and his efforts in developing Intellectual Property. In 2012, John was awarded the Tech Titans Award for Corporate CTO by the DFW Metroplex Technology Business Counsel out of a pool of 4,000 firms.

John was kind and humble. He left a lasting positive impact on this world, was deeply loved by many, and will be profoundly missed.