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 It is with great
regret and sorrow that we must forward Mary Nitkowski's message concerning the
death of our Classmate, Jon, on 28 July at their home in Loudon, TN, after a
courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.
Jon's funeral service
will be at Tellico Village Community Church, 130 Chota Center, Loudon, TN
37774. Please call the church at (865) 458-1516 to determine the time for the
service.
The funeral, at the
West Point cemetery, is November 19th at 1:30PM. This will be a full honors
funeral and the service will be held at the Old Cadet Chapel (the chapel in the
West Point Cemetery).
Condolences may be
sent to Mary at 310 Kiyuga Way, Loudon, TN 37774-2706.
In lieu of flowers,
contributions in Jon's memory may be sent to the American Cancer Society, P.O.
Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718 or Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer
Center, 100 North Charles Street, Suite 234, Baltimore, MD 21201. If giving to
the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, please designate that the
donation is in Jon's memory and for research into finding a cure for pancreatic
cancer.
Well done, Jon. Be thou at peace.
Funeral Arrangements:
Hello Family and Friends,
This morning I received final confirmation from West Point on funeral plans but
before I give the date I would like to take a minute to thank my wonderful
neighbors for the great meal that they served our family and friends after Jon's
funeral service - August 1st. What a wonderful neighborhood we chose when we
found this home! Your support the whole past 13 months has been more than I can
put to words - thank you from the bottom of my heart...love you all. And, Mick
and Coralinn Maus, one of Jon's Company A fellows, stopped by last week....it
was so nice to see them.
Getting a date for the funeral has been quite a challenge. I have tried to
coordinate the Academy's scheduling, family schedules for work and school, and
availability of a home rental that sleeps12 that is close to West Point. To
accomplish this the date had to go all the way to the Superintendent with a
Special Request and this morning the approval came down. The funeral, at the
West Point cemetery, is November 19th at 1:30PM. This will be a full honors
funeral and the service will be held at the Old Cadet Chapel (the chapel in the West Point Cemetery). (Jon would have been
74 on November 18th)
Many have inquired about possibly attending the funeral; the family would be
honored should you so decide. If you are traveling a distance I have a list of
motels in the area and the nearest airport to fly into is Stewart
International. Also, if you do plan on attending please let me know so there
will be some kind of count to give the coordinator at the Academy. I will be
inquiring about a tour of the Academy for our family - Jon would have loved to
take his grandchildren for this tour but I know he will be smiling with pride
from above. If I am able to accomplish making the tour happen and you would
like to join us please let me know so I can include you in a count. There's a
home football game on Saturday the 17th @ noon if anyone is interested - West
Point vs Temple.
I dearly miss the long chats and laughs with my best friend but know that he is
resting in peace and without pain.
Thank you all for your support it has meant so much.
Mary Remembrances:
Class Memorial Pages\A-1 Jon Nitkowski.pdf
Everyone,
Jon lost his battle
Saturday afternoon, the 28th. He had been resting comfortable at home with the
great help from UT Hospice care and help from the VA hospice for the past 13
days. A combination of cancer, heart, and diabetes; with sadness in his heart
for his daughter who passed on last month, just became an insurmountably battle
in the end. Both Jon and I were so fortunate to have his son Steve at our side.
Funeral services will be held this Wednesday at our church, Community Church in
the Village. At a date, yet to be determined, a service is being planned at
West Point; where Jon will be laid to rest. In addition to the 4 years that Jon
was a cadet there are fond family memories to the Point from the years that Jon
taught leadership at the Academy. In many ways Jon is/was the leader of
men/women that the Academy expires to instill in their cadets...his leadership
went beyond the field of battle and has been felt by many on the field of life.
I would like to thank the many that have taken the time to convey to Jon this
past year how he had impacted their values and how he had guided them for the
better on how they approached life. Those messages always seem to come at a
time his spirits were low and seemed to bring him strength to fight another
day. Those interested in attending the service at West Point please let me know
and I will furnish you the date and time as they become known.
This has been quite a year for both Jon and I, as many have gathered from my
updates. We battled this disease as we lived our life - as a team.
In lieu of flowers,
memorials may be made to the American Cancer Association or Johns Hopkins Sidney
Kimmel Cancer Research Center – pancreatic cancer. Please dear Lord help in
finding a cure for early detection of pancreatic cancer and then a cure. Rest
in peace my Love.
Mary
Obituaries:
NITKOWSKI,
JON FRANK - age 73 of the Tellico Village Community, Loudon, TN lost his
tenacious battle with cancer at home on July 28, 2012. Jon was a 1956
graduate of Oshkosh High School in Oshkosh, WI, a 1961 graduate from West
Point Military Academy, and held a masters degree from the University of
Utah. He served 3 tours in Vietnam and one during the Gulf War. Jon was the
youngest Commander to command a Nike Missile Base during the Cold War, C-47
in Wheeler, IN, from 1965 to 1967. Between his tours in Vietnam Jon taught
leadership at West Point. Jon retired from the Army with the rank of
Colonel. Following his military service Jon work as an engineer in the
aerospace industry. Jon married Mary (Fraik) in 2001 and lived in Upper MI
until they moved to the state they would call home, Tennessee. Jon was
preceded in death by his daughter, Wendy Keefer in June of 2012 in Salt Lake
City, UT; his father Walter; mother Elizabeth; and brother James. He is
survived by his wife, Mary; children Steven Nitkowski of Columbia, MO;
step-sons Mark Matiszik of St. Louis, MO and C. J. Matiszik of Hermosa
Beach, CA; grandchildren Tavin, Sophie, Libby and Luke Matiszik and sisters
Mary Ann Nevitt and Kate Rogge of WI. A Celebration of Jon's life will be
held on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. at the Community Church at
Tellico Village. The family will receive friends immediately following the
service. At a later date, to be determined, Jon will be laid to rest at the
West Point Military Academy's cemetery. Jon lived his life by the cadet
honor code that he taught at the Academy - A cadet will not lie, cheat,
steal, or tolerate those who do. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made
to the American Cancer Association or Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer
Research Center - pancreatic cancer. The Nitkowski family would like to
thank everyone at the UT Hospice care for their wonderful care and support
these past weeks. Click Funeral Home & Cremations - Tellico Village Chapel
is serving the family of Jon Nitkowski.
www.clickfuneralhome.com.
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