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Submitted: 10/13/22 • Approved: 10/14/22 • Last Updated: 10/17/22 • R1453355-G0-S3
Jul 10, 1957 - Jun 27, 2022
John Anthony Privitera, 64, of Jacksonville, Arkansas passed away Monday evening, June 27, 2022. On this day, Heaven gained an awesome man, as John was really one-of-a-kind. His generous spirit, and hilarious, sense of humor will be greatly missed. He was born to Thomas and Trubie Privitera on July 19, 1957, at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS. He is preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Trubie Privitera; his brother-in-law, Eric Carr; his sister Vickie Blackwood.
John is survived by his precious, loving wife of 30 years, Renee Privitera; his son and daughter-in-law, Marcus and Julie Dyson, and their children, Baylor, Ever, Marlie, and Julia Dyson; his son, Matt Dyson, and his children, Averi, Allie, and Luke Dyson; his son, Tony Privitera; his two dogs: Cain and Moose; his siblings: Vera and Ben Turner, Ronnie and Bettina Privitera, Angie and John Aldridge, Jennifer Anderson; his father and mother-in-law, William and Shirley Carr; his wife’s siblings and their spouses: Junior and Diana Carr, Cheryl Howe, Cherie Clem; and several nieces and nephews.
His family traveled the world as his father served in the United States Air Force. He had fond memories of living in Spain. They then moved to Jacksonville, AR, when John was just a boy. John’s sarcastic and corny sense of humor is what he was known for. He would always snap back with a one-liner or goofy joke. We want to try and follow suit because, even though this time is heartbreaking, we think John would want us to laugh. If he was here today and saw our sad faces, he would stay true to his Italian heritage and jokingly ask, “Wassa matta you?”
Sports have always been one of John’s favorite pastimes. He was a devoted Green Bay Packers fan. He played softball and basketball for many years as an adult. His love for sports and for helping people made it enjoyable for him to volunteer his time as a Little League baseball coach and a member of the Chain Gang for Jacksonville High School football for many years.
Some people may call it luck, but John was a renowned numbers guy. Most of the time, he would buy a winning scratch off lottery ticket or win at the horse races. John was also an avid poker player. He always had a good time with his buddies at his Friday night poker game. He really enjoyed the strategy behind the game of numbers and he always showered his family with his winnings, whether it was new flat screen TVs or making his monthly run to Sam’s Club. He didn’t get to win the lottery like he’d hoped for, but we did since he was a part of lives!
John worked at the GTE/Century-Link Telephone Company as a Communications Tech, and he recently retired after 37 years of Service. John worked hard, but he was glad to retire, so he could do what he enjoyed most.
John thought that dogs were God’s apology for mean people and bad days. He loved his dogs. He also enjoyed cooking and entertaining his Facebook followers with his unique sense of humor. One of his hidden talents was that he had a knack for trivia. He could name the artist to every song he heard and the year that it came out. He was also a walking bank of sports knowledge. He just liked obtaining as much useless knowledge as he possibly could.
Last, but most importantly, John loved God and his family. John and Renee have loved each other for the past 30 years and have raised three wonderful sons and have abundantly cherished their seven grandchildren.
Their love story is as sweet as they are. As John worked for the telephone company, Renee caught his eye. He admired her from afar until he finally had an excuse to talk to her. It was only three months after they met and began dating, that they joyfully married. Their marriage was solid, and he has loved Renee from the moment that he saw her.
John not only chose his sweet bride, Renee to live this precious life with, but he also chose to love her sons, Marcus and Matt, as his own. Shortly after marriage, he was so excited to hear that Tony was on his way. He was always so much fun and easy going. He loved cracking jokes and pulling pranks on the boys. He absolutely loved hiding and scaring the boys at bedtime. And he thought it was so funny to pick on Renee and give her a hard time. Not only did he teach his boys to not take things too seriously, but he taught them by example to be generous and put others first, and to finish your work before you go play. He was very proud of his boys and he loved them very much. He was a great dad!
Now known as Papa John, he was the same way. He loved giving and spending time with his precious grandbabies. He loved taking Baylor on explorations of American history. He looked forward to his trip to Texas every year so he could spend time with and spoil Averi, Allie, and Luke. He so thoughtfully would make Ever, Marlie, and Julia their annual Easter baskets that was filled to the brim with candy. He was the best gift giver! He would love to hunt and find the silliest gag gifts to give his grandbabies for birthdays and Christmas. He was the best Papa John! These sweet babies miss their Papa John immensely.
It brought so much joy to John’s life to bring joy to his wife, his sons, his grandbabies, and his family and friends. And that is exactly what he did! He always made us laugh and he was always so fun to be around. We are so grateful that God blessed our lives with John and we will cherish all of the wonderful memories. We love you and we miss you, John, and we hope that we carry your legacy of silliness, quick wittedness, and you’re loving generosity.
Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 2, 2022 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home with William Carr officiating. Visitation will be the evening prior to the service, Friday, July 1, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at the funeral home. John will be laid to rest at Chapel Hill Memorial Park immediately following the service.
Contributed on 10/13/22 by eagle12953
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Record #: 1453355