Dr. John Paul San Giovanni Sr.

Devoted husband, brother, father, grandfather and uncle, Dr. John Paul San Giovanni, Sr., passed away peacefully surrounded by his loved ones in the early hours of Friday, May 8, 2026. He was an avid golfer, a dedicated community leader, and a beloved family patriarch. He exemplified strength, resilience, determination, and optimism throughout his life. Known for his dignified, thoughtful, reasoned judgment and keen intellect, he provided steady guidance to those around him. His kindness, generosity, patience, faith, hope, and love will be remembered as the foundation of his enduring legacy. John Paul is predeceased by his parents, Carlo and Maria Antonetta San Giovanni; his two sisters, Marie Castellano and Mateo Baffaro; two brothers, Carlo San Giovanni II and Francis San Giovanni; and eldest son, John Paul San Giovanni, Jr. (Brigitte San Giovanni), of Rockville, MD. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Marie L. San Giovanni, of Bonita Springs, FL; his son, Thomas P. San Giovanni, of Miami, FL; his two daughters, Lara M. San Giovanni, of Duxbury, MA and Jana M. San Giovanni-Kreger (Gary Kreger), of Tampa, FL; his 2 granddaughters, Gabriella and Sofia San Giovanni; and, his 6 grandsons, Jean-Phillippe and Daniel San Giovanni and Connor, Collin, Carson and Camdyn Kreger; as well as his many beloved nieces, nephews, and all family relations. Born in Rye, NY on June 26, 1941, as his family’s youngest son, John Paul served as an altar boy at Resurrection Catholic Church and distinguished himself early as a first-generation Italian American scholar-athlete. He earned academic honors while competing in football, baseball, and basketball at Archbishop Stepinac and Rye High Schools. He continued his education at Manhattan College on full scholarship, earning his bachelor’s degree and becoming an active member of Alpha Phi Delta’s Beta Beta Chapter, reflecting his strong connection to his heritage and community. Recognized for his academic excellence, he was recruited on scholarship by the Atomic Energy Commission and earned his master’s degree from Iowa State University. He went on to complete his doctorate at the University of Florida on full scholarship, where he served as mayor of Corry Village and published his influential thesis on a unified approach to hydrodynamic stability theory. Following his formal education, he built a distinguished career as a mathematician and chemical engineer with Esso/Exxon Corporation and later as co-founder of Jockey Hollow Technologies. He helped design chemical plants and refineries and became a leader in the company’s early work in automated systems within its Chemical Engineering Processing Research & Engineering Division in Florham Park, New Jersey in the 1070s-1980s. He was widely respected for advancing automatic process control, developing practical methods for using digital instrumentation to monitor pressure, temperature, and fluid levels — innovations that helped modernize industrial operations. His work in multivariable and predictive control systems enabled safer, more efficient management of complex chemical processes. He was honored by the scientific community with the invitation to author the “Process Control” section of the renowned Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, recognizing him as a leading authority in his field. His design frameworks were adopted by major organizations, including Honeywell, and contributed to the foundation of modern distributed control systems used in large-scale manufacturing. In addition, he helped shape chemical engineering education by advancing mathematically rigorous, computer-based approaches to process control. His academic work at the University of Florida, including his dissertation on Lyapunov stability, continues to inform modern system design and safety analysis. John Paul’s years in Brookside and Mendham, NJ were filled with the kind of community and connection he valued most. He could often be found on the sidelines of a youth sports field, helping organize the Mendham Youth Soccer Club or coaching soccer, baseball, and softball, where he became a steady, encouraging presence to so many young athletes. He formed lasting friendships at the Mendham Golf & Tennis Club, stayed active in local sports leagues, and was a devoted parishioner at St. Joseph’s and Delbarton Catholic Churches. Alongside this full community life, he continued his professional work in the Boston area in the 1990s-2000s with Molten Metal Corporation, Raytheon, and Badger Engineering, while also sharing his knowledge and passion as a respected professor at Northeastern University. Later, in Plymouth, MA, John Paul embraced life at White Cliffs, where his love of golf flourished and earned him several club championships and his professional attention focused on expanding educational opportunities and developing online programs for Cape Cod Community College. In retirement, he settled in Bonita Springs, FL, in the Copperleaf Community of The Brooks, where he remained engaged as an active member of his community and parishioner of Our Lady of Light Catholic Church. Whether on the golf course, on the bocce court, or quietly working through a mathematical idea, he found joy in the simple rhythms of life—but most of all in time spent with family, friends, and neighbors, always offering his presence, his kindness, and his unwavering support. As family patriarch, John Paul valued his family as paramount, took pride in his family’s history and his legacy will continue in all who he uniquely touched throughout his life. A celebration of life mass honoring Dr. John Paul San Giovanni, Sr. will be held at Our Lady of Light Catholic Church on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. and donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, The Covenant House, and Franciscan Breadline for the Poor in his honor/memory. To sign his guest register or to leave online condolences please visit www.ShikanyFuneralHome.com. Arrangements are being handled by Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home Family Owned and Operated Since 1978.

Dr. John Paul San Giovanni Sr.

June 26, 1941 - May 8, 2026