John Melvin Pietsch

John Melvin Pietsch (7/26/1918 - 1/19/2016)



Psalm 116: 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.


There is so much evil in this world that a man such as my father deserves to be recognized for the Godly life he has lived. For lack of a better way to share this man's life with as many as possible, I felt that social media was the best way to share him. He was a loving husband and father to his wife, Nadine Pietsch and his children, Tim Pietsch, Jan Murphy and Cindy Smith. He was an excellent provider and one of his most earnest prayers to God was that he could stay alive as long as possible to take care of my mother. He was a Major in the Air Force and passed his love for aviation on to our son, Dan, who lives and breathes airplanes along with his wife, Rachel. The stories that his grandfather told at the dinner table sparked within him the desire to carry on the gene of aviation. When my father was getting ready to have his 80th birthday, my sister wanted me and my brother to put together "Eighty Things My Father Taught Me" as a tribute to him. I think it is worthy of sharing.


80 THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME:
How to: Fly a kite; say my prayers; make popcorn; swim; ride my bike; drive a standard; love a daughter; hug; eat watermelon; "read the directions"; love animals; be loyal; live honestly; be helpful; treat people with respect; live by Christian values; fill up the car with gas; spell PIETSCH; drive; fish on the jetties of Galveston; make roni soup; balance a checkbook; tithe with a happy heart.


How to: offer and ask for help; get through the tough times and appreciate the good times; have compassion; be a good friend; serve God by serving others; use my "Knogin"; How to rebuild a VW engine when he didn't even know how to rebuild one himself.


He also taught me: it's OK to cry; to get up and go to work every day; to have a good work ethic; what a devoted father looks like; to have perseverance by modeling it in front of me; to be responsible; to play chess, rook and 42; to take care of my vehicle; what would happen if I didn't take care of my vehicle.



He also taught me: Not to drive in the passing lane; to go to church by taking me every Sunday; Godliness by modeling it in front of me; to be honest....to love God; to read my Bible every day; to help with tasks around the church; to love unconditionally; to get down on the floor and play with little kids; to look for miracles every day; to look for the good in others; to try my hardest and do my best; to appreciate the differences in people; to plant 200 pine trees just to watch them grow; not to take myself too seriously.



He: Explained how things in my vehicle work, like spark plugs and brake pads; He showed me how to do yardwork; He modeled how to forgive and how to ask forgiveness; He called me a "mullet head"...some species of fish my father loved to compare me to; He loved me even when he couldn't remember my name without calling everyone else's first; He taught me to own up to my own actions and take the consequences; He taught me the basic principles of morality, honesty, goodness and integrity; He taught me how to seek wisdom; to set certain standards for my life; the value of a good reputation. He taught me "cheapness" by going 5 miles out of my way to save 2 cents on a gallon of gas, when gas was on 25 cents a gallon; He taught me to respect my elders.



BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FATHER...

My perception and relationship with God is positive because of a Godly father; my faith in God is due to a Godly father; I am a financially responsible person because of what my father taught me; I am a person who wants to do God's will because of what my father taught me; I am a person who wants to do the right thing because of what my father taught me; I have a good life because of how my father provided for me; I am a responsible citizen because of the life my father lived before me; I am smoke-free, alcohol-free and drug-free because of what my father taught me.



ONE SIBLING WRITES: Although I was not drug-free for the first 18 years of my life, the religious and moral beliefs instilled in me by my father at a young age helped bring me back from the brink of insanity.



Tim Pietsch, Jan Murphy, Cindy Smith