John William DiFilippo

Loving husband, father, son, brother and uncle John William DiFilippo passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at home with his family in Houston, Texas after a long and well fought battle with cancer. He was 65 years old. Among the many who miss him are his loving wife Arianna, amazing children Brian, Isabella, and Marco, sisters Denise, Susan (and Paul), Gina (and Brian) and Collin, brother Cris (and Jean), aunts Eda (and Pete) and Elsa (and Jerry), uncles Angelo and John (and Jeanette), bonus mother Glenda, mother and father-in-law Caterina and Felice Martines, many nieces, nephews, cousins and literally hundreds of friends he made and loved throughout his life. Among those he will rejoin in heaven are his parents, Jan Beam and Elmer DiFilippo, grandparents John and Mary DiFilippo and William and Myrtle Fullerton, and cousins Michael and Matthew. John was born in Ohio, graduated from Kent State University, and moved to Texas in 1977 to study for his Master’s in International Management (MIM) at Baylor University. He worked in finance, primarily in the oil and gas exploration industry, throughout his career and co-founded Etna Energy in 2017. John loved all of the people in his life. He made it his goal to stay connected with family and friends no matter how distant or how long it had been since he last spoke with them. He loved sports of all kinds and bounced from season to season with enthusiasm and knowledge of players and teams. He collected music; his tastes were eclectic and his collection of vinyl and CDs was extensive. He preferred albums because he didn’t want to miss out on a single track. His love of movies was equally as diverse. While he had his favorites (like Groundhog Day), he watched anything and everything in any genre. He was a self-educated Seinfeld expert and could cite an appropriate quotation for any situation he encountered. John was staunchly committed and dedicated to many causes. He gave 100% of himself in everything he did. He was an avid baseball fan his whole life, supporting both the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians. He attended Indians spring training for many years and enjoyed attending Astros games as a season ticket holder every year with his family. John was active in his community. As a member of the board of Learn Local he helped promote and improve the quality of neighborhood public schools near the Houston Heights area. This included helping to found Mission Squash, a non-profit organization that helps students from underserved communities to maximize their academic and wellness potential. He loved playing, watching, and supporting the sport of squash. He will always be remembered for his quick sense of humor, his love of music, his steadfast moral compass, and the way he made everyone he encountered into a friend. We will miss him every day. The family will hold a private funeral service on Monday, March 1st at 1:30 pm CST. It can be safely shared by family and friends via live stream at https://youtu.be/W0cS06SUVFk In place of calling hours, friends and loved ones are invited to submit a short video clip (or photo) with a message, wish or fond memory you would like to share with John’s family. Videos, photos and messages can be uploaded to the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/UYnUPSqrsjR55oeUpoC6 Please consider a donation to Mission Squash https://missionsquash.org/ or Sarcoma Foundation of America https://www.curesarcoma.org/ in lieu of sending flowers.

John William DiFilippo

October 13, 1955 - February 20, 2021