John (Jack) N. Pitzen
Passed away in 2003.
Jack married Marie Gasperlin on December 29, 1959. They had four children — Cathy was born in 1960 (now married to Allen Jensen); John in 1963, Class of 1986 (Barb); Lisa in 1965 (Shawn Garin); and Michael in 1969 (Sara). His grandchildren are Bobby, born in 1995 (son of John/Barb); and Molly in 2007 (daughter of Michael/Sara).
He graduated from Mac in 1958 with a B.A. in Science and Education and signed a contract to teach biology, health and coach baseball in Swanville, Minn. In the winter of ’58 he met an RN who worked at St. Gabriel’s in Little Falls named Marie Gasperlin on a blind date. They were engaged in April 1959.
In the spring of 1959, the day after school ended, Jack was involved in a near fatal auto accident. Following a summer of recovery, he signed a contract to teach biology and health/phy-ed in Silver Lake in order to be closer to the Twin Cities as Marie was now working as an RN at Miller Hospital in St. Paul. They were married on December 29, 1959, in Albany, Minn. — the wedding date was determined by the schools’ Christmas break. Following the honeymoon, the two took up residence in St. Paul, which meant Jack, would commute from St. Paul to Silver Lake for the last five months of the school year — a 116-mile daily round trip.
Following the school year Jack enrolled to the summer session at St. Thomas University to earn his third major in English Literature and master’s in secondary education administration. In the spring of 1960, Jack signed a contract with the St. Paul school system — a great relief to he and Marie as they found out that they were expecting their first child in September. Also that fall Jack and Marie purchased their first home on Goodrich Ave. in St. Paul, in which they would raise their family and live the rest of Jack’s life. Marie continues to live there today.
Jack would spend the next 33 years teaching in the St. Paul district from fall 1960 to spring 1964 at Harding High School and from fall 1964 to spring 1993 at Highland Park Senior High School. During those years, Jack was honored by 3M Corporation for mentoring students in advanced science education, and was twice named teacher of the year. In the mid 1970s, Jack was very proud to write his own course in human anatomy and physiology, which he offered as an honors class until his retirement. Jack was also a coach — hockey for 33 years and baseball for many of those years. In 1970 and 1971, he coached Cretin High School baseball to state runners-up and state champions respectively.
Through the years, the causes Jack truly believed in were the potential in his students and the Catholic faith. He would routinely tutor students at night in his home; he truly believed that every student had something to offer the world. He was considered by many students to be the most popular teacher at Highland Park. His devout faith to the church was evident in his regular attendance at daily mass, and his strong prayer life.
Following his retirement from teaching in 1993, Jack would spend his time pursuing other passions, refinishing antique furniture and spending summers at his lake home in Pine City, Minn.
Jack died tragically in the spring of 2003 following an accidental fall at home. In the last years of his life he was proud to have become a Grandfather, and spent much of his time with his family.