In Memory
John J. Pairitz
January 22, 1931 ~ September 18, 2026 (age 95)
In his home and surrounded by his loving family, John Joseph Pairitz, a greatly loved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, and friend, peacefully left to be with Our Lord on Friday, September 18, 2026.
A rosary will be prayed starting at 3 p.m. with visitation following until 7 p.m. on Friday, September 25, at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 26, at St. Jude Catholic Church, 19704 Johnson Road, South Bend, with visitation from 10 to 11 a.m. Burial will be at Highland Cemetery immediately following the service.
Born to hard-working Hungarian immigrants Mary (Presits) and John Pairitz, Sr. in South Bend, Indiana, on January 22, 1931, they instilled in him a strong work ethic. John graduated from Our Lady of Hungary Grade School (1945), Washington High School (1949) and magna cum laude with a degree in accounting from The University of Notre Dame (1953).
On May 31, 1952, John married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Johanna Weiss, at Our Lady of Hungary Church, South Bend. She survives along with their 8 children, Jon (Tammy), Peter (Joyce), James (Kay), Johanna Holzberger (James), Pamela Woodruff, Jennifer Gastaldi (Joseph), Philip (Laura), Joseph (Jodi); 32 grandchildren and 59 great-grandchildren; and his brother David Pairitz.
He was predeceased in death by his parents, and his brother Dr. Frank Pairitz. He would wish to extend his deepest thanks to Dr. Van and caretakers Gwen and Rebecca, and the wonderful staff at Luminary Hospice for providing such loving, supportive help.
After graduating from Notre Dame, John began his career with Mr. Clete Chizek. Soon after, along with five other partners, they founded Crowe, Chizek, and Company, CPA’s. Upon retiring from Crowe Chizek in 1990, John worked with one of his many best friends, Edward Lowe, to sell Edward Lowe Industries Inc. and establish The Edward Lowe Foundation. He served as a Member and Trustee of the Foundation for many years. Additionally, he was a member of numerous corporate, church, and community boards and committees.
He lived his life with God as his #1. As a lifelong Catholic and deeply spiritual gentleman, John was a Benedictine Oblate with St. Meinrad Archabbey and in 1992 had gone on a retreat with Trappist monks in the Rocky Mountains. John enjoyed people, respected them and wanted everyone to feel valued and welcomed. His door was always open, and he greeted everyone with a smile and a hug. He loved God, his loving wife of 74 years, his very large family, and hard work above all. John was a philanthropist and generously gave of his time, talent, and treasures. Always with a “thumbs up” in photographs, John lived life with enthusiasm, vigor, and positivity. He deeply loved his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and numerous friends.
John was a great lover of the outdoors, skiing and skating in winter, mushrooming and fishing in the spring, swimming in Lake Michigan and fishing in the summer. John was a lifelong hunter, beginning as a young boy hunting squirrels for dinner to later years hunting in the Rockies and Alaska, always eating and never wasting what was hunted. John was a great traveler, and there are few countries he and Johanna have not visited. In 1999, he traveled to Manila, Philippines, with his friend Leroy Troyer and Jimmy Carter for Habitat for Humanity.
John had a zest and love for life. He was not afraid to reinvent himself, and in the 1970’s he took up Hobie Cat sailboat racing. He enjoyed a very successful time racing with the Diamond Lake fleet and in multiple national and regional Hobie Cat events through the early ‘80s, even winning the Regional Hobie 16 Race at Michigan City on Lake Michigan in 1980. John also greatly valued good health and believed “if you’ve got your health, you’ve got everything,” exercising daily until just shortly before his death.
In John’s words, “Always strive to do your best, and after having done so, knowing you have done your best, accept the consequences good or bad and then go forward—don’t dwell on negatives or rehash what you or others may consider to be less than successful. Focus on your successes, learn from your failures and grow. Priority #1: God. We are finite: understand your relationship with God, then you can more effectively cope with the outer world. Be positive, exude enthusiasm. Set a good example—be of good character, someone is watching. Remain cheerful, outgoing, inquisitive, talk to people. Count your blessings.”
09/29/2026 EJS
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