Obituaries

“Mr. D to Gateway”

Those words echoed over the American High School campus on a daily basis referring to John Di Paola, who spent the majority of his 30-year career at the Fremont school. John passed away peacefully on July 3rd, 2024 at his home nearby. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife, Janet, with whom he celebrated 60 years of marriage just weeks ago. He is also survived by his eight children and nine grandchildren: daughter Jeanne Di Paola (Fremont), daughter Mary Ann Shadbolt (Livermore), son Michael Di Paola (Fremont), son John Mark Di Paola (Livermore), daughter Julie Moore (Fremont), son Matthew Di Paola (Henderson, NV), daughter Monica Di Paola (Brentwood), and son Joseph Di Paola (Fremont). His grandchildren: Rebecca, Austin, Amelia, Anthony, Kaylie, Jared, Cassandra, Katarina, and Derek. He is also survived by his sister Carol Jaeger of Bethpage, New York.

John was born April 20th, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Queens where he attended St. John’s Prep HS. He attended Niagara University where he played baseball and earned a degree in Math. He was also the radio voice of the Niagara basketball program and took part in ROTC training. After graduation, he served as a Lieutenant in the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1963 stationed at Fort Ord, CA. While stationed there, he met Janet and they were wed in San Jose in 1964. They moved to Fremont where he taught Mathematics at Mission San Jose HS. After earning his administration credential, John became an assistant principal at Irvington HS (Fremont). A few years later, in 1972, John was part of the original administration team of the newly opened American HS. He was an integral part of the development of the innovative school. Over his 17 years there, he served as the varsity softball coach and was responsible for building the first softball fields on campus. He was also the voice of the Eagles – announcing football, volleyball, and basketball games throughout his tenure there. In 1989, he moved back to Irvington HS in the same administrative capacity where he remained until his retirement.

John was also heavily involved in youth sports in Fremont. He was the manager of many of his children’s baseball and softball teams. He served on the Board of Directors for FBI Baseball including several years as the league president. He started the first travel team program for the softball league, FGSA, with his team, the Fremont Falcons. After retirement from FUSD, John devoted his attention to assisting his church, St. James the Apostle, in many ways. He was instrumental in the building of the Mother Theresa Center on its campus. John was a devout Catholic and was administered the sacrament of Last Rites by his good friend, Father Antony, just days before he passed.

Viewing will be on Monday, July 22 from 5pm to 8pm with a Vigil Service at 6:30pm at Fremont Chapel of the Roses, 1940 Peralta Blvd. in Fremont. A Catholic Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, July 23, 11am at St. James the Apostle, 34700 Fremont Blvd. in Fremont; followed by the burial at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 26320 Mission Blvd. in Hayward; followed by a reception back at St. James the Apostle.