Obituary of John Edwin Duetsch III

~~John E. Duetsch III
United Airlines Captain

On April 27, 2017, John E. Duetsch III lost his courageous battle to a rare cancer.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at United Methodist Church, Madison, N.J.

John was born July 3, 1966, in Hackensack, N.J., and graduated from Hanover Park High School in 1984.

John was a highly respected captain with United Airlines and Continental Airlines for nearly 20 years. As a young child he was fascinated by aircraft and ultimately earned his private pilot's license while in high school.

During his college years, he maintained the school aircraft at Embry Riddle, transferred to flight school Parks College in St. Louis, and completed his sociology degree at Kean University in 1991.
A progression through US Airways, Kiwi, and Tower led to his dream job at Continental Airlines. John qualified in many Boeing aircraft from the 727 to the 777. He retired as a captain on the 757-767 aircraft and served as an Air Line Pilots Association volunteer for his fellow Newark Liberty Airport-based pilots for 19 years.

John is survived by his wife, Melissa (Poncin); children, Lily (18), Jackson (4), Mallory (1); mother, Virginia Duetsch; father, John E. Duetsch Jr. DDS and wife Joanne; sister, Christine Katilus, husband George, and their sons, Colin and George IV; Uncle Thomas Duetsch and wife Lucille, Aunts Karen Gammond and Merle Meola, along with many loving cousins.

The family would like to recognize the love and support provided by John's friends, both old and new, and express a special appreciation to the compassionate care given to John by the Hospice/Palliative Care unit of Morristown Medical Center. Donations in memory of John E. Duetsch III can be sent to Weinstein Hospice/Palliative Care at the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center, P.O. Box 35558, Newark, NJ 07193-5558.