Obituaries

Six weeks shy of his 100th birthday, John Moti passed away on November 11th, Veteran’s Day.

Born in Harrisburg, PA to Romanian immigrants Sava and Saveta (Elizabeth) Moti, he was the 2nd of seven children, and the oldest son. The family moved to Detroit, MI, in the early 1920s where his family struggled through the great depression.

At age 9, John’s natural ability for music was discovered. He began piano lessons, and his passion was born. As a musician in the 1930’s, he traveled throughout the mid-west with his church playing trumpet and piano (his Trumpet Trio was later featured on the radio on the Henry Ford Hour in 1937.) He joined Ford Motor Company in the late 1930s as a tool and die maker, where in the early days, he met, and was observed by, Henry Ford himself. Through hard work, and a strong work ethic, John’s contributions were recognized and was entered in to a special engineering program sponsored by Ford Motor Company. He went on to become a resident engineer, which led to an opportunity to move his family from Detroit to Cupertino in the late 1950s, opening the Ford plant in Milpitas, CA. During World War II, John took military leave and served as a Sergeant in the Army Air Corps. While waiting deployment in Okinawa, Japan, the war ended, and John returned to work at Ford.

A family man first, he was a dedicated husband and father to seven. He met the love of his life, Shirley May, from Joliet, IL, while vacationing in Saugatuck, MI. After a one-year, long-distance courtship, they married in 1949. After 45 years of marriage, Shirley passed away. They had seven children: Robert Moti, Michael Moti, twins Larry Moti & Linda Evans (Greg), Sally Moti, Janet Moti and Jeanne Moti-Apodaca (Andrew,) and four grandchildren: Alissa Evans, Nicholas Evans, Julian Apodaca and Oliver Apodaca.

An accomplished athlete, John thrived on hard work and physical activity. He enjoyed playing tennis, baseball, volleyball, and watching football and basketball. He loved the outdoors and working in the garden, but mostly loved spending time with his family. He lived his life fully and with integrity.

He is survived by his seven children, four grandchildren, sister, Pauline Cassidy of Sterling Heights, MI, brother Sammuel Moti (Virginia) of Gross Pointe, MI, and many nieces and nephews in Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Misouri. He is preceded in death by his wife Shirley, parents and four of his sisters, Viola Igrison, Mary Toth, Helen Baird, and Elizabeth Marshall.

John will be laid to rest in a private burial on Monday, November 20th. A public memorial service is scheduled for January 13th, 2018, at the First Baptist Community Chuch, 17765 Daves Ave, Monte Sereno, CA 95030.

Our dad, our grandfather, our brother, our loyal friend, our trusted advisor, our inspiration. John will be sorely missed.

"In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to St Jude's Chilren''s Research Hospital. 501 (c)(3)."