John Paul Bitel

John P. Bitel, 75, of Coal Valley, Illinois, died Monday, September 26, 2005 at Trinity Medical Center, Rock Island.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 AM, Friday at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, Coal Valley where he was a member, with Reverend Ray Guthrie celebrating. Friends may gather with the family following Mass. Memorials may be given to one?s favorite charity. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Trimble Funeral and Cremation Center, Coal Valley.
John Paul Bitel was born December 5, 1929 in Southington, Connecticut, the son of Stanley and Anna (Kapish) Bitel. He married the former Patricia Marie Mady on August 11, 1956 in Fort Worth, Texas. He retired as a computer programmer/analyst at Moline Consumers Company on June 1, 1996. He previously had been employed at Texas Instruments and Pratt & Whitney. During the Korean War he taught aviation mathematics to air force fighter pilots.
John was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He liked collecting baseball cards, playing in fantasy sports leagues, laughing, and mathematics. He was a fan of both the New York Giants and New York Knicks. John was an avid bowler and golfer, but most of all he enjoyed his family.
Survivors include his wife, Patricia; three daughters and sons-in-law, Debra and Jesse Taylor, Kelly and Denzil Battin, and Heather and Donald Knapp; two sons, Mike and Chuck Bitel; nine grandchildren; three brothers, Frank, Joe, and Stanley Bitel; many nieces and nephews; special friends, the Joan and Bill Tellin family, the Clara and Dale Judas family, and the Robin and Garold Paxton family. His sister, Mary, and two brothers, Vincent and Walter, preceded John in death.