Obituary of John W. Daughton

John W. "Jack" Daughton passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 8, 2016 at age 79, surrounded by family. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer and moved back to Rochester to be near family. He was predeceased by his wife, Paula and his brother, Thomas. Jack is survived by his children, Suzanne Daughton (Nathan Stucky), Matthew (Mary Jo), Christopher (Jennifer) and their mother, Eileen Morley; stepchildren, Elizabeth Brillian (John Bosch), John Gunning (Mandy Bunte) and Caroline (Carl) Horsford; grandchildren, Michael Stucky, Hannah, Sage and Adam Daughton, Kelsey and Colin Brillian, Mardi, Nora, and Mollie Gunning, Amelia and Gabriel Horsford; sister Mary (Steve) Taylor and sisters-in-law, Joyce Daughton, Donna Siegmann and Elizabeth (Charlie) Weinstein. Jack received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame University in 1958, and his Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1959. His first job was with Sangamo Electric Co. in his hometown of Springfield, IL. In 1964, he joined Xerox in Rochester, NY where he spent the rest of his career. Over the course of his distinguished forty years at Xerox, Jack continually sought out new challenges. He was promoted to key positions in the areas of Electrical Engineering, Software Development, and Product Planning. Midway through his time at Xerox, he discovered his love of Systems Engineering, which became the focus of the remainder of his career. He received several engineering achievement awards, helped develop many products that won industry awards for "Product of the Year," and was the recipient of nearly 40 domestic and international patents. In his personal life, Jack enjoyed sharing his technical expertise with others. He volunteered in various capacities, from teaching computer classes at the public library to reading for 16 years for the Public Radio program "You and the Computer" for visually-impaired people. Jack's family was precious to him; he was a loyal and loving husband and father. He spent all the time he could with his children and grandchildren, visiting them whenever he was able and even learning to use Facebook and text in his later years, in order to keep up with them from afar. Jack was devout in his faith and he was always very active in his church, serving over the years as religion teacher, lector and/or choir member in his local parishes in Illinois, New York, Florida and South Carolina. While living in Rochester, he also enjoyed serving on both the Liturgy Committee and Parish Council of St. Mary's Church. Jack faced his cancer diagnosis philosophically, inspiring his family with his openness, grace, acceptance and dignity. Friends are invited to call between 4 and 7 PM on Thursday, May 19 at Jennings, Nulton & Mattle Funeral Home, 1704 Penfield Road, Penfield. Jack's funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 AM Friday, May 20 at St. Mary's Church, 15 St. Mary's Place, Rochester. His interment will take place at 9 AM Saturday, May 21 at White Haven Memorial Park's All Seasons Chapel, 210 Marsh Road, Pittsford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made by check to "Shepherd Home" in Penfield (P.O. Box 33, Penfield, NY 14526). Donations to Shepherd Home can also be made electronically through the United Way website, using Designation Number 2441.