John Mitchell Lucido

John M. Lucido, 74, of Garland, Texas, passed away peacefully Sunday, September 13, 2020, surrounded by loving family members. He was born in Rockford, Illinois, on August 9, 1946. John was a graduate of Rockford’s East High School and Bradley University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in machine design. John married Marcia Nelson in Rockford on June 29, 1968.

John started his career as a mechanical engineer with the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, immediately following his wedding to Marcia. Soon after starting his career he received an Army draft notice. John took this opportunity to pursue his life-long passion for airplanes by joining the United States Air Force as an officer. During his military tenure he achieved the rank of Captain and was an aircraft commander of one of the famed mid-air refueling tankers, the KC-135. He also received an Air Medal for his many combat missions flown during the Vietnam War.

Following his active service, John, Marcia and their two sons, Bradley and Jeffrey, moved to Richardson, Texas. John had a long and prolific career as a machine and conveyor systems mechanical engineer. His professional experience in Texas included working for companies involved in automated car wash systems and high speed baking systems. The majority of his career was spent advancing through the engineering department at Stewart Systems (Plano, Texas) where he received several U.S. design patents for his innovations.

John had a passion for woodworking and made many pieces of furniture for his home. A few highlights of his work included the heirloom quality infant crib and highchair he made for his granddaughters, a custom-designed dining room hutch and all the bookcases and end tables in his house. He shared his talent with many and was always very humble about his creations. He also drove remote control (RC) cars and loved to fly RC planes and helicopters. John also enjoyed more then 30 years of riding his bicycles with friends and family. He and Marcia joined the tandem bicycle ranks in the early 1990’s, logging thousands of miles together. Their two-wheeled adventures took them from White Rock Lake locally, to the Texas Hill Country, and even through Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. Beyond Texas, they rode in Colorado and California, including across the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

John’s paternal grandparents emigrated from Sicily, making him a third generation Italian American. John enjoyed continuing family traditions with the Rockford and Dallas area Lucidos, making Italian cookies and family-recipe sausage during the Christmas holiday and attending family reunions.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Tina and Alex Lucido and granddaughter Malin Lucido. He is survived by his highschool sweetheart and loving wife of 52 years, Marcia Lucido; son Brad Lucido and daughter-in-law Yuka Takeno both of Tokyo, Japan; son Jeff Lucido and daughter-in-law Kristin Lucido and granddaughter Isabella Lucido all of Garland; his brother Vic Lucido and sister Cecilia Lazzerini, both of Rockford. John will also forever be remembered by numerous nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Funeral services will be held at Sparkman/Hillcrest in Dallas on Northwest Highway, Friday, September 25, starting with a visitation at 2:00 p.m., chapel service at 3:00 p.m., followed by a graveside service and parlor reception.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in John’s remembrance, honoring his granddaughter Malin, to the PKD Foundation at P.O. Box 871847, Kansas City, MO 64187, or online at https://pkdcure.org/.