John Albert Titus, a long-time resident of Lynn, passed away on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the age of 63. Born in Lynn on April 10, 1954, John was the son of the late John J. and Rose (George) Titus. John was raised and educated in Peabody and was a graduate of Peabody Veterans' Memorial High School, class of 1972. A trained machinist, he worked for several local companies, most recently the Sterling Machine Company of Lynn, where he worked for 30 years until his retirement. John was a generous man, who dedicated his free time to the youth of Lynn, spending 40 years as a coach and manager in various youth sports leagues. In the early 1980s, John’s passion for coaching led the West Lynn Braves to become the first West Lynn team since 1969 to win the Lynn Little League City Series. John may be remembered best as a basketball coach and mentor. Former players speak not just of the game lessons he imparted, but also the ones about life. He loved the sport and oversaw many talented players from within the city and accomplished several titles. He coached within the Catholic Youth Organization at St Joseph's Church of Lynn, and was the Program Director of the CYO program at St Mary's Church of Lynn during the 1990s. John also was an AAU basketball coach for the boys and girls of the North Shore Area. He coached several teams including the N.E. Hurricanes, Mass. Storm girls’ team, and was coach and director of the Mass. Renegades. John’s enthusiasm for sports extended to collecting memorabilia, and for several years he owned SST Collectibles, a sport card trading company that participated in collector events and maintained a storefront location in Peabody. John loved to share his interests, and involved his children in them - each in their own unique way.
John leaves his children: Tabatha Titus and her partner, Eric Boe of Salem, Sarah Retalic and her husband, Derek of Saugus, and Christopher Maguire and his wife, Jessica of Attleboro as well as his grandchildren: Emma Titus and Kahlan and Adeline Maguire. John also leaves his siblings: Nicholas Titus of Lynn and Rosemary French of NH as well as many nieces and nephews, including his Goddaughter, Victoria Gerrish. He was preceded in death by his brother, Albert Titus.
UPDATED Monday, March 19th:
Visiting Hours will be held in the CUFFE-McGINN Funeral Home, 157 Maple St. Lynn on WEDNESDAY, March 14, 2018 from 4 to 7pm. All other service will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, contributions in John’s memory may be made to: MSPCA 350 So. Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02130.
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