U.S. Navy Commander John DiGiovacchino grew up in Clarksboro and was vintage Kingsway. He placed fourth academically in his 1992 KRHS graduating class, played soccer, ran the middle distances in track, and was invited back to school in 2003 as Memorial Day speaker. He never forgot his roots, and no one forgot John. How could they?
The marquee fronting his alma mater, updated this week, tells part of the poignant story.
"In Loving Memory of U.S. Navy Commander John DiGiovacchino....Once a Dragon, Always a Dragon."
Just 41, DiGiovacchino was killed July 23 in a one-vehicle motorcycle accident in Otselic, N.Y. while heading to a family reunion. He was traveling a back road en route to Watertown to meet his parents for dinner. Their ultimate reunion destination was the Alps.
"He knew early-on he wanted to fly," says his mother, Katherine, who served on the Kingsway board of education when John was still in school, "and he was a test pilot his whole career. He pretty much accomplished everything he wanted. The day he was born, he was an engineer.
"John was very self-confident, very technically-oriented, and a jack-of-all-trades who was a great chef, loved picking out good wines, and loved his many friends."
John was just two years old when he first developed a passion for flying and 10 when he made up his mind to be a pilot after attending a Burlington County air show. After Kingsway, he received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and his ROTC commission, both from Penn State University, in 1996.
He also met his bride-to-be, Christine Karst, at PSU.
Designated a Naval aviator in 1999, he trained on the E-2C Hawkeye. He reported next to the Black Eagles, where he took part in deployments aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
John was accepted for the United States Naval Test Pilot School in 2003 and reported to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, earning a master of science in aeronautical engineering. After a test tour at Patuxent River, Md., he served as a department head for the Golden Hawks in Pt. Mugu, Cal.
Cmr. DiGiovacchino amassed nearly 2,700 flight hours and made more than 270 landings in 22 types of aircraft. He was awarded numerous medals including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal along with commendation medals.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with family Friday night, 6:30 to 9 p.m., at McBride-Foley Funeral Home, 228 W. Broad St., Paulsboro. Services. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Clare of Assisi Parish, St. John's Church 7th and Beacon, Paulsboro.
Interment will be scheduled at Arlington National Cemetery.
John's survivors include his wife, Christine, his parents, Katherine and Anthony, and brothers Mark and Joseph.
Bob Shryock may be reached at bshryock@njadvancemedia.com. Follow South Jersey Times on Twitter @TheSJTimes. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.