Dr. John Hiti

Dr. John Hiti, age 85, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully on December 20, 2024, at his home in Danvers, Massachusetts. John was born on July 21, 1939, in the village of Nova Vas, Slovenia, son of the late Franc and Ivana (Grze) Hiti.

He immigrated to the United States as a young man, settled in Cleveland where he met his wife and raised his two young daughters, and embarked on a career as a chemist. The family later relocated to Massachusetts when he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard.

John was a well-respected research chemist who earned his BS in Chemistry at Case Western Reserve and later his PhD in Chemistry at Kent State University. He worked for over thirty years at Nova Biomedical in Waltham and retired as Manager of Organic Research. As a research chemist, he developed many innovative patents,contributing significantly to advancements in medical technology.

John found great joy in cultivating his garden every year and sharing its bounty with family, friends, and neighbors. He loved vacationing on Cape Cod and travelling to Puerto Rico and Europe. He was an avid runner, enjoyed reading crime fiction late into the night, and could always lighten the mood with a classic Dad joke. Many Sundays, he treated his family to his famous crepes.

He will be dearly missed. He is survived by Jo Ann, his wife of fifty-six years, of Danvers, Massachusetts, his daughter Larisa and her husband Vern of East Windsor, Connecticut and his daughter Tanja and her husband Robert of Westford, Massachusetts. He is also survived by a grandson, Derek, of East Windsor, Connecticut, his sister, Marija Jarc of Slovenia and many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, John was predeceased by his brother Frank and his sister Iva

Interment will be private. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John’s name to Kent State University, Department of Chemistry (Kent State University Foundation, 350 South Lincoln Street, PO Box 5190, Kent, Ohio 44242) or to another charity of the donor’s choice.

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