John Savvas Deliyannides
Age 84, died on July 10, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 14, 1934 to Savvas and Eugenia (Cosmades) Deliyannides, John was a graduate of Anatolia College in Thessaloniki. He immigrated to the United States in 1952 to study electrical engineering and earned the BSEE from Lafayette College (1955), the MSEE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1957), and the PhD from the University of Pittsburgh (1968).
John married Barbara Ellen Farace on July 2, 1955, with whom he shared 60 years of devoted marriage and raised five children. He was ordained as a ruling elder at the Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), Pittsburgh, in 1968, and served as an elder for over 40 years in other OPC churches in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana. Respected for his wise counsel and administrative skill, John contributed to the governance of the OPC by serving as a delegate to many general assemblies and as a member of the denomination’s Foreign Missions, Christian Education, and Historian's Committees.
John held a variety of technical and managerial positions in his pioneering work to apply digital computers to control electric utility and industrial processes, working for most of his career at Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric Corp. John was a senior member of IEEE and a member of the Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Chi Honorary Societies. He traveled extensively to collaborate with clients in countries worldwide, including Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Japan.
John is survived by four children, Rebecca Boes, Deborah Deliyannides, Timothy Deliyannides, and Andrew (Ninette) Deliyannides; and seven grandchildren, Jonathan Boes, Briar Somerville, Anastasia Deliyannides, Daniel Brodkin, Immanuel Deliyannides, Zoe Brodkin, and Olivia Deliyannides. He is preceded in death by his loving wife of 60 years, Barbara, by son John S. Deliyannides, Jr., and by sisters Anna, Eleni, and Clio.
Friends and family will be received on Thursday, July 12 at the WILLIAM F. GROSS FUNERAL HOME, 11735 Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 from 3:00 – 7:00pm followed by a memorial service at 7:00 p.m. On Friday, July 13 friends and family will be received at the PALMER FUNERAL HOME HICKEY CHAPEL, 17131 Cleveland Rd, South Bend, IN 46635 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, July 14 at 11:00am at SOUTHLAWN CEMETERY, 61300 U.S. 31 South, South Bend, IN 46614. Everyone please meet at the cemetery. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Christian Education Fund of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Rd., Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539.