John Neil Minichino Sr.

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John Neil Minichino Sr.

October 18, 1945 ~ June 11, 2018

John Neil Minichino, Sr., 72, beloved husband of Suzanne, passed away June 11, 2018 at home surrounded by family in Sandy.  John fought a valiant 25-year battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

John was born on October 18, 1945, to George and Marie Jean (DiPasquale) Minichino.  He grew up in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood in south Philadelphia. Mass, Catholic school, serving as an altar boy, Boy Scouts, authentic Italian food, and delivering newspapers were staples of his childhood.  He graduated from Bishop John Neuman High School in 1963. He took advantage of the GI Bill and earned a degree in Russian from Syracuse University.  The U.S. Air Force assigned John to be a cryptologist during the Cold War.

In 1972, John hired as a special agent with ATF in Philadelphia. While off-duty for an undercover assignment in Pittsburgh, John met his future wife, Suzanne. John worked on several high-profile cases, including the Unabomber bombing at the University of Utah and MOVE (first John Africa federal case) in Philadelphia.

With his degree and experience in Russian, John was detailed from ATF over to the Secret Service for several of the US-USSR peace talks. In this capacity, John met President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and President George H.W. Bush in 1990. When the peace talks were hosted in Moscow, his family received a call from John while he was inside the Kremlin.

John retired from ATF in 1997 as the resident agent in charge for Utah. He received numerous professional awards. Shortly afterward, John began his second career as a criminal justice instructor at Salt Lake Community College.  

John loved living in the American West and lived the last 28 years of his life in Sandy.

John is survived by his wife of 45 years, Suzanne; sons John (Daché) Minichino Jr. and Michael (Jenny) Minichino; daughter Tiffany (Rawl) Wharton; sister Rosemarie Druch; nephew Leon Druch; seven grandchildren; numerous extended family members, and cherished pets.

John will be remembered as a loving husband, selfless father, doting grandfather, loyal friend, man of integrity and true American patriot.

The family would like to thank the following medical professionals:  Dr. Barclay Bigelow, Dr. Gregory Litton, Dr. Kent DiFiore, Dr. Martha Glenn, many dedicated nurses, and the staff of Millcreek Hospice.

A funeral Mass was celebrated June 20, 2018 at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. Interment was at Larkin Sunset Gardens.

Online condolences may be offered and a tribute video slideshow may be viewed at www.starksfuneral.com.