John Titus, of Lonsdale, MN, died peacefully at the University of Minnesota Hospital on August 17, 2026, after a brief illness due to a sepsis infection related to his Crohn’s disease. He was surrounded by the love of his family and of his best friend Matt. The world has lost a truly one of a kind human.
John was born on April 1, 1958, to John Robert (Bob) and Patricia (Poleo) in Norfolk, Virginia. After living in Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts, they moved back to Newport, Rhode Island, the historic Titus home.
John was one of seven siblings, and his childhood was spent working on antique Fords with his dad, creating tiny buildings from balsa wood for his HO train layout, roaming the streets of Newport, playing basketball, and annoying his younger siblings.
After graduating from Rogers High School in 1976 at the top of his class, John earned his Bachelors and Masters degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dreaming of becoming a professor, John moved to Minnesota to pursue his PhD in mechanical engineering, studying under his beloved professor Art Erdman.
One of John’s favorite sayings was “Man plans, and God laughs”. Instead of finishing his doctorate and moving back to the East Coast, John met Kathy, fell in love, married, and had Ellen in 1993. He liked to say that Minnesota girls never leave the state, and so he was a Minnesotan for good.
After the divorce, and 10 years of bachelorhood, John went to a concert at Orchestra Hall one day. The concert series included wine and cheese before the show, and he started talking to a nice older couple in line with him. Unbeknownst to him, especially after chatting together at the second concert, the nice older lady had set her sights on him - for her daughter!
Long story short, John and Beth went on a blind date in May 2004, and got married in January of 2005, a whirlwind romance! Nora came in 2006, and John Timothy in 2007. A big, blended family with Ellen, Alex, Nora, and John!
John loved being active in his kids’ lives. He volunteered in scouts with John, robotics with Nora. He proudly attended all dance recitals, orchestra and band concerts, theater productions. He danced the Daddy/Daughter dance a couple of times, which was the highlight of those shows! Sports events were his favorite. He claimed he didn’t like soccer, but he was the proudest parent at every one of Nora’s games. Watching John follow in his footsteps in high school basketball also made him beam with pride.
John was a Master Mason (mother lodge is St. Paul’s in Middletown, Rhode Island), and a past Master of the Templar Lodge in St Louis Park Minnesota. He was a seventh-generation Mason, spanning back to at least the 1770s. He was active in the Scottish Rite, and loved both performing in and attending the degrees.
John spent the past 13 years working for Wenger Corporation in Owatonna, MN as a design engineer, and loved his job designing acoustical performance equipment for music venues and schools. Previous industry experiences included designing medical devices, fitness equipment, and early key cards.
A man of many interests and hobbies, John joined clubs and organizations including the Twin Cities chapter of the Ford V-8 club and worked at Bob’s Bluebird Orchard with his eldest children for over a decade. Railroading became John’s primary hobby in recent years. He was a certified volunteer brakeman at Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin for over 20 years. The train museum was his second home and second family, and he loved every minute he spent there, most especially when he and son John worked there together. In July 2026, John fulfilled a dream and became a certified conductor, getting to yell “All Aboard!” with a huge grin on his face.
Always up for an adventure, John was thrilled to check states 47 & 48 off his list in the past year: going to son John’s Basic Training Graduation at Fort Jackson in South Carolina, and spending the night in Oklahoma while driving home in March from Fort Huachuca in Arizona. His passion for roadside attractions and old diners took him across the USA on roadtrips that started as early in the morning as he could rouse the family. His love of learning took him to museums large and small across the USA- and he saw every museum as a personal challenge to read every word in all the exhibits, and complained for years if time did not allow.
John is survived by his wife, Beth, his children Ellen, Alex (Syd), Nora, John Timothy, and recent son-of-the-heart, Kade; his sisters Laura, of Massachusetts, and Dr. Janet (Charles), of Illinois; his brothers Jim (Deb), Joe (Kim), Dan (Diane), and Dave (Molly) of Rhode Island; and beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. Once John loved, he loved forever.
John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Patricia Titus; his mother-and father-in-law, Kathy Baker and Thomas Baker; his uncles Donnie, D. K, and Joe; his aunts Joan and Connie; and many people who touched his life. He missed them all deeply.
John’s memorial service and celebration of life will be on October 3, at 2 p.m. at Glendale United Methodist Church in Savage, Minnesota, with visitation beginning one hour prior. Light refreshments will be served after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in John’s honor to Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin or to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.