John J. Gioia, 90, passed away Tuesday, October 24, 2017. The Rosary will be prayed at 4 p.m. followed by Visitation from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 27, at St. Therese Catholic Church, 7207 NW Hwy 9, Kansas City, MO 64152. The Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Saturday, October 28, at the Church. Entombment will be at Resurrection Mausoleum, Kansas City North. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Northeast Community Center.

John was born June 10, 1927, in Kansas City, MO, to the late Frank and Anna (Consolo) Gioia, immigrants from Sicily.

He earned his B.A. with majors in Economics and Education in 1949 from Park College and his master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  He began his teaching career at the junior high in Butler, Mo. and returned to Kansas City where he taught in the Social Studies Department at Park Hill High School for over 30 years.   He was a member and served as President of the Park Hill National Education Association and worked to develop a sick leave and early retirement program for the district.  John, known as Mr. G-one-O-one-A to his students, was named Park Hill Teacher of the Year for 1986-1987.  In 1987, Money magazine named Park Hill High School as one of the top 10 schools in the nation with great courses in personal finance as a result of the curriculum developed and taught by John.  In honor of the district's 50 ^th anniversary in 2001, he was recognized as one of Park Hill's 50 Heroes.

After retiring from Park Hill, John joined MetLife Resources providing financial planning services.  He was known for putting the interests of his clients first and was recognized by MetLife with several awards for his professional dedication and commitment to quality and excellence.

John was an active member of St. Therese Parish since 1959 where he was a Charter Member of the Knights of Columbus Council and served as coordinator of the high school Religious Education program for 14 years.

John never stopped teaching and he shared his passion for learning with each person he met.  His philosophy was not to teach facts, but to teach one how to think and to encourage the love of learning.  He was a people person who loved to share the poetry he wrote and to make children laugh by talking like Donald Duck.

John was preceded in death in September by his loving wife of 58 years, Dolores; and his sister, Marie Pena. He is survived by his children, Lisa Gioia, and John Gioia and Brent Allen; sisters, Virginia Gioia, Josephine Gautieri; brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Karen Gioia; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, John Flackmiller, Delbert and Janice Flackmiller, and Edward Burgess; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

The family offers a special thank you to the staff of Bishop Spencer Place for their care.

Condolences may be offered at www.passantinobros.com