Lino John Marcon, 95, of Spring, Texas, passed away June 30, 2025. He was born Jan. 21, 1930, in Coniston, Ont., to the late Emilio Marcon and Angela Spinazzè. He was known as Lino to some, John to others, and Dad and Nonno to the family.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Elizabeth Marcon (nee Fraser); brother, Norman Marcon; daughter, Margaret Angelina Marcon; daughter, Jane Madeline (Brady) Whitfield; son, Christopher Anthony Marcon; son, Michael Fraser (Angela Kay) Marcon; daughter, Maureen Elizabeth Marcon; granddaughters, Sarah Marie Goodman, Shana Marie Marcon, Virginia Margaret Marcon; and Sophia Marie Marcon, grandsons, Mathew Fraser Marcon and John Michael Fedorko; great-granddaughters, Joy Goodman, Nora Goodman, and Evangeline Bown; and great-grandson, Ryker Bown.
John attended Copper Cliff Public and High School in Copper Cliff, Ont., before enrolling in Queen’s in 1949, where he earned a degree in civil engineering in 1952. He began his career with the Canadian National Research Council in Ottawa. During this time, he was recruited to the farm team of the Ottawa Rough Riders, a semi-professional Canadian football team. Unfortunately, a skiing accident and a broken ankle ended his athletic pursuits.
In the summer of 1954, while at the Ottawa Yacht Club, John met Liz, the woman who would become his lifelong partner of 68 years. He joined Perini Canada and worked on major engineering projects in Elliot Lake, Ont.; Bersimis, Que.; and Chute-des-Passes, Que. The Bersimis and Chute-des-Passes projects were part of the ALCAN hydroelectric developments. Following the project’s completion in 1959, he was transferred to Perini’s headquarters in Boston, Mass.. The couple welcomed their first three children – Peggy (Toronto), Jane (Chute-des-Passes), and Chris (Framingham, Mass.) during this time.
John later joined Olin Matheson, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and in 1961, he and Liz relocated with their family to Alton, Ill., where he worked at the Olin Brass Mill. Their children, Mike and Maureen, were born there. From 1968 onward, John's work as senior project manager took the family across the eastern U.S. to several cities, overseeing the engineering and construction of large-scale capital projects. In 1972, the family settled in Lake Charles, Lo., where John managed the construction of a major chemical facility for Olin. He remained with Olin until his retirement in 1993.
In retirement, John discovered a passion for woodcarving and pursued it as a second career. He and Liz also traveled extensively, visiting numerous countries and making several memorable trips to San Fior and Castello Roganzuolo, the hometowns of his ancestors in the province of Treviso, Italy.
John and Liz were faithful parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Lake Charles. John was instrumental in supporting the church in their various facility construction and maintenance efforts. This included the construction and maintenance of the OLQH retirement center – Villa Maria. John had a strong admiration for Monsignor Irving DeBlanc, longtime pastor of Our Lady Queen of Heaven and provided companionship and support for Monsignor DeBlanc in his retirement.
After two devastating hurricanes struck Lake Charles in 2020, John and Liz relocated to Spring, Tex., to be closer to their children.