John William Diambri was born at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, to William Diambri and Ione (Johnson) Diambri, on March 26, 1963. He passed away on November 2, 2017.
Raised in Renton, Washington, on Monterey Terrace; John attended Sartori Grade School, McKnight Middle School and Lindbergh High School. John and his devoted parents traveled the country in their R.V. every summer during his childhood, contributing to John’s precise understanding of the country’s geography. The Diambri family also became known fixtures at Pacific Beach on the Washington coast. John worked for the Renton Parks Department each summer as a teenager.
In high school, John was honored to play football for his father. A well-known and lauded High School football coach. John worked hard to earn the position of quarterback #14 and became the 1981 North Puget Sound Athletic Scholar. His other notable high school accomplishments include; National Merit Scholar, member of the National Honor Society, lettering in football and tennis. He was also recognized as the 1980 Masonic Junior. An honor he carried throughout his life. John was bi-lingual and a MENSA member upon graduation.
John attended the University of Washington, Chemical Engineering school. He graduated first in his class, Magna Cum Laude, Tau Beta Pi, in 1985. During John’s college years he worked each summer at Northwestern Glass, on the bottling line, in West Seattle.
One of John’s most treasured memories of his college career-was returning to his old high school grid iron to coach alongside his father at Lindbergh.
Following college graduation, in June of 1985, he took his first position as a Process Engineer at the Chevron Richmond Oil Refinery. He resided in San Rafael, Marin County, California until late 1987. He then returned to the Pacific Northwest and married Alice Puhich, on July 8, 1988 at St James Cathedral in Seattle, WA.
John and Alice made their first home in Bellingham Washington, where John accepted an Account Executive position with Nalco Chemical. In Bellingham, John also served on the Board of Directors at the Industrial Credit Union. He also joined Birchwood Presbyterian church and began his avocation; as a Football Official for the Whatcom, Skagit, Island Counties High School Officials Association. Along with his wife, he supported the The ACT theater in Seattle, Bellingham Theater Guild and the WomenCare Shelter, where Alice was a member of the board. Their daughter Sarah Elizabeth Diambri was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham, on September 13, 1993.
John then received a promotion and the family moved to Vancouver Washington where they resided in Ashley Heights. Almost immediately after which, their son, Michael Diambri was born on February 13,1996.
In January 1997, John accepted another promotion that brought the family to Naperville, Illinois for Nalco Chemical’s marketing division. The Diambri’s built their home and resided in Stillwater, Naperville. The family joined Naperville Presbyterian Church. In Naperville, he could also be seen coaching Sarah’s soccer team’s and Michaels t-ball team’s for the Wheatland-Salem Athletic Association. John and Alice were determined to explore the rest of the country from this position in the heartland. They set out to bring their children to all 50 states. In addition, John’s business brought him to many corners of the world, allowing them to expose their children to different cultures.
In late 2002, John accepted a position with Ashland Inc. This brought the family back to the Northwest, so they could attend to John’s ailing father. John and his dad’s tremendous passion for football had been bringing them together every Sunday night during football season, no matter where John landed on the globe, to discuss the previous week’s high school, college and professional results. They did this until the time of his father’s passing. John and Alice chose to make their new home in Gig Harbor’s Eagle Crest Neighborhood, in January of 2003.
During John’s tenure with Ashland, he contributed to the development of revolutionary chemical processes. These improved the marketability of sustainable products resulting in several patents.
In 2007, John and Alice started a sustainable chemical marketing business, IBG. In 2008 they partnered with John Craig and his colleagues at Weatherly Inc. in Bellevue Washington. These organizations worked together to produce and market sustainable chemical solutions. They were later joined by James and Belinda Smith of DuPont, Washington and made strides alongside Smith’s company, Exponential Potential.
John was also a member of Fox Island Alliance Church and Gig Harbor Rotary. John and Alice’s children attended Lighthouse Christian School and Tacoma Baptist High School. John attended every field trip and served on the Lighthouse Christian High School exploration committee. He was known as a generous benefactor. John also coached soccer for the Peninsula Athletic Association. He was a lifelong golfer, avid marksman, fisherman, racquet sport enthusiast and skier. In his final years, John could be seen at the Bellevue Club, most Thursday mornings, playing ping pong. Most of all, he enjoyed being a season ticket holder for the Seahawks, Mariners and Huskies alongside his dear college professors and friends.
John is survived by his children; Sarah (Diambri) Javorsky of Montana State University and Michael Diambri of Pacific Lutheran University. Also survived by Alice Diambri, Ione (Johnson)Diambri, sister and brother -in-law; Jeanette Puhich-Foulger and Cragun Foulger, niece and nephew Sarah and Austin Foulger. Additionally survived by Paul Spika (Friendly Exchange of Guatemala, exchange student). He is also survived by his large extended family of loving cousins, of the Diambri, Tomich, Grimm, Sasten and Puhich families. His father, William Diambri preceded him in death, in 2003.
He’ll be remembered for his persuasive business skills, boundless faith, pursuit of knowledge, and his passion for football.