FRANKLIN
John Michael Chiarotti, 75, passed away November 30, 2020. He was a long time resident of Franklin, Indiana. John was born in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 1945. He was the son of Anita (Belloni) and Sesto Chiarotti. He was a first generation Italian-American.
John attended Madison Heights High School in Madison Heights, Michigan where he was a four sport athlete. Upon graduation, he was offered a football scholarship to Franklin College.
Having never seen the campus, and his only other option being the GI Bill, he boarded a Greyhound bus and headed south to Franklin.
A member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, John earned varsity letters in football and track. He served as captain of the football team for two years and was twice named 1st team All Conference as a linebacker. In 1965, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and received the Franklin Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Player Award. He earned the Wil B. Nelp Award in 1967 as the College’s Outstanding Senior Athlete.
Academically, John majored in economics and business with minors in mathematics and French. He graduated in 1967, after having received the Wall Street Journal Award as the College’s top student in economics and business.
Upon completion of his master’s degree at Indiana State University, John returned to Franklin College in 1968 as a coach and professor of business and economics. In 1968, John coached the Men’s Tennis team to its first winning season in school history and in 1976, coached track and field stand-out Dave Lyon to All American Honors in the javelin.
However, John is best remembered as the Defensive Coordinator of Stewart “Red” Faught’s 1968-1979 football teams. During those 11 years, Franklin enjoyed 9 winning seasons and was twice selected for post season games winning the 1970 Mineral Waterbowl and reaching the final four of the NAIA playoffs in 1972. The Chiarotti led defensive unit held their opponents to 10.6 pts/contest and only allowed 5 rushing TDs in 10 games. Off the field, John was selected as Vice President of Finance for Franklin College in 1971 at only 26 years of age, a position he held until entering private business in 1980.
John joined Amos Hill Veneer in Edinburgh, Indiana as General Manager in 1984 and retired as President in 2007. He would spend the next 13 years with Amos Hill as an Executive Advisor.
Since its inception in 1986, John has served as President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Elba L. and Gene Portteus Branigin Foundation which has given millions of dollars to non-profit organizations throughout Johnson County.
His awards and accomplishments are numerous: Distinguished Hoosier Award, Franklin College Athletic Hall of Fame 1993, American Football Coaches Association honorary member, founding member of the Franklin College Touchdown Club, Franklin College Alumni Citation for Lifetime Achievement, Franklin College Board of Trustees, Franklin College Alumni Council, the Johnson County Community Foundation Spirit Award, and John Chiarotti Day in Franklin, Indiana. He has been recognized for his giving to many organizations in Johnson County – such as, Leadership Johnson County, Girls Inc., and the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin. He was a member of the Franklin Elks Lodge #1818 and 57 year member of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.
John’s service and dedication to his community will be greatly missed as he was respected, loved and admired by many people. John leaves a lasting legacy on his community and was a positive influence in thousands of lives.
John was preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his sister, Roseann (Maurice “Mick”) Lyle of Grand Junction, CO., his daughter, Kristen (Matt) Prusiecki, and his son John (Jody) Chiarotti, of Greenwood, Indiana, as well as his four grandchildren Luke (18) and Mia (14) Prusiecki and Alexis (9) and Tyler (7) Chiarotti, two nephews Hagen (Carolyn) Lyle, Cullen (Mckenzie) Lyle both residing in Colorado, along with many beloved cousins and beloved friend Deanna Jacquay.
On Friday, December 11th at 10 am a restricted, private mass will be held at St. Rose of Lima. A live stream of the event is planned through YouTube – search St. Rose of Lima Church of Franklin. Around 11:30 am, a procession will begin from St. Rose to Franklin College. Anyone not in attendance for the funeral can join the procession. The route will go from Jefferson St through downtown Franklin to Branigan Blvd ending at the gates to Red Faught Stadium. Upon arrival, John will have a blessing and will lie in repose outside the gates of the football field until about 2pm. The public is welcomed during this time to join and pay respects by driving by or parking and taking some time to spend with John while masked and maintaining social distancing. Around 2pm, John will then be taken to Amos Hill in Edinburgh where again he will lie in repose for a couple of hours. This again is open to the public while maintaining covid protocol. The family would like to thank Flinn and Maguire Funeral Home, the City of Franklin, Franklin College, St. Rose of Lima, and Amos Hill for enabling the family to honor John in this manner. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John’s memory can be made to the Franklin College Touchdown Club.
John Chiarotti – “No matter what you do in life, you do it to the highest standards of which you are capable.”
