John Aloise Sattel

John Aloise Sattel, 93 years old, of Henderson Nevada passed away on July 5, 2020 in his home.

John was born in Neustadt, Germany, to Franz Sattel and Eva Thomas Sattel, on August 30th, 1926.

John immigrated to the United States at age 3.  After returning from his World War Two military duty served in Japan, he graduated from LaSalle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

John was married to Constance Elaine Wrigley on July 1, 1953 in Pleasantville, New Jersey.

John was preceded in death by his beloved wife Connie, his brothers Eugene and Frank Sattel, and by his sister Edith. 

John is survived by his children Mark (Jill), Kathleen, John (Sue), Anita (Steven), Robin, and Thomas, as well as his sister Margaret, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The family of John A. Sattel wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Del Gardner, Nurse Yolee, Pro-Care Hospice, care assistants Joseph and Zena, and a special thanks to Jacob Sattel.

John Aloise Sattel was a devout Roman Catholic, a man of great personal integrity, strength, courage, and generosity. 

John’s father was master sergeant decorated with the highest attainable honors of the German army from World War One, and a meat butcher by trade in his civilian life.  Once he moved the family to the United States, they became US citizens and John served the United States Army in the Japan theater during World War Two. 

Having grown up as an immigrant in tough neighborhoods, John and his brothers needed to learn to fight.   There seemed to be no end to the challengers, and there were many fights.  John never lost in any of those fights.   One time he and his brother Eugene found themselves in a fight with the other team in a baseball game.  The rest of his team did not participate in the fight.  So, John and Gene took on the entire other team by themselves.  The other team was no match for John and Gene.  In the army, a friend of his would set up boxing matches, no doubt taking bets.  John never lost a single boxing match.

John may have been a formidable force to his enemies, but to his family he was a quiet and gentle man.  He only raised his voice at the television while watching the Chicago Bears.  He took his sons golfing and fishing, and took the family on memorable vacations to visit family and go to the beach.  Each day he would drive to the homes of his nieces and nephews and squeeze them in to the car with his own six children, and take them to the beach.  These are cherished memories for each and all, and the stories are still shared among the cousins. 

But the best stories were told at family gatherings, and were treasured by every listener.  John and his siblings had a colorful childhood and young adulthood, filled with characters that one could not invent.  Family reunions during vacations were filled with laughter and the most entertaining stories that all the listeners believe that wonderful movies should be made from them. 

With a background in manufacturing, John became the Vice President of Operations at Spacesaver Corporation, a manufacturer of mobile shelving and storage systems.  (Think of rows of shelving on rails, where there is only one movable aisle, essentially doubling storage space.)   John’s career success was built upon an unmatched work ethic, impeccable integrity, and a commitment to people. Each day he was the first one to arrive and the last person to leave.  He would walk the entire plant every day, saying hello to each employee by name.  His people loved him dearly.  The company had a worldwide network of independent area contractors.  These were an ambitious and impatient breed of business people.  John always treated their concerns with complete commitment to their satisfaction, whether they were nice or not.   When his retirement was announced at his final area contractors meeting, the entire group of independent area contracts gave him a fifteen-minute standing ovation.   Such an honor is unlikely to ever be matched.  

John was a great man.  He is celebrated, and mourned, by those who loved him.