Butler priest remembered as a ‘gifted homilist’
Jack Hutchinson met Father John Ayoob at a young age, when the Catholic priest would come to the Hutchinson residence for dinners.
“He was always such a joy to talk to,” Hutchinson said. “He was a gentle, gentle man, and very easy to talk to and gave you very good advice.”
Ayoob died Jan. 4 at age 86, while swimming in a pool on a cruise ship. He paused his swimming to gaze up at the sky as he drew his last breath, according to his obituary.
Hutchinson said the world lost a well-meaning person who had delivered advice and wisdom to many others through his work in churches across Western Pennsylvania.
Ayoob was born in Aliquippa and always said he was “just a middle-class kid from Aliquippa,” his obituary said. Among his many assignments to churches in the region, Ayoob had worked at Holy Sepulcher Roman Catholic Church in Middlesex Township in the 1960s, which is how he became acquainted with Hutchinson and his family, Hutchinson said.
According to Hutchinson, Ayoob was a “gifted homilist” as a priest and was always able to condense his lessons and wisdom into a five-minute speech.
Ayoob received the Jaycees Distinguished Service Award in 1972, and the club later established the Father John Ayoob Humanitarian Award in his honor.
Ayoob also had worked with children at the Irene Stacy Community Mental Health Center, which provided outpatient and residential mental health care mainly to children, until 2016. Hutchinson said Ayoob’s well-spoken manner translated well to working with children.
“He was a counselor there,” Hutchinson said of the mental health center. “He had a unique way of putting something in perspective.”
Ayoob also served as the director of mental heath in Butler County, while also serving as vice chancellor to Bishop Leonard in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, according to his obituary.
Hutchinson also noted Ayoob’s friendships with Butler locals, including Larry Berg, with whom he played tennis and enjoyed many a dinner; and Francis Cassey, whom he worked with at Holy Sepulcher church.
Hutchinson kept in touch with Ayoob as much as possible in recent years, even as the reverend moved to Pittsburgh about 15 years ago. Hutchinson said it was more difficult to communicate with Ayoob over the past 20 years or so, because he lost his hearing, which was particularly sad because he was a longtime jazz pianist.
“He was assigned to St. John's in Lyndora before it became consolidated. I knew he was there, and I would swing by and see him every once in a while,” Hutchinson said. “Once he moved to Pittsburgh, we would still have phone calls.”
His obituary is on Page 9.
