John T. Hitchens

John Thomas "Jack" Hitchens, age 91, of Lansdale, PA, died May 13, 2026. He was the beloved husband of the late Elaine Hitchens with whom he shared 62 years of marriage.

The son of John Lynn Hitchens and Clara Mae Brickhouse, he was born November 25, 1934, in Philadelphia, PA. He graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia in 1952 and attended Houghton University in New York for two years before transferring to West Virginia Wesleyan, where he graduated with degrees in Chemistry and Biology in 1956. He subsequently attended the University of Virginia Medical School for two years before starting his career in pharmacology with the National Drug Company in Philadelphia.

He married Elaine Marie Sigmund on August 11, 1961, and together they raised three children: Karen Lynn, John Kenneth, and Thomas Kevin. In 1964, the family moved from Philadelphia to Willow Grove, PA, where they lived for 50 years before the couple relocated to Brittany Pointe Estates in Lansdale, PA.

Jack devoted more than three decades to Wyeth Laboratories in Radnor, PA, where he built a distinguished career in clinical research before transitioning to clinical finance. A man of wide-ranging talents and interests, Jack approached every hobby with enthusiasm and curiosity. Deeply musical, he played guitar, mandolin, banjo, hammered dulcimer, piano, and trumpet. He played trumpet with a church ensemble and later enjoyed playing big band and swing music with the Brittany Boys for ten years. He was also an avid card player who especially enjoyed cribbage, pinochle, hearts, and bridge – for which he was proud to have earned master points.

Jack and Elaine shared a love of learning, art, and travel. Together they studied the Italian language for nearly a decade and traveled extensively in Italy and throughout Europe. They held a great appreciation of fine art and were talented painters themselves. A longtime member of the National Audubon Society, Jack was an enthusiastic birder who also loved botany and gardening. In earlier years, he was active in the Boy Scouts of America and Toastmasters International and enjoyed playing golf and tennis.

He is survived by his daughter Karen and sons Kenneth and Kevin (Moira) all of Pittsburgh, PA; six grandchildren, Alexandra Masker, Manassas, VA; Abigail Greenblatt, Holly Springs, NC; Zachary Anderson, Norfolk, VA; Victoria Anderson, New York, NY; Gavin Hitchens and Liam Hitchens, Pittsburgh, PA; and two great grandchildren.

A private celebration of life will be planned for a later date.