John Arthur Cable departed this life on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. He was born on Aug. 15, 1922 in Canton, Ohio. His father was Davis A. Cable, deceased in 1946, and his mother was Gail Watson Cable, deceased in 1967.

A member of the “Greatest Generation,” Cable graduated from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., with a BS degree in industrial engineering, following three years active duty in the Chemical Warfare Service of the Army.

Cable joined the United States Ceramic Tile Company in 1947, serving in various capacities until being elected chief executive officer in 1956, a position he held until he orchestrated the sale of the company in 1979. The company was a leading producer of ceramic floor and wall tile in the United States. Ultimately renamed Spartek Inc., the diversified firm also manufactured products utilizing aluminum oxide, fluorocarbon plastic, and powdered metals.

Cable held a number of patents and oversaw creation of the revolutionary “Fast-Fire” tile manufacturing process. In 1989, John became chairman of Newell Porcelain Company, Newell, W.Va., a company producing heavy-duty porcelain insulators for the electrical utility industry, serving eleven years before retirement.

Cable was a registered professional engineer in Ohio and Florida and a member of the National Society of Engineers for over 40 years.

He was a generous contributor to numerous charitable, educational and arts organizations, both personally and through the John A. Cable Foundation, which he established in 1986. He served with the United Way Fund, the YMCA Board, and other local groups. John and his wife were members of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Massillon, Ohio.

Cable was a devoted husband and father, a man of strong will who strove to live his life ethically and honorably. John’s wife, Janet, married 60 years, passed away on July 2, 2011. John is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Cable and her husband, David Lingerfelt, of Richmond, Va., and son, Philip Cable and his wife, Jennifer Siegenthaler, of Evanston, Ill.; grandchildren, Grace and Anna Cable, of Evanston; and stepgrandchildren, Sarah Little and Allyson Lingerfelt, of Richmond, and Christopher Lingerfelt, of Miami, Fla.; also, niece, Nancy Cable, of Lewiston, Me.; nephew, Davis Cable, of Charlotte, N.C.; and sister-in-law, Jane Cable, of Naples, Fla.

Jennifer and Philip would like to extend heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude to all of the wonderful caregivers who embraced John with love and care from the first: Nancy, Iolet, Anita, Mary, Larra, Alphonso, Shasta, Jennifer and Tara. We also wish to thank Catherine and her Bon Secours Hospice team for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to your favorite charity in John’s memory. Love’s redeeming work is done, fought the fight, the battle won: Alleluia!

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