A CELEBRATION OF LIFE

John Bernard Picchiottino (Pitch)

(7/11/1936–1/1/2025)

THE WORLD JUST GOT A LITTLE LESS INVENTIVE WITH THE PASSING OF JOHN PICCHIOTTINO ON JANUARY 1, 2025, AT THE AGE OF 88.

A casual celebration of John’s unique life will be held on January 26th from 12:30 to 2:00 at 201 Main St. in Longmont, CO. Bring your best stories, because John wouldn’t want it to be a dull affair.

John spent his life tinkering, problem-solving, and dreaming up solutions to problems most of us didn’t even know we had. A true original, he was a mix of mad scientist, genius inventor, and unapologetic eccentric. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin John was an excellent student who loved solving problems and received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from University of Wisconsin, then went on to receive his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Southern California University.

John always had a love of technology and had a summer internship with IBM. He then worked for Hughes Aircraft, who not only employed him, but paid for his master’s degree. He then went on to work for Ball Aerospace, who relocated him to Boulder. John was instrumental in developing some of the first modems. John decided to strike out on his own and formed Biofeedback Systems in 1970. This was a pivotal point that would have an everlasting impact on his life and the lives of his family.

Throughout his life, John was obsessed with creating new and inventive ways to use biofeedback systems to help people learn to use the mind body connection to control pain, breathing patterns, and muscle responses. In the 1970s John co-created Twilight Learning Technology with his partner the late Psychologist, Thomas Budzynski. Twilight learning utilizes EEG neurofeedback to train the brain to enter a theta rhythm state. Once in the theta brain state subjects are hyper suggestible which leads to enhanced learning in “twilight brain states”. John believed that this drug free method of therapy would revolutionize treatment for people suffering from PTSD or alcoholism and would be a groundbreaking development in psychotherapy. Most of us have heard of Twilight Learning, and John’s obsession with getting his product to market but most of us likely didn’t actually understand most of what he was saying. (It’s still confusing everyone at the patent office). John was happiest when he was at his office/workshop, surrounded by tools, half-finished prototypes, and reams of paper where he kept his ideas for past, present and future inventions and equations only he could decipher.

John didn’t just invent things; he turned everyday life into an experiment. From his microwave “cure” for Covid to his creative use of space heaters to heat the house, he kept everyone guessing—and occasionally ducking for cover.

John leaves behind the love of his life, his wife, Marilyn. John and Marilyn met one night at the Matterhorn Club south of Boulder. He asked her to dance, and they danced for the next 57 years. They loved sunsets and holding hands. They loved concerts and picnics. They loved Friday night dinners with friends and Sunday morning breakfasts. John always told mom that “she made his heart soar like a hawk.” She felt the same.

John is survived by his brother, Paul Picchiottino, his three children Doug, Kathy and Angela, and his four stepchildren, Patrick, Callee, Jaimee, and Darcee all of whom inherited at least a fraction of his love for exploration, scientific fascination, wit, brilliance, and for thinking outside the box.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the SAE Foundation (https://www.saefoundation.org… is the only organization with a comprehensive continuum of “Pre-K through College” Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs. Or if you prefer you can donate to a fund for batteries and duct tape, which John believed could fix anything.

While John is no longer here to challenge physics or rewire the toaster, his ideas, inventions, and spirit will live on—most likely in the patents office and definitely in the hearts of those who knew him.

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