As the new year begins, the media roll out their annual tributes to the rich and famous who’ve passed on.

But I’d rather tell you about one of the wealthiest fellows I ever met — John Swiatek, who died in 2009 just shy of his 84th birthday.

John was born in 1925, the only son in a family with five daughters. His family lived in a row house on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

He was just five when the Depression hit, and his family struggled for years. He didn’t know the joy of indoor plumbing until he was in his teens.

By financial measures, his family was poor, but John didn’t know it. The family had a roof over its head, enough food to eat — it had laughter and caring neighbors.

He graduated from high school in 1942 at 17 and passed on a scholarship to play college basketball to enlist in the Navy.

World War II was underway. He was on a ship in the South........

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