John M. Houseman passed away peacefully surrounded by family on June 10, 2020. He was born on November 1, 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Bishop John Neumann High School then served in the United States Marine Corps. John married his lifetime sweetheart, Carol Ciccone, in 1965; they enjoyed 55 wonderful years of marriage together, living life to the fullest.
John worked in the Brewing industry for 50 years, attended the Siebel Institute of Brewing in Chicago and was a member of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA), from which he received the Award of Honor. Over the course of his career, John held positions at Ortlieb’s in Philadelphia, G. Heileman Brewing Company in Baltimore, Stroh Brewing Company and D.G. Yuengling & Son Brewing Company in their Tampa Plant.
John was an active participant in Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon, Florida as well as the surrounding community. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, serving three years as Grand Knight, an Emmaus Brother and volunteered with the Nativity Food Bank and the Peanut Butter & Jelly Ministry. He also prepared and provided food weekly for the Portamento of Hope Cafe program to feed the homeless. He was a founding member of the Spirit of Cigar City Krewe.
Survivors include his wife, Carol (Ciccone) Houseman; children, John (Deb) Houseman Jr., Bill (Kathi) Houseman, Michele Houseman and Victoria Webb; grandchildren, Billy Jr. and Elisa, Frankie Mae Chambers and Nic Chambers, Joey Seay, Vincent Marcello Seay, Kaileigh Birckhead, Ryan Birckhead; great Grandchildren, Lea Chambers, Noah Chambers, Shane Houseman, Ryder Houseman; siblings, Thomas and Carol, Dennis and Grace, Michael, Edward and Sue and many loving nieces, nephews and extended family. He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Mogan and father, Thomas Houseman and one brother, Harry Houseman.
John lived a full life, touching the hearts of all he met. He was a family man, a man of faith and a true gentleman. He welcomed everyone with open arms and a beaming smile.
A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at 10:30 am, Thursday, June, 18, 2020 at Nativity Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow in Hillsboro Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nativity Catholic Church Food Bank at osvonlinegiving.com/1008
For precautionary measures we ask that guests attending the service please wear masks and practice social distancing.
Services will be live streamed on the Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home Facebook page. Please look for services to start streaming at 10:20 am in preparation for the 10:30 am Mass.
