F. John Romeo

Francis John Romeo, 92, of Homosassa, FL, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, Lakeland, FL. A 62 year Long Island resident, he was born Sept. 22, 1924 to Giovanni and Mary (Houghton) Romeo, of Great Neck, NY, one of two children. John, as he was known to everyone, moved to Homosassa in 1987 from Commack, NY. As a licensed insurance agent and holder of a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation most of his working life, he was the former owner of Davis and Romeo, Inc. of Great Neck, NY. John honorably and proudly defended his country serving in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant during WWII. After the war, he returned to Fordham University to finish his undergraduate work, achieving his BA degree. Years later he would complete a Master’s in Education from Hofstra University, as well as numerous post graduate courses in underwriting and financial planning. John’s lifelong passion for hiking and the outdoors led him to membership in the New York Chapter of the Green Mountain Club of Vermont. He was very proud of the fact that he had achieved the status of “End to End” by hiking, over a number of years, the entire length of Vermont’s Long Trail. Vermont was always a special place for him and he eventually bought a small cabin on Lake Rescue in Ludlow, Vermont where the entire extended family would spend part of their summers. John was an avid golfer and played at courses in Europe (including St. Andrews), Canada and Bermuda and was a member of many golf clubs during his lifetime, including Indian Hills in Northport, New York, Nassau Country Club, Sugarmill Woods Golf and Country Club in Homosassa, Florida, and the Woodstock Country Club in Woodstock, Vermont. John was also a wonderful singer and guitar player and, in addition to singing in bands as a young man, he was always a member of the church choir. He was a Rotarian for more than 60 years and held a membership in the Homosassa Springs Rotary Club and the West Citrus Elks Lodge. He also loved to cook and created many handmade wooden birdhouses in his workshop. John was a parishioner of St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church in Homosassa, Florida. John is survived by his wife of 61 years, Moira C. Romeo, Homosassa, FL and their five children: son John Romeo (Noeline), Garden City, NY; son Peter Romeo (Peggy), Stonington, CT; daughter Elisabeth Romeo Tracy (J. Michael), Lakeland, FL; son Thomas Romeo, New York, NY; daughter Kathryn Romeo Bochman (Michael), Plymouth, MA; niece Mary Ann Campbell, Berkeley, CA; nephew John Campbell, Winnetka, IL; his seven grandchildren: Sarah Romeo (fiance Nathaniel Matthews), Long Branch, NJ; William Hamel Romeo, Burlington, VT; F. Joseph Tracy, Lakeland, FL; Jane Catherine Tracy, New York, NY; John Michael Bochman, Redwood City, CA; Andrew James Bochman, New York, NY and Mary Kathryn Bochman, Plymouth, MA. In addition to his parents, Mr. Romeo was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Elizabeth Campbell. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 at 10:30 A.M. from St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church, Homosassa, FL with Fr. Ronald Marecki, Celebrant. Military honors will be rendered in front of the church following the mass. Interment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, John’s family requests that memorial contributions be made to Smile Train, 41 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10010. Wilder Funeral Home, Homosassa, FL www.wilderfuneral.com