John M Papalia

John M. Papalia of New York, NY died suddenly and unexpectedly on May 21st, 2022 at the age of 50. Beloved husband of Alison and loving father to Jack. Caring brother of Lisa and Christa. Brother-in-law of Maria and Van, and uncle of Ashley and Kate. He was predeceased by his parents, Ellen G. and Joseph W. Papalia.

John studied at Cornell University where he met lifelong friends as a member of TKE Fraternity. An avid learner, he defended his Ph.D. at the University of Delaware in Materials Science & Engineering and held a postdoctoral research position at Princeton University in Chemical Engineering. John is remembered as an insightful researcher, mentor and trusted colleague as a Research Scientist at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Lab.

John and Alison married in 2005 and together they created a life with family and friendships to cherish. While John was accomplished academically and professionally, there was no role more important to him than being Jack’s Dad. John was proud of Jack every second of every day.

He filled our lives with his humor and bright smile and was generous with his time, always willing to help colleagues, friends, and family alike. He enjoyed figuring out how anything and everything worked, bicycling, woodworking, and coaching West Side Little League. He was happiest spending the day with his family on a boat in Maine.

John was a unique combination of smart and witty, kind and thoughtful, hardworking and always full of love for his family. He is deeply loved and deeply missed.