John P John

NORWICH – John Pantelis John passed away at home on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the age of 90, surrounded by his family and carried up by the love and well wishes of all those whose lives he touched. Beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle, John is survived by his second wife, Gloria, sister Penelope Tillery, daughter Cassandra John Bosco (husband Rod) of Vienna, Virginia, son William John (wife Nancy) of Trumbull, Connecticut, and daughter Chrisanthe McCormic (husband Mike) of Bloomington, Illinois. He has two stepdaughters, Patricia Koehler of Uncasville, Connecticut, and Marilyn Houston of Clearwater, Florida. He is also survived by his many beloved grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their children.

He is predeceased by his parents Pantelis and Chresanthe (Sarantinou) John, wife Panagiota (Englezou) John, brothers Diogenes John, James John and sister Mary Mullins.

He was born on High Street in Norwich in 1924 to Greek immigrant parents just prior to the Great Depression. A member of “The Greatest Generation”, in February 1941, he left NFA high school to join the Navy and proudly became a radio man at the height of the U.S. involvement in World War II. In 1947, he became a telegraph operator for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. He later joined the FAA in Lebanon, New Hampshire, as a weather observer.

John was an Air Traffic Controller from 1950-1953 where he worked at the Buffalo tower. He later joined the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad as a tower operator. The railroad later became known as Penn Central, then Amtrak. John retired from Amtrak in 1989.

He had a passion for golf and bowling and enjoyed Greek dancing. An active Norwich citizen, he was a member of the Republican Town Committee and the Charter Revision Committee. He served as chairman of the board of the ARC New London County. A member of the Hellenic Association AHEPA, John was also a long time member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Council and was among the families that helped move the church from its original site on Boswell Avenue to its current home on Washington Street in Norwich.

A beloved man who brought joy and laughter to those around him, he will be sorely missed.

Visitation will begin at 9:30am on Wednesday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Washington Street in Norwich until the time of the service at 11am. A reception will immediately follow in the church hall. Interment with Military Honors will follow at 2pm at Maplewood Cemetery.

Memorial donations in his memory may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, PO Box 4777, NY NY 10163-4777, by calling 1-800-708-7644, or online at www.michaeljfox.org

To leave an online condolence for the family or view the memorial movie, please visit www.labenskifuneralhome.com