John Gerald Cioffi

John Gerald Cioffi, 100, was born May 10, 1919 to the late Carmine and Jennie Della Cerra Cioffi, in Rochester, NY. My father always said that his obituary should only say ‘John Cioffi loved God, his wife and family’. Sum total. Sorry, Dad, there’s more to be said. After graduating from University of Rochester, class of 1940, he served in the USN at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, where he met Mom. Then he worked at Symington Gould in the chemical control laboratory as a metals analyst. There he did quality control and research projects. After receiving his MEd in 1951, he taught high school biology, chemistry physics at Rouses Point High School in Rouses Point, NY, where he also worked part time in a grocery store as a butcher and salesman, and part time at the local movie theater – back in the reel to reel days. He moved the family to Long Island where he taught at Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore, NY. In 1959, he took a teaching position at Rhinebeck Central High School in Rhinebeck, NY, where he remained until his retirement in 1979. After retirement, he spent many years volunteering at Ferncliff Nursing Home and Northern Dutchess Hospital. After school, he would meet his mother at the theater – back when you could sit watching newsreels and the featured film as many times as you wanted (for 5 or 10 cents!). She would pack a lunch and they would sit for hours eating together and watching movies. So began his great love of all things theatrical – movies, opera, ballet and live theater! Those loves continued until the past few months when he was no longer able to get out at will. He did, however, continue to watch ballet on YouTube – some of the dancers, like Baryshnikov, he had seen in person on the NY stage. From his father he learned the joy of gardening and there were always 2 huge gardens at our home – 1 dedicated to vegetables and 1 to flowers. I can still smell the gladiolas fresh cut on the table. And roses. And azaleas. And…zucchini. Tomatoes. Peppers. He retired before mom, so he took over the cooking and baking – except pie crust. Mom was the queen of that realm of baking. He made chocolate candies, brownies, cookies, cakes and breads. He always said that bread baking was a good form of anger management – you could take out all of your frustration kneading the dough! Homemade, simmer on the stove all day, pasta sauce! He read books galore. When we had to move him out of his apartment, we donated 31 boxes of books and DVDs to the local library. There were many duplicates – he explained that since no one told him not to, he could buy whatever and however many he wanted. Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends were gifted with books. After Mom retired, they went on trips – U.K., Ireland, Switzerland, Italy – they had wonderful times and carried those memories with them. Mom took copious notes and typed them all into trip journals. The one place he wanted to visit and never did (but it’s written on his ‘bucket list’) was Scotland. His other great love and talent was picking winning horses! My parents and extended family spent many a July day at Saratoga watching the thoroughbreds. He never bet more than $2, but the majority of his picks were winners! Like everything else he did, he read about them, studied their parentage, and then chose wisely. As an aside – all thoroughbreds have January 1 as their birthday – he considered himself a thoroughbred, so on January 1, you’d better be calling him to wish him a happy birthday. Technically, to his way of thinking, he did live to be 101! In the words of his granddaughter, Meg Cioffi, “Pop was an intelligent, loving, sweet man and everyone who met him loved him instantly; he just had that quality of … making people feel like they were at home in his company.” He was married to his wonderful wife, Mary Blythe O’Leary Cioffi from June 22, 1946 to February 20, 2014, almost 68 years, until her death. He was a one-woman man and loved her until his final breath. John is survived by his children Jane Baker (Richard); Steve Cioffi (Debbie) and daughter in law, Nancy Mountain; grandchildren, Michelle Juranic (Amanda), Julie Cioffi (Susan), Brian Cioffi (Bri), Megan Cioffi, Nicole Cioffi and Pam Reeves (Andy) and great grandchildren, Jack Ferraro, Kessler Cioffi, Winter Cioffi, Mady Carlozzi, Emily Janiak, and Annabeth Janiak. He also leaves several much-loved nieces and nephews and special friends. In addition to his parents, 2 sisters (Pat Fanny) and 1 brother (Dom), John was preceded in death by his wife, Mary and son John, Jr. (Jack). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Community Home Care Hospice, 1231 N Main St, Lillington, NC 27546 or your charity of choice. Due to the current circumstances, the family is holding a private service now with a burial in Red Hook, NY to follow. There will be a Celebration of John’s life at a later date for all to attend. Condolences may be made to the family at www.bryan-leefuneralhome.com.