John Michael Cocco

Born in Maynard, Massachusetts, on September 18, 1937 – to Luigi and Francesca Cocco of Abruzzi, Italy – as a young man Dr. Cocco witnessed the passing of both his father and brother at early ages from lung disease and cancer, respectively. These events would motivate him to pursue his passion for the practice of medicine. As God would have it, this shy yet naturally gifted young man went on to become a highly talented and experienced physician, an esteemed member of the Greater Los Angeles medical community, and a superhero of sorts to his patients and family.

John had a curious mind, an insatiable desire to learn, and a love for critical thinking. Growing up as an Italian boy in a town populated by families from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds, he came to appreciate the customs, religions, and languages of others. Ultimately, he would learn to speak at least four languages fluently and understand more than a dozen. John attended Dartmouth College, earning an Ivy League Bachelor of Arts degree with high distinction in 1959. He went on to attend the School of Medicine at Canada's highly esteemed McGill University, where he earned a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (MDCM) degree in 1963. Dr. Cocco continued to thrive academically and professionally and, at age twenty-seven, was invited to join the McGill University School of Medicine faculty. He completed his first internship and residency at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital and a second residency in pulmonary medicine at the Bronx Municipal Hospital in New York before becoming a Neurological Research Fellow at the Montreal Neurological Hospital. He also worked at the world-renowned McGill International Tuberculosis Centre and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Jacobi Hospital in New York City.

In August of 1968, Dr. Cocco's civilian career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Air Force to serve our country. As a Major in the U. S. Air Force, Dr. Cocco was stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, Vietnam where he was second in command in charge of healthcare in the region. He conducted many dangerous medical missions on the front lines and oversaw the care and transport of patients, a particularly dangerous responsibility in that the base was the primary target of numerous major Viet Cong attacks during the 1968 Tet Offensive. During his time at war, Major Cocco communicated with his family in Boston via carefully recorded microcassette tapes intended to muffle the sounds of nearby bombs which could often still be heard in the background.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Dr. Cocco married his high school sweetheart, Brenda Louise Dreschler, at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in October of 1969. Shortly after that, the couple headed for California, where, he became licensed in Internal and Pulmonary medicine. Over the next sixty years, he served the medical community as a staff member of numerous hospitals, as a research director, as a consultant to many nursing homes, and as the owner of his own medical practice. He treated patients at Golden State Memorial Hospital, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Vista Community Health Center, LARC Ranch (for the developmentally disabled), and Allied Health Solutions, to name a few. From a medical professional's perspective, Dr. Cocco's extensive experience in all facets of medicine – primary and acute care, research, hospital and clinical settings – treating everyone, including the poor, elderly, and the mentally challenged, amounted to a lifetime of service which, when coupled with the leadership he showed in each stage of his life, made him a greatly respected, treasured resource to both the medical community and residents of the Santa Clarita Valley, and across Los Angeles County.

Dr. Cocco was a diligent, hard-working physician who was unfailingly devoted to his patients. It was hardly unusual for him to tell a fellow hospital worker that he was going to take a short "nap" at 10 PM, signaling what he knew all too well: that the length of a nap would be all the respite that he would be afforded before the predictable and unpredictable interruptions that punctuated each of his long workdays. In addition to John's strong work ethic and knowledge of medicine, his success as a physician was also due in part to his adeptness at communicating with patients, their relatives, attending physicians, specialists, researchers, nursing staff, and health system executives alike and his willingness and ability to establish strong, meaningful, and productive rapports with each. Packed to the brim with knowledge gained through his life experiences, Dr. Cocco understood that while prescriptions often cure an illness, only a doctor can cure a patient. He appreciated, accepted, and fully embraced the unique and awesome responsibility that doctors have to be someone's hero and someone's hope. In this regard, he did not disappoint, touching thousands of lives in a truly holistic manner that is the unique hallmark of McGill's School of Medicine. You could not go out with Dr. Cocco in the Santa Clarita Valley without running into patients, colleagues, and friends who knew and loved him, each recounting how much he positively impacted their lives. Among his medical colleagues, he was affectionately and respectfully referred to as "the Pope." He was also a hero to his wife and three children, who will continue to adore and love him for eternity until they are reunited in Heaven, where he is surely singing O Sole Mio to us all.

All this being said, Dr. Cocco was not an imperfect man and was mortal, just like everyone else. Thank God he had a keen sense of humor and a unique understanding of the world that needed him so much. Those who know and love him will confirm that he wasn't a materialistic or flashy man and was well known for his bulging pockets and a wallet filled with notes sometimes held closed with rubber bands or driving around town in one of his legendary 1970s and 80's Mercedes-Benz diesels which, in total, had seemingly traveled an astonishing 1.45 million miles before being donated to the Veteran's Administration. He took fashion cues from no one and was not one to be caught up in the latest trends…he was himself, a unique character we all admired, loved, and always will adore.

Dr. Cocco had a fondness for all things Italian and was particularly proud of his heritage. He was a profoundly religious man who walked with God in life, and everything he did was with God's love in his heart. Dr. Cocco was a wonderful person who touched everyone's heart and soul. In keeping with the adage that "A doctor gives up his life to save yours," Dr. Cocco leaves behind a family who sacrificed along with him in supporting his devotion to medicine and his beloved patients. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by his wife, children, nieces, neighbors, colleagues, friends, patients, and all those who appreciated, loved, and cared for him. We wish him an everlasting, restful, peaceful, and solemn afterlife where he is reunited with family, friends, and all his glorious angels.

Understanding that the best portion of a good man's life are his little, nameless, unremembered acts of love and kindness, instead of flowers, Dr. Cocco would surely wish that you would 'pay it forward' and perform an unsolicited or unexpected act of kindness for someone in need, and never forget to 'keep the faith.”