John W. Remedis, Jr.

John W. Remedis, Jr., of Freetown, MA, passed away on Thursday, December 4, 2025 surrounded by family. A beloved husband, Dad Bear, Papa Bear, and Uncle, he leaves behind his wife of over 22 years, Linda Hope (Folcik) Remedis, his stepdaughter Elizabeth Dennehy, her husband Andrew and his two granddaughters, Elle and Sofia. He also leaves behind many family members, including sisters Gail Carter and Grace Moniz, and many nieces, nephews, extended family and loved ones. He was predeceased by his parents, the late John W. Remedis, Sr. and Barbara (Kelly) Remedis, and siblings, including the late Donald Remedis, Marilyn Wilbur, George Remedis, Joan Buffinton, and Joseph Remedis, Sr.

Born on January 19, 1947, John grew up in Middleboro, MA and was a graduate of Middleboro High School, Class of 1966. He studied Criminal Justice at St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida.

A decorated Vietnam Veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Big Red One 1st Infantry Division, John’s bravery in combat resulted in his receiving both the Silver Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Additionally, he received a Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars, an Army Commendation Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, 2OS Bars, a National Defense Service Medal, a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device 1960 and a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation Badge. He became a fixture in the region for veterans’ advocacy and he was an active member of the Freetown V.F.W. Memorial Post #6643, where he served as the Commander for multiple terms. He has also served as the MA V.F.W. District 6 Commander and the President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #499 New Bedford. Additionally, he was a member of the New Bedford Veterans’ Transition House Board of Directors and the Middleboro Honor Guard.

With over 23 years in law enforcement, John was a retired Detective Sergeant, serving police departments in Middleboro, MA, Treasure Island, FL and Madeira Beach, FL. He always spoke fondly about his career in law enforcement and appreciated the opportunity to serve the public and to help people who were experiencing difficult moments. John could entertain people for hours telling his police stories. One of his many sources of pride was his establishment of a program in Treasure Island, whereby residents could register ahead of hurricane season and efficiently gain access to their property once storms had passed, using the residents’ “Hurricane Pass” that he designed. While working in Florida, he developed community watch and police explorers programs. In Madeira Beach, he was often assigned to the marine patrol unit, which aligned with his love of being on the water.

John loved antique cars and he started the New England chapter of the Downshifters’ Car Club. Building on the efforts made by the Downshifters’ Car Club of Brooklyn and Florida, respectively, John grew the Club exponentially over the years and became a mainstay in the regional car club scene. Affectionately referred to as “Johnny Angel”, he left no question that he was, in fact, an angel on Earth, as his generous nature touched the lives of so many people. John ran numerous large-scale car shows annually, with proceeds always being donated to worthwhile charities. He also took great pride in his participation in the Downtown New Bedford Car Show and 50’s Night. Through all of his various cruise nights and car shows, John and his family made many wonderful lifelong friends. One of his great joys was gifting a ‘68 Mustang to his stepdaughter, Liz, on her 21st birthday and subsequently working with her husband, Andy, to restore the car to its former glory.

John loved his hometown of Freetown and the South Coast region overall. John was selected as the Standard-Times 2004 Freetown Man of the Year. He served faithfully on the Freetown Parade and Fireworks Committee and the Freetown Local Cultural Council. He was also a member of the New Bedford Rotary Club, where he served as a past President, and he would sometimes be asked to speak live on the radio with his friends at WBSM whenever there were local events to let the public know about.

John and his wife, Linda, were always together and kept busy with family events and community engagements. John had a great deal of musical talent and enjoyed playing the drums and guitar and he had a wonderful singing voice. John and Linda enjoyed attending concerts together at the Cape Cod Melody Tent and seeing The Beach Boys perform every summer. John loved the beach and he was the champion of finding sea glass. Each summer he would engage in not-so-friendly competition with his family to see who could find the first piece, who could find the rarest piece and who could find the most. He was particularly fond of winning said competitions against his sisters Gail and Grace.

John loved spending time with his granddaughters, Elle and Sofia, and was frequently chartered to take them and their friends on shopping and dining adventures. Our Papa Bear was a ‘yes’ for everything if it involved having fun and it was heartwarming to watch his interactions with the girls and their friends.

John enjoyed listening to and playing great music, DJ’ing at Downshifters’ Car Club events, walking the beach, and discussing and debating national politics. He also had a fantastic sense of humor, and his family is blessed to have many funny memories to reflect on, including several noteworthy escapades with his nephews, Billy, Brian and Kevin Lyons, as well as both pulling off and being on the receiving end of many large-scale pranks involving his late brother, Joey Remedis.

Often testing the limits of there only being 24 hours in a day, other than when he was searching for sea glass at Priscilla Beach or spending time down the Cape, John had no interest in “relaxing”. John lived a very full and very busy life, always going out of his way to help others, and he preferred to be on the move, all the time – as he liked to say, “the beat goes on”.

His funeral service will be Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. in the Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02745. Burial in Assonet Burial Grounds. Visitation will be Monday 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in his honor may be to The 100 Club of Massachusetts, 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 200, Braintree, MA 02184 www.100clubmass.org. For online tribute/directions: www.rock-funeralhome.com.