John Vapsva

John was born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1937. At a very young age, he lost his father, Bruno, during the early stages of WWII. It was a tragic and traumatic experience that he remembered well, and sometimes spoke of even into his 80s. The Russians first invaded Lithuania in 1940. John remembers the Russian Army taking many men in their area from their homes, including his father. He heard gunshots and never saw his father again. After that, the Russians took the women and children from their homes into the street. John remembered pulling on his mother’s clothes and asking her “Are we next?”.

Lithuania became increasingly dangerous with Germany and Russia taking turns occupying it. His mother, Eva, wanted to find a safe place to take her son during those perilous times and Germany seemed safe. When they got there, John was taken from his mother so that she could work. John remembers that his mother worked in a hospital but he did not see her during that time. He was sent to live with a German family. He remembered that part of his childhood fondly; there were other children there and the German father was very kind to him.

When the war started going poorly for the Germans, he was reunited with his mother and they became refugees in a country that was losing the war. He remembered being in the back of an open transport truck driving through a city that was on fire all around him. He and his mother ended up in a large football stadium with thousands of other refugees. He rarely spoke of what his life was like during the war, but we know that his mother remarried and his sister Johanna was born during that time.

History tells us that many displaced people in Germany did not want to return to their Eastern European home countries because they had become part of the USSR. In 1950, they were able to connect to a distant family member in the US. In December of that year, with his mother and sister, John boarded the USS General R. M. Blatchford, a US Navy transport ship, for a 10-day trip from Bremerhaven, Germany to New York City via Ellis Island. Their destination was Maspeth, Queens. He was 13 years old. Later in life, he spoke of how difficult school was for him. Imagine a young teenager, speaking only German and Lithuanian, starting school in Queens, NY post-WWII. After getting frequently bullied for being an immigrant, John wired his briefcase (that held his books) to electrically shock anyone that tried to take it from him. After shocking another student, he was sent to speak to the Principal and Head Science teacher. Only one of them was impressed with his work! Incidents of other students stealing his briefcase dropped dramatically and John decided that Science and Technology were in his future.

John began attending City College of New York and graduated with a degree in Physics in 1958. While he was in college, he met the beautiful and intelligent Ada Malice and they began dating. In 1960, he joined the US Army and was stationed as an MP in Germany. He laughingly described being in the back of a German military vehicle while the locals talked about him - not realizing that he was fluent in their language! He and Ada wrote letters back and forth and Ada later mentioned that she wrote to him every day. In 1961, he came back to the US briefly to marry Ada, and the two were married for 64 years. He was honorably discharged in 1962 and received the Good Conduct medal.

John and Ada were blessed with the birth of Cathy in 1964 and John in 1965. In 1968, they moved from Queens and bought their house on Edna Drive in Syosset. He was working for Xerox and was on a track to become senior management when he had a horrific accident in 1980. While working underneath his Lincoln Continental, the car fell off its jack and landed on his chest. John fought his way back after being in a coma and eventually returned to work at Xerox where he spent the rest of his professional career.

Throughout his life, John had many and varied interests. He was a pilot of 2-and-4-seater planes and often took his kids on roller coaster rides in the sky, by performing dives and stalls unexpectedly. He was also a member of a Ham radio club. His son, John, remembers a great story of how his father and friends installed an antenna on the top of the Empire State Building so that they could make phone calls via the Ham radios. All of this occurred many years before cellphones were in widespread use. He often went to the gun range with friends for target shooting and good company. He lived his life as a lifelong learner – constantly researching science and technology topics, and was always interested in the latest gadgets. This often became an issue later in life, like when he asked his son John for help with his computer, only to present a screen that was entirely in the Lithuanian language.

John is survived by his daughter, son, and grandchildren (Juliet, Christine, Dominick and Elizabeth). He leaves behind a legacy of love that will continue to guide his family and all who knew him. We’re grateful for the time we shared with him, and he will live on in our hearts forever.

Visitation will be held at Beney Funeral Home, 79 Berry Hill Road, Syosset, NY 11791, US, on April 28, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

A Funeral Mass will take place at St. Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church, 205 Jackson Ave, Syosset, NY 11791, US, on April 29, 2026, from 11:00 am to 11:45 am.

Interment will follow at St. Charles / Resurrection Cemeteries, 2015 Wellwood Ave, Farmingdale, NY 11735, US, on April 29, 2026, from 12:45 pm to 1:45 pm.