He leaves his wife of 62 years, Doris (Vacca) Lucas; his son, Matthew John and Kathleen Meany Lucas; his daughter, Cynthia and Stephen Mark Hanan; his daughter Regina Maria and Robert Purgatorio; his six grandchildren, Michael John and Lily Lucas, Kendall Marie Purgatorio, Mark Andrew and Emily Lucas, Emma Nicole Hanan, Caroline Leigh Hanan, and John Robert Purgatorio; and his great grandchild Jack Andrew Lucas.
Born and raised in Yonkers, New York, the son of John and Mary (Jurik Lucas), the youngest of five children. At 25, he moved to Houston to work for Teledyne Exploration until he retired.
In his early years, he served as an altar boy in his neighborhood church, caddied at the local golf club, and worked at the corner ice cream shop. John graduated with a Major in Commercial Photography from New York Institute of Photography in 1953.
At 20, John joined the US Navy Reserve were he served from 1953-1955 as Gun Fire Control Radar Technician. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal. While aboard the USS Steinaker (DD-863) he served as the ship’s primary photographer.
He continued his education throughout his life including studies in Power Generation, Electrical Technology, and Mathematics. He received his Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston in 1980.
He met Doris in 1956 at Westchester Community College where they were both members in the Key Club. They were married December 13, 1958 in Yonkers, New York.
John spent his life enjoying physical fitness training, bicycling, fine woodworking, wood carving and oil painting. He had an incredible green thumb and took pride in creating a beautiful garden complete with brick walking paths, gazebos and rose trellises.
He was extremely proud of being a first generation American who learned the English language, received a college degree and raised children and grandchildren who all attended top universities and excelled in their educations and careers.
