John A. Ferruggia

John was born on September 13, 1943 in Queens, NY, to Charles and Josephine Ferruggia where he resided until he moved to New City in 1981. John graduated from Pace University with a degree in Business Administration and worked as an accountant until his retirement. After college, John was drafted in 1966 and served in the United States Army. John was deployed to Vietnam and during his service received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device.

John was also a member of local Post 1682. He is survived by his sister Josephine, his sister Vivian and her husband Philip; his niece, Joanne Celano and her husband Louis Celano, his niece, Lisa Galanti and her husband Sal and his niece Tina Gagliano; his great nephews and nieces, Michael, Christina, Lauren, Salvatore, Ashley and Vincent as well as his great great nephews and nieces, Reese, Reina, Lorenzo, Landon and Lenna. His family will miss him greatly. John enjoyed gardening, dancing, art, was an avid reader and loved a good cheesecake! He was also the proud dog owner of many four legged friends, including Willie, who he has left in good hands.

A memorial service honoring his memory will be held Saturday, March 16 th from 1PM - 4PM at Michael J. Higgins Funeral Home, 321 South Main Street, New City, New York. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. www.cdceportal.va.gov

It was my intention to deliver a Eulogy today, but my emotions got the best of me. That being said, I still wanted to share this with everyone. First and foremost thank you for being here today - it means a great deal to me and my family.

The purpose of a eulogy is to honor a person who has passed and in doing so provide some insight into their personality. My uncle was the only boy in his family, with a sister 5 years older than him, Josephine, and a sister 5 years younger than him, Vivian. Family stories of him as a child recount him as a "scootch". My mom tells a story where he teased her so relentlessly upon her first wearing of modestly high heels that she chucked one at him, she missed hitting him, but somehow the shoe hit the wall behind him and ricocheted off the wall and the heel hit him right on the noggin ... (karma anyone?). Notwithstanding that playfully mischievous nature he seemed to always get away with it - as the only boy in a traditional Italian family, he was "the golden child".

I became exceptionally close to him over the past 3 months while he was ill and I was happy to have the opportunity to learn a lot more about him. My uncle was a veteran. He served in the US Army and served our country in Vietnam. He received four medals for his service which he never spoke of. I know he was proud but also very modest. He never spoke of his own accomplishments and in the same vein he was very protective of his family and never wanted anyone to worry about him. He was brave and strong and fought like hell until the very end and for that alone he deserves our respect.

He loved his family. He attended every holiday, milestone and important event with a cheesecake in tow, enough pastries for an army (no pun intended) and danced up a storm fit for the occasion (when the classic disco started pumping look out - he'd grab you and the hustle ensued). He was also a lot more sentimental than any of us realized. We discovered that he had kept a thank note I wrote him when I graduated college over 30 years ago, as well as a note my cousin Diana wrote to him over 50 years ago when she was 9 years old and he was in the Army.

My uncle was a quiet man, he preferred solitude, a good book, tinkering in the garden and game shows, but he also loved to shoot the breeze. Whether he was complaining about the cable company, frustrated with his computer (and it was always the computers fault) or talking about the latest deals he scored at Costco ... and he always inquired of his great nieces and nephews Michael, Christina, Lauren, Salvatore, Ashley and Vincent and more recently, of his great-great nieces and nephews. Thankfully we were all able to be around him during his last days. Of course, it was a very emotional time and my niece Ashley was of particular support. A trained health care professional, she helped us navigate the medical labyrinth

we had to confront, but more importantly she was an invaluable help to HIM during his final days. She barely left his side, made certain he was comfortable and fittingly was with him for his last breath. Ashley's selflessness, strength and compassion made his transition as peaceful as it could have possibly been and I speak on behalf of my family in thanking her for her incredible expression of love at the most difficult time in a person's life.

One last thing I wanted to mention was one day in late December when he was in the hospital, and I was buzzing around his hospital room (as I am known to do) rearranging things, making sure he had everything he needed, I laughingly apologized for this expression of my nervous energy to which he responded "it's ok we love you just the way you are"

and my sentiment to him is the same - We loved you just the way you are.To grieve really means that you have loved, and isn't that a beautiful way to look at it. Rest in heaven Uncle John. I hope you're enjoying a nice hunk of cheesecake in a beautiful garden, listening to your favorite music and shooting the breeze with your neighbors up above. We will miss you.