John A. Trieste

John A. Trieste, 98, passed away peacefully on July 17, 2026, in Melbourne, Florida. Born in Brooklyn, New York, John lived a remarkable 98 years filled with family, service, friendship, curiosity and an unwavering commitment to staying involved in the world around him.

John was a proud Brooklyn native. After graduating from New Utrecht High School, he enlisted in the United States Army at age 17. It was during his military service that an unexpected moment set him on the path toward the career that would define much of his life.

When his Army unit asked who knew how to use a typewriter, John's was the only hand that went up. That simple moment led to his assignment in the headquarters office, where he developed skills in typing, drafting and mapmaking. He later attended the Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, training in drafting, map reading, color separation and mapmaking, and ultimately served as an Army mapmaker.

After leaving the Army, John entered the printing and graphic arts industry. He trained at the Mergenthaler Linotype School in Manhattan and worked as both a Linotype operator and a journeyman letterpress pressman before joining the Printing Industries of Metropolitan New York in 1960.

In 1965, John joined the leadership of the Typographers Association of New York (TANY). He would serve the organization for 33 years, helping guide it through enormous changes in the printing industry. During his tenure, TANY represented trade typesetting and advertising typographers throughout the New York metropolitan area. As computers and new technologies transformed the industry and reduced the need for traditional typesetting services, John helped navigate TANY through those changes until the organization ultimately closed in 1998.

John's dedication to the printing industry extended well beyond his daily work. Throughout his career, he carefully preserved trade notices, industry announcements, company auction materials, educational programs and decades of photographs and slides documenting the people and history of the industry he loved. In 2016, the Museum of Printing in Haverhill, Massachusetts, honored that legacy by dedicating the Typographers Association of New York John A. Trieste Library Room, a permanent resource dedicated to preserving the history of typesetting and TANY.

John married his wife, Adele, on April 11, 1953. Together they raised their daughter, Maria, and built a life centered around family, friends, good food and gathering people around the table. John and Adele eventually moved to Florida in 1997 to be closer to Maria and their granddaughters, Amie and Chrissy. John officially retired from the printing industry in 1998.

But retirement was hardly a retirement for John. In Florida, John found countless ways to stay involved. He became deeply involved with AARP, serving as president of his local chapter, coordinating programs throughout Brevard County, volunteering with the Senior Community Service Employment Program and serving on AARP's National Chapter Advisory Team. He was also a longtime Goodwill Volunteer Ambassador for the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and was recognized as its only Lifetime Chamber Ambassador. For more than 15 years, he served as president of the New York State Club of Brevard County, bringing together fellow former New Yorkers over monthly lunches and activities.

John also turned his love of exploring into a second career as a travel writer. For more than a decade, he wrote a monthly travel column, Touring the Town, for Senior Life, sharing affordable, educational and family-friendly destinations throughout Florida. He believed people often drove right past wonderful places simply because they didn't know they were there. His adventures took him everywhere from Sebastian and Vero Beach to St. Augustine, Lake Placid, Sebring and Avon Park, the Florida Panhandle and Pensacola. His travel column became nationally recognized, earning a National Winner award in 2018.

In the years following Adele's passing, John was fortunate to share his life with Ana Lopez, a longtime family friend who became his companion and partner in his later years. They built a life together filled with friendship, travel, good food, laughter and countless local adventures.

But John's greatest legacy was not his career or his many volunteer accomplishments. It was the people he brought together.

John had a remarkable ability to turn almost anything into an occasion. He was known for taking photographs with props, planning trips with matching outfits, making paper hats out of The New York Times, and handing out dollar-bill “engagement rings.” He was famous for giving his favorite meals their own names, including 501-B Salad, Poppy's Chicken, Baby Puppy Pancakes and Spicy Dicy Meatballs. Somehow, with John, even an ordinary afternoon could become a story worth remembering.

John loved a good gathering, a good story and a good adventure. He believed in showing up, staying active and continuing to learn. One of his favorite sayings was, “Success is all about showing up.”

He was preceded in death by his wife, Adele, in 2010. He is survived by his daughter, Maria, granddaughters Amie and Chrissy, his beloved great-grandchildren, Piper and Leo and his longtime partner and companion, Ana. He is also survived by the many family members, friends, colleagues and community members whose lives he touched over the course of nearly a century.

John truly was an amazing man. He lit up every room he entered and made people feel as though they belonged. He spent his life bringing people together, creating memories and sharing adventures. He kept moving, kept learning, kept exploring and, most importantly, kept showing up. He left behind a lifetime of memories and a community of people whose lives are brighter because he was part of them.

In lieu of flowers we would like to offer the opportunity to donate to The Museum of Printing in Haverhill, MA, with this link:

https://museumofprinting.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPageInMemoryofJohnTrieste/tabid/1599761/Default.aspx