February 25, 1941-June 16, 2021
John M. Cihocki lived a full life marked by dedication to education (his own and others’) and to his family.
John was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, and in Ellenville, NY. He was an only child, and his extended family was small. He worked his way through a long and impressive education, obtaining a BA and two MA degrees.
He met Peggy Heineman at Drew University in 1965 and married her August 9, 1969. Together they raised two children, Laura and Johnny, in rural New Jersey. John taught German and Spanish, mostly at the high school level, for 30 years. Everything he did was for the benefit of his family; he worked long hours to support them while attending evening classes to further his education. He never spent money on himself, preferring to make sure his wife and children had every opportunity they could ever need or want.
After their retirement from teaching, John and Peggy moved to southern California. They made many new friends and reconnected with people from their past. John was devastated by the sudden and unexpected loss of Peggy in 2016, but he immediately forged stronger connections with those around him who had known her, keeping her memory strong in his life. He also stayed in close contact with Peggy’s family and childhood friends.
In 2018, John was reunited with his and Peggy’s first daughter, Kristen, who had been adopted at birth, and took great joy in getting to know her and her three children.
John’s interests were varied, but he especially enjoyed learning about aviation and airplanes as well as classic cars and world military history. He loved sports, spending many years coaching high school football and many more years watching university and professional soccer. He was a relatively private man but also extremely warm and very funny. He was fiercely proud of his children. He will be missed beyond measure by all who knew him.
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