John N. Boccaccio

John N. Boccaccio "Mr. B", 82, of Newington, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2021, surrounded by his loving family. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of fifty-four years, Rosemary (McNamara). John was born on August 23, 1938 in Hartford, he was the tenth of eleven children of the late Santo and Marianna (Liberto) Boccaccio. John grew up on Grove Street in the Front Street neighborhood in Hartford. He attended St. Anthony School and Hartford Public High School graduating in 1957. The family then moved to Wethersfield and John eventually made his home in Newington where he and Rosemary raised their family.

John was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother and a loyal friend. He leaves his three devoted daughters and sons-in-law: Alicia and Lou Castanho of Rocky Hill, Jean Boccaccio of Newington, Colleen and Wayne Corriveau of Newington. He also leaves eight grandchildren: Christian, Daniella, and Luke Castanho; Domingo “DJ” (Chantal), Mariano, and Selena Malave; Aidan and Juliette Corriveau. In addition he leaves his brothers: Richard Boccaccio, Joseph Boccaccio and Rev. Michael A. Boccaccio, his sister-in-law: Eleanor Martin, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his siblings Rose Cassarino, Connie Salafia, Josephine Catalano, Pauline Brancati, Frances Tebecio, Santo Boccaccio, and Salvatore Boccaccio.

John served in the United States Army Reserves for two years before becoming a Radiologic Technologist in 1963. He worked at Saint Francis Hospital and Danbury Hospital. He was very active in the Connecticut and American Society of Radiologic Technologists, serving as chairman and as a board member of the CSRT for many years. Working fulltime with a wife and three children, John returned to school to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1978 from Roger Williams College in Rhode Island. He would go on to earn his Master’s Degree in 1981 from the Hartford Graduate Center and further his professional career with the State of Connecticut Health Department as Chief of Licensing and Registration. After retiring from the State of Connecticut in 1997 John became a substitute teacher at the Sports Sciences Academy in Hartford.

Throughout John’s life, volunteering was his passion. His volunteer work began as an Altar Server at St. Anthony Church in Hartford and included: visiting the sick as a lay apostolate with the Legion of Mary, UNICO of Newington, and the Hartford Regional Center. He was involved in many of his girl’s school events, including the PTO, Soccer Booster Club, and founding the high school’s All Night Graduation Party as well as co-chairing it.

After his retirement from the State of Connecticut, John found a way to combine his love of healthcare and his strong faith to become a Eucharistic Minister at Saint Francis Hospital and Hartford Hospital. He volunteered with Hartford Hospital’s Trauma Support Team, as well as the Palliative Care Team offering comfort and support to patients and families. He even learned Reiki to help patients with pain management. His desire to learn continued, attending many programs and courses on bereavement, trauma support, and addiction support. John completed a clinical pastoral care program to become a hospital chaplain at Hartford Hospital and Masonic Care VNA. Several years ago, he was honored by Hartford Hospital for achieving 5,000 volunteer hours. John was once asked how he could be around so many people who were dying and his response was: “It is and honor and privilege to be with them as they leave this world.”

John’s greatest title was “Papa” to his eight grandchildren. He was always offering his words of wisdom, the most frequent being “save your money”. His grandchildren never left his home without something: notecards, notepads, gift boxes, pens or some religious symbol or memento. The kids loved sitting at their little desk while Papa paid his bills or did “his work”. His work would consist of writing note after note to thank people for taking the time to speak with him, or to thank them for sending him a card, or perhaps to check in to see how they were doing after losing a loved one. His work never ended.

If you knew John through work or volunteering you were probably the recipient of some token: an angel pin, a stained glass butterfly, a prayer card, or perhaps rosary beads.

Keeping in touch with his roots, John looked forward to meeting with his old St. Anthony School classmates for their annual retreat at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center. Holy Family always held a special place in his heart, planning the yearly mass and Italian dinner that everyone looked forward to. One of John’s proudest moments was being inducted as an Associate of the Passionist Order.

John and Rosemary enjoyed their summers in Old Lyme at their happy place, their beach house. John could sit for hours on the beach working on his crossword puzzles, watching the boats, and talking with friends, just enjoying the serenity it brought to him. He was active in the Soundview Beach Association serving on the board, selling donuts in the community center, and helping with the annual Fourth of July Parade. He took his job of handing out American Flags and balloons to everyone quite seriously.

The family would like to thank his caregivers especially Yvette, Rasheed, David and Nicky for their compassionate care and friendship, Dr. Ross Albert, his nurses Susan and Kim, and Hartford Healthcare Palliative Care and Hospice.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am on Thursday, May 13th at John’s childhood parish, St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, 285 Church Street, Hartford with his brother, Rev. Michael A. Boccaccio as the main celebrant. Everyone is asked to please go directly to the church on Thursday morning. The Mass of Christian Burial will be live streamed via www.spsact.org. Private burial at West Meadow Cemetery will be held at the convenience of the family. John’s family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, May 12th from 3-6 p.m. during “walk-through” calling hours at the D'Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd, Wethersfield. Everyone is asked to please wear a face covering and adhere to all state, church, and funeral home regulations. Memorial donations can be made in John’s memory to The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, c/o Boccaccio Family Trust, 10 Columbus Boulevard, 8th Floor, Hartford, CT 06106

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