John C. Sylvestri
LEICESTER — John C. Sylvestri, formerly of Mahopac, N.Y., died peacefully on March 24, 2008, of congestive heart failure at age 86.
He was born June 29, 1921, in Ossining, N.Y., the son of Donato and Jenny (Fasciani) Sylvestri. He graduated from Ossining High School at age 16. During World War II he was an Army stenographer, stationed in the central and southern part of the country. He later worked as a sales representative and retired from General Foods Corp.
It was during his travels on the job that he met his future wife, Vera T. “Pat” Shook, owner of Pat’s General Store in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. They married in 1952 and raised a family in Mahopac, N.Y. He resided there for 50 years prior to moving near his daughter Chris Sylvestri and her family in Vermont.
Famous for his golf game, he started as a caddy in his young teens, and in his prime he was a scratch player with three holes-in-one. He loved people of all ages, and he liked to have fun, especially with his children. Even in his 80s, he could be seen pitching a game of softball with his grandkids. Family said that many people recognized that his quick smile, sense of humor and twinkling blue eyes stayed with him to the end of his life.
John is survived by his son, John Sylvestri Jr., and his partner Becky Daddazio of La Grange, N.Y.; his daughter Chrisandra Sylvestri and her husband, Scott Totten, of Salisbury; his daughter Michele and her husband, Russ Day, of La Grangeville, N.Y., his stepdaughter-in law Patricia Meade; sisters Clara Beninati and Joan Mattson; brothers Henry Sylvestri and George Sylvestri; and 15 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife, stepson Harold Meade and sister Florence Perry.
