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September 6, 1924 – September 9, 2018
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Obituary for John Rock Sr.
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COHOES John Rock, Sr. passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 9, surrounded by his
loving children.
John was the 7th of 8 children born in Cohoes on September 6, 1924 to Rusyn Lemko immigrants Mikolaj and Teodora (Hryckanycz) Rock. Raised on Cataract Street, he attended Cohoes public schools through the 10th grade and then attended trade school.
A lifelong Cohoes resident, John retired from a 40-year career at Norton Company in 1985. During that time he also invested in and managed rental properties in Cohoes and Troy.
John married Evelyn Marie Schramm, formerly of Uniontown, PA in 1946 and were happily married for over 65 years. Their first child was born in May 1947 and their 16th child was born nineteen years later. No father was ever a more loving, generous or responsible provider.
Mentored by his brother Mike, John enjoyed fishing and hunting and was an avid
mushroom hunter. He also loved bowling and horseshoes and was an accomplished gardener and cook. His fresh vegetables, prepared mushrooms, stuffed cabbages, mashed potatoes and ham dinners were legendary. In addition to all of that he even managed to fit in daily trips to the grocery store to do all of the grocery shopping for his family of 18 before leaving for his 3-12 pm work shift.
In his 33 retirement years he remained a landlord, enjoyed cooking and gardening, cared for grandchildren, played pinochle and read scientific journals. John also traveled to Poland in 2003 to immerse himself in Rusyn culture in his parents' home villages.
John is predeceased by his beloved wife Evelyn (2012), their son Donald (2015) and John's 7 siblings. He is survived by 15 of his children: John Jr. (Janice) of West Warwick RI, Michael (Deborah) of Myrtle Beach SC, Mark (Carolina), Nicholas (Fawn), David, Regina O'Dell and Yahna (Scott) of Troy, Daniel (Maureen), Delima (Mark) Retzlaff, Peter, Drew, and Matthew of Cohoes, Stephen (Margaret) of Mahopac, as well as Paul and Christopher (AmyJo) of Waterford. He is also survived by over 50 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All of his family mourns his loss and already misses him terribly.
Funeral services will be Saturday at noon at Philip J. Brendese Funeral Hme 133 Broad St., (Rte 32), Waterford. Interment will be in St. Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes.
Relatives and friends may visit at the funeral home on Saturday from 10 am - noon, prior to the funeral service.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Community Hospice, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, NY 12205.
loving children.
John was the 7th of 8 children born in Cohoes on September 6, 1924 to Rusyn Lemko immigrants Mikolaj and Teodora (Hryckanycz) Rock. Raised on Cataract Street, he attended Cohoes public schools through the 10th grade and then attended trade school.
A lifelong Cohoes resident, John retired from a 40-year career at Norton Company in 1985. During that time he also invested in and managed rental properties in Cohoes and Troy.
John married Evelyn Marie Schramm, formerly of Uniontown, PA in 1946 and were happily married for over 65 years. Their first child was born in May 1947 and their 16th child was born nineteen years later. No father was ever a more loving, generous or responsible provider.
Mentored by his brother Mike, John enjoyed fishing and hunting and was an avid
mushroom hunter. He also loved bowling and horseshoes and was an accomplished gardener and cook. His fresh vegetables, prepared mushrooms, stuffed cabbages, mashed potatoes and ham dinners were legendary. In addition to all of that he even managed to fit in daily trips to the grocery store to do all of the grocery shopping for his family of 18 before leaving for his 3-12 pm work shift.
In his 33 retirement years he remained a landlord, enjoyed cooking and gardening, cared for grandchildren, played pinochle and read scientific journals. John also traveled to Poland in 2003 to immerse himself in Rusyn culture in his parents' home villages.
John is predeceased by his beloved wife Evelyn (2012), their son Donald (2015) and John's 7 siblings. He is survived by 15 of his children: John Jr. (Janice) of West Warwick RI, Michael (Deborah) of Myrtle Beach SC, Mark (Carolina), Nicholas (Fawn), David, Regina O'Dell and Yahna (Scott) of Troy, Daniel (Maureen), Delima (Mark) Retzlaff, Peter, Drew, and Matthew of Cohoes, Stephen (Margaret) of Mahopac, as well as Paul and Christopher (AmyJo) of Waterford. He is also survived by over 50 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. All of his family mourns his loss and already misses him terribly.
Funeral services will be Saturday at noon at Philip J. Brendese Funeral Hme 133 Broad St., (Rte 32), Waterford. Interment will be in St. Agnes Cemetery, Cohoes.
Relatives and friends may visit at the funeral home on Saturday from 10 am - noon, prior to the funeral service.
Those who wish may make memorial contributions to Community Hospice, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, NY 12205.
Visitation
When
Saturday, September 15th, 2018 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location
Philip J. Brendese Funeral Home
Address
133 Broad Street (Rte. 32) Waterford, NY 12188
Service Information
When
Saturday, September 15th, 2018 12:00pm
Location
Philip J. Brendese Funeral Home
Address
133 Broad Street Waterford, NY 12188
Interment Information
Location
St. Agnes Cemetery
Address
St. Agnes Highway Cohoes, NY 12047
Affiliations
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Phone: 518-237-8296
Philip J. Brendese Funeral Home
133 Broad Street
Waterford
NY
12188