FORT EDWARD – John Bereza, 96, of Fort
Edward, NY and formerly of Queensbury, NY and Vero Beach, FL, died on Saturday,
February 26, 2022, at the Glens Falls Hospital.
John was born on November 13, 1925 in
Herkimer, NY, where he was also brought up, being the son of the late Walter
and Michelina (Drapolski) Bereza.
A graduate of Herkimer High School
and of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, he was a Merchant Marine Veteran of World War
II, seeing service in the Pacific Theatre of operations, as a cadet midshipman
aboard a tanker running fuel for the Navy from the Caribbean to Australia and
New Guinea.
After graduating from the USMMA in
1945, John returned to sea for a year in the employ of the Keystone Tankship
Corporation, and then found work ashore with the NY State Department of Public
Works (later renamed Department of
Transportation). During a long career
with the DOT, he sought and obtained a series of engineering certifications,
accompanied by appropriate job promotions, in the field of highway design, construction and maintenance. After a start in the Albany and Utica
regional offices, John was Resident Engineer in charge of state highway
maintenance in Fulton County from 1962 to 1968, and later served as an Associate
Civil Engineer in the Highway Maintenance Division at Albany. He retired from the NYS DOT in 1983, after
36 years of service.
In 1948, John married Stella Grzeszczuk
of Mohawk, NY, his wife for 73 years, at St. Joseph’s Church in Herkimer.
As his career advanced, John
settled in Gloversville, NY, where he and Stella lived for a quarter century
and also raised their young family.
Several years after his retirement, he relocated to Queensbury, with a
winter home in Vero Beach. John
maintained those residences until 2015, when he moved to the Fort Hudson Campus
in Fort Edward, first to an apartment at The Oaks and subsequently into the
nursing center.
John was a hands-on home improver.
Adept at the use of hammer and saw, he added or upgraded facilities in the
homes he owned and took satisfaction in his handiwork, as did his family. He also enjoyed golf, fishing, billiards,
symphonic pops, country music and good biography literature. He was a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine
Academy Alumni Association and the American Legion.
In addition to his parents, John was
predeceased by his sister, Johanna “Jennie” Haley and his brother, Walter
Bereza, Jr.
Survivors include his wife, Stella;
a son, Michael; two daughters, Linda Serfis (David) and Sandra McDermott
(Brian); four grandchildren, Amy Gascoigne, Shana McDermott, Ryan McDermott and
Devin McDermott; three great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and
cousins.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated
at The Church of St. Mary’s/St. Paul’s in Hudson Falls, NY, at a future date, still
to be determined, with the Rite of Committal at St. Joseph’s Cemetery , Fort
Edward.
Arrangements are under the care of
Carleton Funeral Home, Inc. located at 68 Main Street in Hudson Falls.
In keeping with John’s wishes, there are no scheduled
calling hours. Condolences, memories of
John, and other contributions to his online memorial, may be made by visiting
www.carletonfuneralhome.net
John’s family wishes to thank the
staff of the Fort Hudson Nursing Center for their excellent care of and
compassion toward John during his residency.
