Hudson Falls- John V.
“Speez”Spizzo, Jr. passed away in his sleep on December 25, 2021.
John was born on October
9th,1932 to the late Filomenia (Serraino) and John Spizzo, Sr. in Whitehall,
N.Y.
John graduated from
Whitehall High School in 1950.
He enlisted in the
National Guard at 16, while still in High School.
Upon graduation John
went into the U.S. Air Force. He proudly served for four years as a Staff
Sergeant at Sampson Air Force Base in Seneca Lake, NY. John was a basic
training drill instructor and was very proud of the many soldiers he
trained.
On May 22, 1955 he
married Beverly Rivette at Our Lady of Angels Church in Whitehall, NY.
They were married 65 years until her death in May 2020.
After serving in the Air
Force, John and Beverly settled in Whitehall, NY to raise their
family. He worked at a sheet metal facility in Whitehall until
eventually going to work for Sandy Hill Iron and Brass in Hudson Falls,
NY. In 1965 the family moved to Hudson Falls. John
retired from Sandy Hill after 30+ years.
John loved playing
sports. He was an avid bowler winning many trophies. He
was a softball pitcher in several men’s leagues and was an excellent swimmer
and diver. He loved gambling. John could be seen at OTB “playing
the ponies”, sports betting, playing poker several times a week
with friends and then eventually buying scratch off tickets, hoping to get the
“big win”. John’s competitive nature never waned, while at
his nursing home residence he got into some heated discussions while playing
BINGO!
John’s love of sports
led him into youth coaching. He started coaching Little League Teams
and eventually coached American Legion Baseball for about 20 years, having
several championship teams. He loved his boys of Summer and took
great pride in staying in contact with them and celebrating their
successes. He was a baseball umpire for local High School teams and
was always on the lookout while watching the teams, recruiting for his Legion
Baseball team.
After John retired from
Sandy Hill Iron and Brass, he went to work for the Hudson Falls Recreation
Department. He prepared the Derby Park fields for softball and
soccer games. In the winter, he ran the Wall Street Ice Skating pond
for several years. He loved watching all the skaters young and
old. That is where his two grandsons first skated.
Besides his parents and
wife, Beverly; John was predeceased by his brother Vincent Spizzo, sister
Madeline Russo; sister -in-laws Loretta Spizzo and Michele Fuller; brother-in-laws
Walter Rivette, Jr. and John Long.
John is survived by his
daughter Debbie (Michael) LaPan of South Glens Falls; and the pride and joy of
his life, his grandsons, Kristopher (Carrie) LaPan of Saratoga and Kameron
LaPan of Columbus, Ohio.
He is also survived by
his brother, Anthony Spizzo (Jackie Russo) of South Glens Falls and Clearwater,
Florida; his brother and sister-in-laws, William (Gloria) Rivette of Berea, Ohio, Elaine
Rivette of Lake George, Joan (George) Durett of Queensbury, Joseph (Marty)
Sorrentino of Colchester, Vermont, Marina (Richard) Bolster of Malone,
Nancy Long of Hadley Luzerne and Charles Fuller of Glens Falls; and also
survived by many nieces and nephews and several cousins.
Anyone who met
“Speez”, never forgot him. He had a commanding personality
that took over a room. He loved being in charge, everyone was
supposed to follow his lead. He did many great things for his
community, his family and friends and will be greatly missed! We love you Dad!
A very special Thank you
goes to the staff at the Glens Falls Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in
Glens Falls, where Dad resided since June 2020. We send special hugs
to the East Wing Staff, the Activities Staff, the Front Desk Staff, the
Appointment Scheduler, the Maintenance Department, the Director Marty and
I am sure so many more of you. A very special Thank
you goes to his roommate, Jerry, you were a wonderful friend to
him. You all had so much patience with him!!!!!!
Donations in John’s name
can be made to the Hudson Falls Little League, 34 East Laclaire Street, Hudson
Falls, NY 12839.
Graveside services will be conducted at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Whitehall, NY.