John A Esposito

John Anthony Esposito died peacefully on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at the home of his son, John and daughter-in-law, Mary. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Felice and Jennie Esposito (ne: Napolitano) he had been a resident of Scarsdale since 1976. His work experience included managing the Greeley Theater in Manhattan from 1932 until he was drafted in June of 1941. It was there that he met his wife, Camille. They were married on June 20th 1943, while he was serving in the United States Army as a Technical Sergeant at Camp Mackall, NC. In September of 1944, he was shipped overseas and served as a platoon Sergeant with the Fourth Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhineland Campaign. In February of 1945 he was seriously wounded in a firefight near the town of Prum, Germany and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medals. He returned home in December of 1945 to minimal job prospects because so many theaters had been closed during the five years he was away. Fortunately, he had taken what had been called the NYC Sanitation Department’s Superman Test in 1940, just before being drafted. The physically rigorous test was meant to weed out most of the thousands who had applied. It included: hoisting a 120-pound trash can to a 4-foot-6-inch-high ledge, scaling an 8-foot-tall fence and running 120 yards with a 50-pound dumbbell in each hand in 25 seconds. His Brooklyn neighbors scratched their heads wondering how this skinny kid could have passed, but the fact that he did meant there was at least one job waiting for him. So, his career with New York City Sanitation began in 1946 and ended thirty years later, by which time he had achieved the rank of District Superintendent for Manhattan (West). His only child, John, was born in 1948. Sadly, he lost his beloved wife to breast cancer in 1977.

As a youth, John loved to run and won several New York City Championships in high school. He always enjoyed the outdoors and was a strong believer in following Dinah Shore’s advice to: “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet.” Throughout the post-war years the windows of his 1948 and 1955 Chevrolets proudly displayed decals of all the states he had visited with his family. His creativity was evident in his gardening, landscaping, woodworking, stained-glass crafting and his ability to make something new out of almost anything - whether or not he had the right tools. He loved people and it was almost impossible to find anyone who didn’t mention the “twinkle in his eye” – even at 101.
He will truly be missed and long remembered by friends and family.

John was predeceased by his wife, Camille, his father, Felice Esposito; his mother Jennie Esposito; his brothers: Anthony, Benjamin, Joseph, Carl and Nicholas and survived by his son, John; daughter-in-law, Mary Cronin and sister, Rachel.
Visitation: Ballard-Durand Funeral Home (2 Maple Ave @ South Broadway, White Plains, NY 10601 – Thursday, March 9 (2:00 – pm to 4:00 pm) and (7:00 pm to 9:00 pm)
Mass: Friday, March 10 – 10:00 am – Holy Name of Jesus Church – 2 Broadway, Valhalla, NY 10595 (914- 948 1744)
Burial: Friday, March 10, following service – Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven – 10 W Stevens Avenue, Hawthorne, NY 10532-2205 (914 – 769 3672)