John J Trumpaitis

John J. Trumpaitis, loving husband, brother and uncle passed peacefully from ALS into the arms of God on Sunday, October 21, 2018. He was surrounded by his devoted wife and best friend and sister. He was 72 years old.

John was born in Worcester on September 25, 1946, the son of the late Anthony and Amelia (Abysalh) Trumpaitis.  Raised here John attended Broadcasting School and graduated from Classical High.  John then joined the U.S. Army serving on active duty for 18 months in Korea. Upon discharge, he earned his police training and certification from the Waltham Police Academy.

John was a man who wore many hats during his life transitioning effortlessly from one season to the next.  His careers were many and varied: he was a WORC Radio DJ aka Johnny Jason, and Insurance Sales Representative, and most recently an Environmental Police Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for over 33 years until his retirement.  During his time as an environmental police officer, John was well liked and respected by his peers, superiors and all those he encountered.   His expertise, knowledge and skills, earned him many commendations and awards from his superior officers and State officials over the years.  

He was an avid sports fan and as anyone who knew him would agree, his favorite football team was the Green Bay Packers. As he would explain “I was a Packer fan before the Patriots were born”.

John loved life and lived it to its fullest. He was very active in local, state and national politics; an avid student of the Civil War and he could easily quote associated events surrounding this era in US History verbatim. John also loved the Cape and in his early years was a huge supporter of Hack’s Bar, Cotuit, MA, participating regularly in their annual Road Race adhering to its motto “Gone but not Forgotten!”.

John enjoyed traveling with Kathleen, his wife, partner and best friend of 36 years to Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard and especially the Island of Aruba, his cherished world destination and place he visited over twice a yearly.   John and Kathleen also had the opportunity to travel to Italy in 2013 and they both relished this voyage as one of the highlighted moments of their marriage.

His infectious smile, quick wit, mischievous, sense of humor could fill a room as soon as he entered.  He was the one person everyone loved to have around and be with, always there to comfort and support those in need, or lend a helping hand, always never having to be asked.   He had a strong faith and was devout Catholic, which always reflected in his humaneness to anyone in need.

John is survived by his wife, partner in crime, and “Love of his Life”,  Kathleen (Ryan) Trumpaitis; three sisters, Deborah Gonzalez of Worcester, Donna Keane and her husband Michael of California and Marci Henault of California; nephews Robert Gonzalez of Worcester and Anthony Gonzalez and his wife Diana of New York; a Brother-in-Law Dennis Ryan of Worcester; an Uncle, Paul Henry of Worcester; several cousins and network of friends and extended family members. 

John had a very aggressive form of ALS.  In a limited amount of time, the loss of speech, physical deterioration, and muscle loss of the disease were very visible. Through it all John was a fighter and never gave up until the end.

One of the last films Kathleen and John viewed prior to his diagnosis was “The Greatest Showman” and to quote a line from one of the tunes from that show which exemplified what John experienced throughout this illness is “I AM ME – I am strong – I am me – I am proof of who I’m meant to be – THIS IS ME”.

John’s family would like to thank all of John’s friends and extended family, especially Dick and Ann Cravedi, Allen and Debbie Erickson, Frank and Ann Masiello, Frank Prizio and Lucy Loverro for the love and support, and for treating John during his illness as they usually did before his illness.  The family would also like to thank the UMMHC University Campus Emergency Department and Third Floor West teams who treated him with their thorough care and compassion during his illness.

John’s funeral will be held, Saturday, October 27, from the MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation Street, Worcester with a procession to St John’s Church, 40 Temple St where his Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 am.  Entombment with Military Honors will follow in St. John’s Mausoleum.   Relatives and friends are invited to a period of calling hours on Friday, October 26 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: St. John’s Food for the Poor, 44 Temple Street, Worcester. Prayers with his family, please visit his personal guestbook at www.mercadantefuneral.com