John Laviano

John Anthony was born in Brooklyn, NY to Giovanni "John" Laviano and Concetta Leone (who both proceeded him in death on 9/14/94 and 9/21/78, respectively).  John spent periods living with his aunts and uncles on his mother's side. His cousins became like siblings.  He was closest to Dino Leone (of NY) and Barbara Leone (of NY). His father remarried in 1978 to Maria Caputo (of NY).  They went on to have 3 children (in order): Joseph "Joey" (of FL), Patricia "Patty" (of PA), and Edward "Eddie" (of NY). 

On 11/17/60, he married his high school sweetheart, Celia Cassuto (who proceeded him in death on 9/16/01).  They had two children, John Victor (who proceeded him in death on 6/6/03) and Lisa Kim (of CA).  They divorced on 5/17/71.  Celia moved to Anaheim, CA in 1972.  Although John was a proud Italian-American and New Yorker, who would tell everyone that he hailed from Bensonhurst, he could not stand the idea of being that far away from his children. John followed with his girlfriend at the time, Patriciann "Patti" Posillico (of Mineola, NY). During this time John worked as a limo driver for his Uncle Thomas Caputo.  He would tell many stories of driving actors, musicians, and other high-profile clients while showing off his various mementos.   

John started courting Patti in 1971.  They officially married in California on 3/17/82.  They had 5 children (in order): Christina Marie (of WA), Anthony Giovanni (of WA), Michael Leone (of AZ), Melissa Lynn (of CA), and Jessica Anne (of AZ).  They worked opposite shifts at Emerson Electric Co. in Costa Mesa, CA.  John worked the day shift as a merchandiser while Patti took care of getting the kids to school and keeping up the house.  After school, they would all pile into one of the station wagons.  The children would do homework while traveling the hour to switch.  Patti would spend the majority of the night in the warehouse and John would return home to cook dinner, help finish homework, orchestrate showers and bedtime stories. 

When Emerson closed its plant in Southern California John used the next 4 years to give back to his community.  He was very active with his parish, St Justin Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Anaheim, and ran their St Vincent de Paul chapter. He also became involved with his children's preschool, Head Start.  He was the Policy Council Representative and Treasurer for the Orange County Division from 1993 to 1995. 

On 3/20/95 he started working as a Reservations Agent at United Airlines Los Angeles. There were times he would tell how sometimes he would have to "get creative" to help someone in need. He may have only known these passengers over the phone but every person's journey was personal to him. In his creative efforts, some even got the chance to meet him in person and became lifelong friends. After the tragedy of Sept 11th, United Airlines was forced to close their Los Angeles offices.  John relocated for work to Washington in 2000. By 2002, most of his children followed him to Seattle, as being close to them was his top priority. Eventually, the Seattle Office also closed as well and he spent his weeks commuting to Chicago continuing to do the job he loved. 

Patti passed away 6/2/99 of complications of pneumonia treatment leaving behind five children under the age of 18. John took on this role of "Mr. Mom" with pleasure. Although 11 years older than Patti, John always would say how he felt like he was still a kid.  Often he would say that his children, and later 16 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, kept him young. 

John remarried in the Philippines to Phoebe Nefulda on 6/7/02.  He gained two stepchildren, Dobe (who proceeded him in death on 9/24/14) and Benedik (of Manila).  Phoebe passed from lung cancer on 6/11/06 in Manila. John and his children traveled to the Philippines to be with their extended family while laying Phoebe to rest.  

John later remarried to Naneth Mayormita (of Cayagan de Oro), in WA on 2/14/10.  He gained another two stepchildren that he also brought to the US,  Christian Mailes (of FL) and Christine "KC" (of FL). 

In 2010, John retired from United Airlines, taking with him many lifelong friendships.  He and Naneth spent 7 years living in Honolulu, Hawaii, enjoying island life. He spent his 15 years in retirement indulging in his favorite hobbies, traveling the world, visiting family, and thrift shopping. These hobbies have created a hoard of invaluable treasures, memories in the form of photographs, and home videos mixed among the stacks of paper he never prioritized to sort through.  He always felt being in the moment and a student of life was how one should focus their life.

After returning from Hawaii, John was officially a resident of WA, living with his son Anthony in Tacoma up until his death in 2021.  But truly, he was a resident of his children.  He had accommodations at each of his children's homes and ID cards for each state. While John and Naneth lived mostly in the US, they also built a house of his design in Cayagan de Oro, Philippines.  He had a resident card for each of the provinces in the Philippines he had lived in. 

John will always be remembered for his great smile.  He was seldom without a camera in his reach or a pin on his coat lapel. John never felt dinner was finished without having ice cream nor was a cup of black coffee complete without a treat.  Some of his favorites were biscotti, ginger snaps, and pecan sandies. Bagels should always be toasted and topped with butter, cream cheese, and Nova Scotia Lox. You could never own enough movies, records, or watches. John's wardrobe consisted of an abundance of suits and ties.  His shirt pockets were full of handwritten notes and a pen.  His pants pockets were always full of keys and coins.  He believed dungarees were for housework and shorts were for the beach.

In John's own words,  if anyone asks how I want to be remembered, please say the following about me:

"Just think of how pleased I was in general with my life, how much I love my family and friends, dry your tears and smile."

 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Laviano, please visit our floral store.