John William Hosey

John William Hosey passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 29, 2025, one month shy of his 99th birthday. John was born to Philip Hosey and Rose Visusil on July 31, 1926 in Lindenhurst, NY on Long Island.

John lived a full 95 years on the same plot of land in Lindenhurst. His father, Philip, started Hosey Plumbing & Heating, Inc. in 1926, the year John was born, and operated it out of their home. John started working for his father at age 14, and even though he got special permission from his high school to attend classes for half days in order to help his father with the business, he still graduated as valedictorian. John never stopped working and after Hosey Plumbing & Heating concluded, he served as the Plumbing Inspector for the Village of Lindenhurst until the age of 90.

John was drafted into the US Army and proudly served on the Panama Canal.

John met the love of his life, Patricia Heaney, at a CYO gathering. They fell in love and were happily married for 65 years until 2023 at the time of Pat's passing. He would proudly say they never had an argument during their long marriage!
John was a master storyteller and loved nothing more than to hold court with an audience, whether he knew them or not. His favorite subject matters were stories about his older brother Phil, his brother-in-law Frank, his buddies Shoobie, John Skopek, Paul Bach, Warren Hopp and a host of other characters. John was a talker and he loved to learn everything about everyone. He always asked waiters and waitresses their names and (we think) he never converted to EZ Pass during his many drives upstate because he liked to pause and chat with the toll collectors.

John became a father a bit later in life after adopting his son Tom. John taught Tom his strong work ethic and values which included seven years working together and phrases like "it builds character", "do it right or don't do it at all" and " if you're not up by 5:00 am, you've missed half the day". John was so proud of Tom and told him often.

Tom married Laura in 1995 and John always talked about their wedding and how it was a highlight of his life. He really enjoyed a party! Laura adored John and their relationship grew significantly these last few years. They had many deep conversations and he taught her so much about life. He always said "don't wait to do things...do things now while you can ....go and see things, travel, just do it". We will Dad, we will in your honor.

The greatest gift John ever received were his two grandsons, Matt and Josh. Doting on babies was new to him and he ate it up! He made many trips upstate when they were little and loved hearing about and watching their sports and antics. John never stopped being a boy himself and always said their relationship reminded him of his with his brother. What a gift it was to them to have him in their lives.

John was a lifelong learner. He read the NY Times cover to cover until his last days. He loved talking sports with Tom, Matt and Josh. He loved history and was an active member of the Lindenhurst Historical Society until his later years. Having lived through so much of our country's history, he was a font of knowledge. He also was an active member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lindenhurst and served as an usher for many years.

Back in 1972, John took a chance and bought some land in Montauk, Long Island when everyone thought he was crazy to do so. He was ahead of his time and built what has now become his legacy - his Montauk summer home. It was a simple home built by John, his brother-in-law Frank, and a few friends. He loved nothing more than a lobster roll, a glass of wine on the deck, walking the docks and puttering in his garden.

John was predeceased by his beloved wife Pat, his parents, his brother Phil, his infant sister, his brother-in-law Frank Heaney and many friends who he considered family. He is survived by his son, Thomas Hosey (Laura Sfara) of Guilderland, grandsons Matthew and Joshua Hosey, sisters-in-law Joan Hosey of Lindenhurst and Georgene Heaney of Manorville and several nieces and nephews. We would like to acknowledge his friendship with Lee and Dominic that meant so much to him in his later years. We would also like to acknowledge the Kingsway community where John has lived the last few years. You made a difference in his life.

Whenever anyone asked John how he was, he answered with what has become his signature phrase, "better than ever", or specifically said with a Long Island accent, "bettah than evah". That is how he lived his life - calmly, positively and with humor and gratitude. It's a life lesson for everyone.

John will be buried with full military honors at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville on Tuesday, July 8th at 11am. Those wishing to attend please arrive no earlier than 10:45am and line up just inside the entrance to the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. It was a charity very special to John. Arrangements by DeMarco Stone Funeral Home, Rotterdam. Condolences can be posted at demarcostonefuneralhome.com.