John C. Cassidy

John Chester Cassidy, of Maitland, Florida, passed away on March 10, 2010 as a result of complications from recent hip surgery. He was born on May 13th, 1924 in Gould City, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a train stop in the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste Marie line that grew into a small lumbering town. He was born to Michael and Mary Cassidy, and was named according to a family tradition of alternating generations between John and Michael. He was born into a family with 10 children, and in 10th grade, he had to quit high-school to help feed his brothers and sisters, by working as a lumberer. Four months from his 19th birthday, January 1943, John was drafted into the Army. He served as an Ammunition Handler in the A382 Battery Battalion, in New Guinea and Luzon campaigns. During his time, he was awarded Philippine Liberation Ribbon and a Bronze Star, the American Theater Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Service Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. He received his Honorable Discharge as part of the Demobilization effort in January of 1946. After the service, John found work on the crew building the Cut River Bridge in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After that, he roomed with some service buddies while working at Packard Motors in Detroit Michigan, and then at Continental Motors in Muskegon, Michigan. John would spend the bulk of his life in Muskegon, working as a machinist for Norge Refrigeration, Muskegon Camshaft and Campbell, Wyatt and Cannon (CWC Textron) until is retirement in 1986. He was known as a dedicated, hard worker. While working for Norge, John kept crossing paths with Elizabeth (Betty) Eakley, a childhood friend of John's younger sisters, working in Holland, Michigan for the time and a frequent guest of his sister Rose. John and Betty married at St Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Holland, Michigan, after a short courtship that--oddly enough--involved her standing him up for a date. They would go on to raise three boys and two girls. Throughout his life, John loved music and taught himself to play guitar, violin, mandolin, and any instrument he could get his hands on. Despite never completing high school, he remained an avid learner throughout his life. He completed a mail order course in advanced electronics and could understand technical articles and advanced mathematics. As a legacy passed down to his children, he raised one valedictorian and two salutatorians of their high-school classes. His children hold fond memories of his lively, mischievous sense of humor and his giddy laugh. He is preceded in death by his parents Michael and Mary Cassidy; brothers Joseph and Fredrick Cassidy; sisters: Ida Mae McCallum, Katherine Groleau, and Elizabeth O'Neil; and his son, Major Paul J. Cassidy, who died in Iraq. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Cassidy; sons: Michael J. Cassidy of Las Vegas, Nevada and John J. Cassidy (wife Kym, Zach (15) Hope (9)) of Haslett, Michigan; daughters: Patricia Cassidy Tykowski (husband Joe, Chris(12)) of Oviedo, Florida; Corrine J. Schneider (Tim, Benjamin (11) Luke (9), Lindsey (5) of Lansing, Michigan, and daughter-in-law Susan E. Cassidy (son Colin (7)) of Laingsburg, Michigan; his sisters: Helen Cassidy of Watertown, Wisconsin; Ruth Cassidy of Arvada, Colorado; Rose Strait of Fruitport, Michigan and Patricia Yale of Gould City, Michigan. Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, March 20th at 11:00 AM at St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church 861 Maitland Avenue, Altamonte Springs, FL. There will be a ceremony at Glen Haven Memorial Park, 2300 Temple Drive, Winter Park, FL. And a luncheon afterward.

John C. Cassidy

May 13, 1924 - March 10, 2010