Professor John Rea Ostwald
John’s obituary will be published in The Record, Saratogian, and Times Union newspapers on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
John R. Ostwald, 69, died on October 19, 2019 at Samaritan Hospital. He waged a horrendous year-long battle against Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer with characteristic humor, determination, and grit. Born February 21, 1950 to Josephine Rea Smith and the late Carl Ostwald, he is the cherished husband of Kyra L. Te Paske.
John attended St. Anthony’s School, LaSalle Institute, Hudson Valley Community College, and received his Masters from Hofstra University. John was a Professor of Psychology at Hudson Valley, retiring in 2015. He was a columnist for The Record and The Saratogian newspapers. His final column will be published Sunday, Oct. 27.
John had authored “War, Sacrifice and Coming Home” for Soldier’s Heart, a nonprofit organization assisting veterans. John was a Navy veteran of the Vietnam Era and was an advocate for veterans. He was a true humanitarian. John enjoyed playing piano at local events and especially nursing homes, with his mom along to dance. John loved to play poker and had participated in tournaments in the area as well as Las Vegas.
Survivors in addition to his wife and mother include his sister Carla (Mark) Schlesinger, niece Crystal (Ken) Swinton, sisters-in-law Sue Ellyn (Timothy) Smith and LeeAnn Gillum (William Birt), father-in-law Bruce (Susanna) Te Paske, aunt Catherine Esposito, cousins Josephine Esposito and Pat (Vincenza) Zucaro, and sons Nicholas and Jackson. Life-long friends, Angelo Miele, John Capano, and Dominic Russomanno, along with numerous cousins and friends, also survive him. He was predeceased by cousins Michael Debboli and Patrick Esposito.
In keeping with John’s wishes, there will be a Memorial Mass on Friday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 28 State St., Troy, NY and a celebration of his life immediately following at the Italian Community Center, 1450 5th Ave., Troy, NY. Interment will be private at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Troy, along-side his father. In lieu of flowers, please donate in John Ostwald’s name to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network via website (https://www.pancan.org/), phone (1-800-272-6226), or mail: 500 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 200, Manhattan, CA 90266. Click here to download/print a donation form to use in the mail.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Bocketti Funeral Home, 336 3rd Street, Troy, NY.
Please note: PanCan.org gave John’s family a great deal of hope, excellent and timely resources, assistance to spread the word about the disease, and help with trials information. (Especially helpful to John and his doctor was information about specific trials he was eligible for and contact information that was all inaccessible when a big cancer center’s website went down.) The organization also helped the family connect with others in our area who have the disease, and John felt that without PanCan.org’s assistance, this would have been an even more difficult time for all.
Published: Tue, 22 Oct 2019 12:00:06 +0000 by j.heiser