John M. Pieruzzi, Jr.

John was born and raised in Athens, son of the late John M. and June (Gallagher) Pieruzzi, Sr. He was a graduate of the Coxsackie-Athens School District, as well as, the Sullivan County Community College. He also served proudly in the United States Navy from 1970 – 1974, during the Vietnam War, on the USS Coral Sea. He then worked in aerospace design for Northrop Grumman, Bethpage, Long Island and Dynabil Industries, Coxsackie.

A local musician and saxophone player, John formed the group “Johnny Moon & Starz.” He was extremely proud of the band and had a tremendous amount of respect for the talent of the band members. He was active in the Athens Performing Arts Corporation (APAC) and the summer concert series at the Riverfront Park in the Village of Athens. He previously served as Chairman and retired from the Board in 2019 after 16 years of service to APAC. He also belonged to the Athens Paddock Club, the Catskill Elks Lodge -1341, the VFW, and the American Legion. In addition to his love for music, he also enjoyed hunting with his grandson, John-Michael and his best friend whom he considered a brother, Anton Gerkman, golfing with his son-in-law, Michael, and enjoying cold Heinekens with ALL of his friends out and about in Athens and Catskill. He also had a passion for history, especially military history, and was an avid antiquer and proprietor of Little House Antiques.

John’s greatest joy in life was his family. He was an extremely loving and devoted father to Christa Dedrick (Michael) of Catskill, grandfather to John-Michael Jeremiah, Jaden Rose and Jameson Patrick Dedrick, whom he absolutely loved and adored. His love for his daughter and grandchildren was immeasurable, and he proudly talked about them to all of his friends. He is also survived by his loving Aunts, Rose Lennon of South Cairo, Mary Pieruzzi of Athens and Margaret “Peggy” Pieruzzi of Athens, as well as several close cousins and numerous friends he considered family.

Outdoor military honors will be conducted on Wednesday, January 6th at 4:00 pm at Millspaugh Camerato Funeral Home, 139 Jefferson Heights, Catskill. A public walk-through for family and friends will be held immediately after until 7:00 pm. Face coverings are required, and social distancing may limit the capacity inside the funeral home. Honoring John’s wishes, he will be cremated and buried alongside his parents during a private ceremony for immediate family in the Athens Rural Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in “Johnny Moon’s” memory may be made to “Athens Performing Arts Corp.”, POB 40, Athens, NY 12015 or to a veteran’s organization of your choice. Messages of condolence may be made to MillspaughCamerato.com